VENEZUELAN FANS EXPERIENCE EMOTIONAL MOMENT AT SOFTBALL VENUE

They come from different corners of Lima, motivated by the passion for the Venezuelan softball team. The distance that they must travel to Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center does not matter when there is so much love for the team. Several families live in nearby districts, but others must travel for hours, like a group that came all the way from Independencia to see their three cousins compete at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

Because of them, softball games are more than just two-hour encounters. Even at the end of the seven innings, Venezuelan pride is present. The most impressive moment took place on July 28, in the match against Peru, as more than 2000 people took part in an amusing fan duel, which ended up in fans and players singing the Venezuelan national anthem. It was something that reached the heart of the team.

“It makes us proud to see many Venezuelans in Lima supporting us. They sang the national anthem to us and that gave us goosebumps. We even wanted to cry, so we rewarded their support by singing along. I feel excited but also sad because they cannot have the future they want in our country, so they had to travel far away,’’ said batter Jorge Lima.

Then, Ángel Herrera added: “We are playing these matches at Lima 2019 as if we were at home with all that support, and somehow we give back by bringing them a little piece of the country, the homes they left behind in Venezuela. The children who don't play baseball play softball. That makes them love our sport. We are grateful.’’

SOFTBALL AT LIMA 2019

The Peruvian softball team will participate in the Pan American Games for the first time. Six teams will play in a round-robin preliminary round to advance to the next stage. The sport is governed by the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) regulations. The game consists of seven innings, where each team alternates batting and fielding. Finally, the team that scores the most runs wins.

Here is the rest of the men's softball calendar: Show them your support and buy your tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets: