Mexico (1-3) will now face the winner of the Canada-Colombia quarterfinal game for the right to advance to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. That game is scheduled to be played on Sunday, November 9 at 8:00 pm EST.

With the score tied 1-1 in the ninth inning, Luis A. Garcia blasted a home run to center field off American reliever Brian Bruney (0-1), putting the Mexicans ahead. Team USA rallied to put runners on second and third base with only one out in the bottom of the ninth, before Mexican reliever Isidro Marquez got Justin Leone to ground back to the mound, and Gerald Laird to pop up on the infield to end the game.

The quarterfinal was scoreless through three innings, with each side posting only two hits apiece off starting pitchers Jason Stanford of the USA and Rigo Beltran of Mexico. But Leone broke the drought by launching a solo home run with two outs in the fourth, putting the Americans on top, 1-0.

That lead was short-lived as Mexican first baseman Ray Martinez ripped the first pitch from Stanford in the top of the fifth, for a home run to left field that tied the score, 1-1. It was the first run scored upon the Team USA pitching staff in the entire tournament up until that point, spanning a total of 29.0 innings pitched.

Stanford went five frames and allowed the one run on three hits, taking a no-decision. He was relieved by John VanBenschoten, who was making his first appearance of the event, working 3.0 critical shutout innings of relief. Bruney came on in the ninth and suffered the loss.

Beltran stiffled the American offense for seven innings, allowing only three hits and the home run to Leone. Mexican reliever Victor Alvarez (1-0) picked up the win by working a scoreless eighth.