Puerto Rico opened its participation in the 2026 WBSC Under-23 World Cup on Friday with a dramatic 2-1 walk-off win over Panama at the Estadio Nacional Soberanía in Managua, Nicaragua. The decisive hit came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Gustavo Meléndez singled to left field to drive in pinch runner Kalvin Monge from second base with the winning run.
Puerto Rico connected for seven hits, with Meléndez and Cruz leading the offense with two hits each. The win gives Puerto Rico a 1-0 record in the first of its five scheduled games in the tournament’s opening round, which brings together 12 countries. Panama took the lead first on a solo home run by Mauricio Pierre in the third inning.
The Puerto Rico offense stayed quiet until the sixth, when Juan Cruz homered to tie the game 1-1 and set up the finish. In the bottom of the seventh, Héctor Nieves struck out to open the inning; Yamvier Carrero then reached base on an error and was replaced on the bases by Monge. Josnel Ortiz was hit by a pitch and, after Javier Crespo struck out, Meléndez delivered the decisive hit that brought Monge home.
Left-hander Jorhan Laboy started and pitched five and two-thirds innings, allowing one run and two hits. Lucas Vega relieved for one inning, and Ramón Rodríguez retired one third of an inning to earn the win. For Panama, Camilo Elías Sánchez took the loss in relief, allowing two runs, one of them unearned, over one and two-thirds innings.
Puerto Rico returns to the field on Saturday at 2:00 PM. Puerto Rico time against Australia in its second first-round game.