Venezuela go undefeated to win women’s softball gold at Bolivarian Games; Six-team baseball event starts in Lima
World No. 15 Venezuela completed an undefeated campaign to capture the gold medal in the Women’s Softball competition at the Bolivarian Games, defeating No. 18 Peru, 9-0, in the final. No. 30 Dominican Republic earned the bronze medal.
“Venezuela returns to the place that women’s softball deserves," said head coach Maria Soto. "Our goal, as everyone knows, is to qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.”
Venezuela scored three runs in the first, second and fourth innings to take control early. “We told the girls that we had to play our game. Six run-rule victories in seven games played. Yesterday I told them: ‘I won’t accept anything less than a run-rule win in the final,’ because they have worked for that,” Soto added.
Right-hander Loreley Francia was dominant in the circle, throwing five innings with one walk, three strikeouts and only three hits allowed.
“There are always nerves in games, especially in a championship,” Francia said. “But when I step onto the field with my teammates, all the nerves disappear. Whether we face a team once or five times, the plan is always the same.”
Francia led the tournament with three wins, tied with teammate Rachael Schumann. She also finished second in innings pitched (16.2) and third in strikeouts (15), while Schumann placed second with 16.
“It’s a good first step. There are many things we have to work on, but as the tournaments go by we’ll keep improving,” Francia added.
Offensively, Venezuela also shined. Yulexis Barrios went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the final and finished the event 14-for-22 with 17 RBIs. “It was a lot of hard work. We trained for 10 months, every day, in double sessions. It’s a way to step firmly into the Olympic cycle, and the team is prepared for bigger things,” she said.
In the bronze medal game, the Dominican Republic defeated Bolivia, 10-0, in four innings thanks to a no-hitter by Eduarda Rocha, who allowed two walks and struck out four.
Baseball competition opens in Lima
The Men's Baseball competition at the Bolivarian Games began on Sunday, 30 November, featuring six teams - world No. 5 Venezuela, No. 13 Colombia, No. 26 Curaçao, No. 47 Peru, No. 56 El Salvador and No. 67 Ecuador. The tournament consists of a single round robin, with the top four advancing to the medal games on 5 December.
On the opening day, Curaçao defeated El Salvador, 11-0; Venezuela blanked Ecuador, 2-0; and Colombia claimed an 11-0 win over Peru.
The Bolivarian Sports Organization (ODEBO) unites the Bolivarian nations through sport and is a member of Panam Sports, which operates under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) framework. ODEBO’s full members include Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
Photo: Mindeportes