Mexico Baseball 5 Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic bronze medal, Digi Mart USA News: Mexico won its second medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after the national baseball 5 team defeated Kenya 2-1 in the third-place match. The Mexican side won the sets 13-4, 2-3 and 7-2 to secure a place on the podium.
Mexico took control of the first set with six runs in the first inning and six more in the fifth, winning 13-4 on a 22-hit offensive. Isaac Rodríguez recorded six hits and scored five runs, while Carlos Mercado added five hits and four runs.
Kenya responded in the second set and evened the match, breaking a tie in the fifth inning to win 3-2 and force a third set. The two teams had already met during the group stage.
Mexico regained control in the decisive set, scoring five runs from the first inning. Kenya pulled back runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but Mexico added two more to seal the 7-2 result.
Mercado again led with four hits and three runs, and Rodríguez contributed three hits and two runs.
Mexico’s path to the podium began with a victory over Syria in the group stage. The team then lost its first match to Kenya in two sets, 6-5.
Mexico rebounded to beat France 2-0 (7-5, 16-6) to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the knockout stage, Mexico defeated Turkey to reach the top four. In the semifinals, Chinese Taipei won in two sets and ended Mexico’s gold medal hopes, leaving the bronze match as the team’s remaining target.
The medal carries special significance for Mexican baseball because Dakar 2026 marks baseball 5’s first appearance on the Olympic program. The mixed discipline is played by teams of five on the field and involves hitting the ball directly with the hands.
Mexico is coached by Tania González and José Luis Salinas, with a squad of eight athletes.
With this result, Mexico has now won two bronze medals at Dakar 2026, both earned on November 3. The first came from Daniel Saborío Grillo, who finished third in the 400-meter freestyle swimming event in 3:52.72, becoming the first Mexican swimmer to reach an Olympic podium at the Youth Olympic Games.
The Dakar 2026 Games continue in Senegal until November 13, with coverage on Claro Sports.
