Canada celebrated three golds on a dramatic day 11 of the Pan American Games that saw a small Caribbean nation make history and win its first ever medal.

The biggest upset of the day occurred in Lagos de Moreno, 120 miles northeast of Guadalajara, where Canada's baseball team downed the mighty United States by the narrowest of margins to win its first Pan Am gold in this sport.

A magnificent display of pitching by Andrew Albers and reliever Scott Richmond limited Team USA to six hits in the 2-1 victory.

The game did not involve the Cardinals, the Rangers or even Mexico – losers to Cuba in the bronze medal play off – but the pro-Canada crowd created a lively atmosphere worthy of a World Series game.

The jubilation of the winning team at the end of the game bespoke of Canada's limited aspirations at the start of the tournament – their only previous baseball medal had been a bronze in 1999.

In a not completely full athletics stadium (although tickets had supposedly sold out, according to signs on the ticket booths), Canada's Dylan Armstrong, silver medallist at the 2011 world championships, confirmed his ascendence in the sport by throwing a new Pan American Games record of 21.30 meters on his fifth attempt to take the gold medal.  

"I was very pleased with that throw and couldn't have asked for any better. It's a nice end to the season and the icing on the cake I guess," Armstrong said after the awards ceremony. "These people put on a great event today. My thanks to the people of Guadalajara. If I ever get an opportunity to come back, I definitely will.  I've really enjoyed my time here."

Armstrong said he will compete in the indoor worlds in Turkey before beginning his preparations for the 2012 Olympics, where he will be among the favorites.

Canadian weightlifter Christine Girard captured gold in the women's 63-kilogram category. Canada also advanced to the final of women's soccer competition, to play favorites Brazil on Thursday in the Omnilife Stadium at 5 p.m. and boxer Mandy Bujold punched her way into the women's 51-kilogram division gold medal bout.

Although the United States had a relatively quiet day Tuesday in the more recognized sports, U.S. athletes still managed to win four gold medals. There were victories in the men's and women's bowling doubles, and fencers Alexander Massialas won the men's individual foil and Mariel Zagunis the women's individual sabre.

The men's and women's racquetball team finals saw Mexico-United States match ups, and the host nation prevailed in both.

Cuba continued to show its strength and upped its gold medal tally to 25, after Adriana Muñoz won the women's 800 meters and Leonel Suárez the decathlon, as well as two weightlifting medals.  After just two days of athletics competition, Cuba already has five gold medals.

Brazil's Rosangela Santos finished first in the women's 100 meters sprint ahead of Barbara Pierre of the United States, while Lerone Clarke won the blue riband men's race to record Jamaica's first gold of the games.

The story in the sprint final, however, was all about silver medallist Kim Collins, who won St. Kitts and Nevis's first Pan American Games medal, despite pulling a hamstring as he crossed the finish line.

Collins, the 2003 world champion, four-time Olympian and one of the oldest ever sprint medallists at the age of 35, said he was "disappointed" not to have won the gold given that he set a Pan American Games record of 10.00 seconds in his semi final.

Nonetheless, he said he believed his compatriots back home would still be happy at the "history-making" result, and promised to try his hardest to win a medal in London 2012 to "complete my set of medals."

With a population of just over 50,000, St. Kitts and Nevis is participating in the games for the fifth time. This leaves the British Virgin Islands and Aruba as the only two of the 42 nations taking part in Guadalajara to have never won a Pan American Games medal.