Central American And Caribbean Games 2026 Day 5 Roundup: Caballero Ruiz’s Grand Slam Leads Panama Past Cuba

The pressure intensified on Day 5 of the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games as the Super Round delivered crucial results that reshaped the standings and raised the stakes heading into the tournament’s final stretch.

Puerto Rico (3-1) 8, Colombia (1-3) 6 – On Tuesday, Puerto Rico overcame an early deficit with timely hitting and a relentless offensive surge, opening Super Round play with a crucial victory over Colombia.

Kevin Luciano opened Puerto Rico’s scoring in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single to left field that brought home Rubén Castro.

Puerto Rico broke the game open in the third inning as José “Pocholo” Rivera drove in Rubén Castro with an RBI single before Kevin Giovanni Santa Torres, who improved his tournament batting average to .455 with a 1.026 OPS, followed with a two-run single to center that scored Anthony García and Luciano.

Rivera added another RBI single through the right side in the fourth inning to score Edison William Mora Rodríguez, and Santa Torres capped the offensive performance with an RBI single to right field in the sixth inning, bringing home Alexis Gabriel Torres Rivera.

Colombia answered with two runs in the third inning as Jordan Díaz Sandoval drove in Andruw Salcedo López with an RBI single before Ronaldo Hernández Martínez followed with an RBI single to score Derwin Pomare Martínez.

Hernández Martínez added a two-run single in the sixth inning, and Leandro Emiliani Benítez drove in Carlos Arroyo Padilla with an RBI single, but Colombia ultimately dropped a hard-fought game to Puerto Rico.

Kevin Santa gives Puerto Rico an insurance run to make it 8-6 PR pic.twitter.com/toNG3CXbpr

— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) August 4, 2026

Panama (4-0) 6, Cuba (3-1) 2 – Panama erupted for six first-inning runs and never relinquished control, handing Cuba its first loss of the tournament while strengthening their hold on first place in the Super Round standings.

Panama seized control in the bottom of the first inning when Erasmo Caballero Ruiz launched a grand slam down the left-field line, driving in Edgard Muñoz, Jhonny Santos and Luis Castillo.

The offense kept rolling as Abraham Rodríguez lined an RBI single up the middle to score Carlos Alfredo Mosquera Ayala.

Héctor Arturo Rayo Mendoza added an RBI single through the left side to plate Rodríguez, capping a six-run first inning that powered Panama to victory.

Cuba scored in the fifth inning when Andi Cosme crossed the plate on a balk, advancing Yulieski Remón Tejeda to third and Luis Vicente Mateo Terry to second.

Remón Tejeda, who finished with a .667 batting average and a 2.334 OPS, added a solo home run to deep left field in the seventh inning, but Cuba was unable to overcome Panama in the Super Round matchup.

Gilberto Chu gets a strikeout to end it and Panama wins 6-2! With a win tomorrow, Panama clinches their second ever gold medal game appearance at the Central American and Caribbean Games! pic.twitter.com/Vpey54tP6Z

— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) August 4, 2026

Dominican Republic (2-2) 5, Nicaragua (2-2) 0 – The Dominican Republic controlled every phase of the game, using a five-run offensive attack and a commanding pitching performance to shut down Nicaragua and earn a decisive Super Round victory.

The Dominican Republic struck first in the opening inning when Raimel Tapia Linares lined an RBI single through the right side to score Deivi Muñoz, and Diego Hernández Liriano added another run in the fourth by reaching on a fielder’s choice that brought home Yairo Zaul Muñoz.

Diego Hernández led the offense by going 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Oscar De La Cruz delivered 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out six to earn the victory.

The offense added three more runs in the seventh inning as Deivi Muñoz delivered an RBI single through the left side to score Gilberto Celestino, Yairo Zaul Muñoz followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Deivi Muñoz, and Diego Hernández Liriano added an RBI double down the right-field line that plated Raimel Tapia Linares.

Nicaragua struggled offensively, managing only one hit and one walk against dominant Dominican pitching throughout the game.

Their sole defensive highlight came from starting pitcher Leonardo Crawford, who kept the game within reach early on by striking out three batters.

Raimel Tapia with an RBI single and the Dominican Republic takes a 1-0 lead over Nicaragua! pic.twitter.com/45k2aWuOWD

— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) August 4, 2026

Photo Courtesy of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation