Stern Shines in Loss to Cuba

Athens, Greece ? Adam Stern went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, but Cuba rallied for six runs in the eight inning to pull out an 8-5 victory over Canada Tuesday evening.

Canada, which dropped a 5-2 decision to Cuba during the opening round, will play Japan at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday for the bronze medal. Japan was upset, 1-0, by Australia earlier Tuesday.

Stern, who ranks among tournament leaders with six runs scored and two stolen bases, highlighted Canada’s early offensive outburst with a two-out, two-run single in the fifth inning, as Canada rallied back from an early 2-0 deficit.

Stern’s hit gave Canada a 3-2 lead, but Cuba regained the lead in the eighth inning before Canada’s ninth-inning rally came short. Stern, who played at Nebraska from 1999 to 2001, is hitting .296 during the tournament after his second multi-hit effort of the Olympics.

Cuba, which won gold medals in 1992 and 1996, will face Australia Wednesday in the gold medal matchup.