¡¡ SHIT !!Cuba beats U.S. to win 10th straight baseball gold
By Steve Keating
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, July 20 (Reuters) - Cuba beat arch-rivals the United States 3-1 to secure their 10th consecutive Panamerican Games baseball title on Friday and close a tournament plagued by problems.
Badly behind schedule due to rain and lighting issues, officials decided not to play the third-place game between Mexico and Nicaragua, awarding both teams bronze medals.
While the baseball competition has ended, the problems are likely to continue for Games organisers with the softball event about to move to the swampy venue.
After a sodden field forced postponement of Thursday's scheduled final, the U.S. said it was prepared to forfeit the gold if the title game could not be completed on Friday because of a contract the team had signed to play China in the United States on July 22.
The credibility of the Games took another blow when Mexico also told Panam officials they had to leave on Friday and could not change their travel arrangements.
The Cubans, however, did not need any gifts from the U.S., riding the pitching of Adiel Palma and the hitting of Alexander Mayeta and Osmani Urrutia to the country's 12th gold in 15 Panam Games.
It marked the ninth time the U.S. had been forced to settle for silver.
"The weather made the field a little tough to play but it was the same for everybody," U.S. manager Mike Weathers told reporters. "We were ready to play for the gold medal but their pitcher was very good, we could not solve him.
"They're a great team, they've been together and have many championships."
Palma tossed 7 2/3 innings of sparkling ball, yielding just one run on four hits, before turning the mound over to hulking closer Pedro Lazo, who collected the final four outs.
Cuba got all the offense they would need with a third inning burst, Mayeta driving a two-run double into the gap.
Urrutia went four-for-four at the plate for Cuba scoring a run while Eduardo Paret chipped in with a fourth inning RBI.
"There's a rivalry between the two teams, every time we face each other they play our best," Cuba manager Rey Vincente Anglada said. "It's always a pleasure to face each other because it is always a battle."
