Cuba defeats Great Britain at Asia-Pacific Secondary Field, Tainan; 7-4 final; Cuba's first win in the group

Cuba defeats Great Britain at Asia-Pacific Secondary Field, Tainan; 7-4 final; Cuba’s first win in the group

WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Tainan: Game Report - Cuba earn first win after close contest against Great Britain

Cuba grabbed control early and held off a late push from Great Britain in a 7-4 win on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, at Asia-Pacific Secondary Field in the WBSC

RAXUS Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Tainan 2026 supported by CTBC . The game turned quickly in the opening inning, when Cuba sent a long string of hitters to the plate and turned a tight start into a four-run advantage before Great Britain could settle in.

Great Britain struck first in the top of the first. Laura Hirai was hit by a pitch, and Ella Henson followed with a sacrifice fly to bring her home, giving Britain a brief 1-0 lead. Cuba answered immediately and emphatically against Oona Julia Ylinen, starting with Eleyenni Estupiñan Consuegra’s single and continuing through a parade of baserunners. Jessica Herrera delivered one of the first big blows with an RBI single, and Cuba kept stacking traffic as errors and walks extended the inning. By the time the dust settled, Cuba had pushed across four runs and seized a lead it never surrendered.

Great Britain did not go quietly. In the third inning, Hirai singled and then scored on a sacrifice fly after a dropped fly-ball error kept the inning alive. That trimmed the margin and briefly hinted at a momentum shift. But Cuba answered in the bottom half, again capitalizing on defensive miscues and contact hitting. Libia Duarte Crespo singled, Aylen Garcia Cordovi reached on an error, and Doris Fuentes Cruz added another run-scoring hit to keep Britain from building any real pressure.

The visitors made their loudest move in the fourth. Stella Veski singled, Gabriella Sassoli reached base, and Claury Scatliffe lined a two-run double down the left-field line to bring Britain within striking distance. For a moment, Cuba’s early cushion looked vulnerable. Yet the home side answered again in the bottom of the inning, with Herrera and Duarte Crespo helping create more pressure before Garcia Cordovi walked in a run. Cuba’s ability to respond immediately proved decisive, keeping Great Britain from turning its best inning into a full comeback.

Great Britain kept trying to chip away in the fifth, stringing together singles from Ella Henson, Samiya Rahman and Darier Minika Malone, but Cuba’s bullpen held the line from there. Maiquelis Maricela Chacon Serrano worked the first 4.1 innings and earned the win despite allowing four runs, while A. Carrazana Urquiza closed the door for the save with a clean finish. Oona Julia Ylinen took the loss after the rough first inning, and Laura Hirai and Claury Scatliffe both logged relief work as Britain searched for answers.

Herrera was one of Cuba’s standout performers, scoring twice and driving in a run while constantly reaching base and stressing the defense. Duarte Crespo also made a major impact with a run-scoring, run-producing presence in the middle innings, and Garcia Cordovi’s two walks and RBI helped keep the inning-moving machine running. For Great Britain, Hirai finished with two runs scored and Henson drove in one, while Scatliffe’s two-run double gave the visitors their most dangerous swing of the day. In the end, Cuba’s early burst and steadier response to every British rally defined the afternoon, and once the first-inning surge landed, the momentum never truly left the home side.

Box score: Great Britain @ Cuba

RAXUS Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Tainan 2026 supported by CTBC

Cuba used a huge first inning and steady pressure the rest of the way to outlast Great Britain 7-4 at Asia-Pacific Secondary Field in Tainan on Thursday afternoon. Great Britain answered in spurts, but Cuba’s early burst and timely pitching changes kept the hosts in control for most of the game.