A four-run ninth propelled Venezuela to a victory which keeps alive their hopes of claiming the last available place in the Olympic baseball tournament at Tokyo 2020.

The South American side sits second in the three-team competition at Estadio Hermanos Serdán in Puebla in Mexico, which was hit by three coronavirus-related withdrawals before getting underway.

Alexi Amarista, Hernan Perez and Alexander Palma were in good scoring form early on as Venezuela established a 5-0 lead by the midway point of the match.

The Netherlands rarely threatened a fightback as after reducing the deficit, Venezuela put the game away with a four-run ninth inning.

Sharlon Schoop's two-run homer proved to be little more than a consolation for the Dutch, who play Dominican Republic in the last match of the opening round tomorrow.

Victory for Dominican Republic will send them through to the final, the winner of which will qualify for Tokyo 2020.