Venezuela hands Panama first loss to reach Caribbean Series semifinals

February 7th, 2024

One Caribbean Series team took down the last undefeated club during Day 6 of the tournament on Tuesday.

Here's a recap below of all the action from loanDepot Park in Miami:

Mexico 5, Nicaragua 2

Nicaragua was in a hole before they could even come to bat. Mexico jumped on top 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning after a two-run shot off the bat off Aaron Altherr.

Two innings later, Mexico added three more with RBI singles from Agustin Murillo, Juan Carlos Gamboa and Sergio Burruel.

Nicaragua would later add two runs, but could not make up the early 5-0 deficit, falling to 0-5 for the tournament while Mexico improved to 2-4.

Dominican Republic 2, Curacao 0

Coming into the game in a 2-2 tie in the standings, both the Dominican Republic and Curacao desperately needed a win in this one. But it was the Dominican Republic, behind a dominant, staff-wide pitching performance, who came out on top in a nailbiter.

The Dominican Republic held Curacao to just three hits thanks to five shutout innings from Raul Valdes and four near-perfect innings from their bullpen.

Curacao's Jurickson Profar had a chance to tie the game with a runner on and one out in the ninth inning, but a sharp ground ball off his bat went straight to first baseman Ramón Hernandez, who turned a 3-6-3 double-play to end the game.

Venezuela 5, Panama 4

Right off the bat, Panama took a 2-0 lead with back-to-back solo shots from Allen Córdoba and Ivan Hererra in the top of the first inning. But Venezuela wouldn't back down.

Trailing 3-1 with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Hernan Perez smacked a double to right field, clearing the bases and putting Venezuela up 4-3. Panama brought the go-ahead run to the plate with nobody out in the ninth inning, but Venezuela held on for the 5-4 win.

The victory pushed Venezuela's record to a 4-1 in the Caribbean Series, bringing them to a tie with Panama at the top of the Caribbean Series standings and clinching a spot in the semifinal round. Panama clinched a spot in the semis with a win on Monday.