U.S. may forfeit in baseball

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – The U.S. team of college baseball players that has had a surprising unbeaten run at the Pan American Games might not be able to play for the gold medal.

A previous commitment for the team to play a series of games back home against China could lead to a forfeit of the final against Cuba.

The Americans must leave Rio tonight to go to Mobile, Ala., for the games with China. With heavy rains dousing the Pan Ams baseball fields – and with little expertise on the part of the hosts in dealing with such problems – it’s possible the gold medal match scheduled for 7 a.m. this morning won’t come off at that time.

Baseball is not a popular sport in Brazil, and the Pan Ams facility has been plagued by flooding and lighting problems since the tournament began last Saturday. The Americans didn’t play until Sunday because there was insufficient lighting for their night game on July 14.

Field conditions were examined Thursday morning, but torrential rains the previous night made a postponement inevitable.