THUNDER BAY, Ontario -- It was the Mexican women's national team's first international appearance in the history of its program in 2019. Facing Nicaragua in the Pan-American Championships, Mexico turned to Rosi del Castillo, their star pitcher. She grew up having faced men's teams and had already made history, becoming Mexico's first professional female pitcher when she joined the Tamanche Azulejos, a team in the Liga Meridana in the Yucatan.

She was untouchable on this day, combining with Veronica Romo to throw a no-hitter.

That's one way to announce yourself on the international stage.

"At the moment, I had no idea it was a no-hitter," del Castillo told MLB.com at this week's WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup through WBSC broadcaster Tony Alvarez, who translated. "All of the girls really helped a lot to obviously get that win and still keep on working to get more."

"That was something incredible for them and for the team," Mexico manager Vicente Jimenez said. "The players have played a lot in their home states to try and put women's baseball on the map. It was very meaningful for them and for the team and for Mexican baseball, especially."

Though Mexico -- ranked 12th entering this week -- didn't throw another no-hitter, their performance this week was nearly as historic: Playing in the country's first Women's Baseball World Cup, they showed incredible talent on all sides of the ball as they qualified for next year's finals that will be back in Thunder Bay next summer. 

Mexico upset No. 8 Australia, scoring eight runs in extra innings (Women's Baseball World Cup games are 7 innings long) to win 16-8, with Diana Ibarra hitting a three-run home run and donning a sombrero as she crossed home plate.

They defeated Hong Kong, 16-6, with Denise Perez Velazquez driving in 8 runs.

They knocked off Korea, 10-0, with del Castillo hurling 5 shutout innings and Edith de Leija adding three hits.

They even held Canada close before a rain delay interrupted the game and lost a narrow 2-0 game to USA after America had defeated Canada and Hong Kong by scores of 23-0 and 29-0, respectively. Suffice to say, Mexico announced itself as a serious contender in the women's game.

"Everyone wanted to get that ticket punched to the finals and that's exactly what happened," shortstop Samaria Benitez said. "We're very happy with what we accomplished."

Benitez had achieved viral fame during the tournament for her jaw-dropping, highlight-reel defense up the middle. Mexico's steady performance in the field stood in contrast to the sometimes sloppy defense other teams showcased -- another reason for Mexico's breakout performance on the international stage.

"It was unbelievable. First of all, I dreamed about moments like that my whole life," Benitez sid. "I was watching the webpage for highlights when I was little girl, and I said, 'You know what? I want to do plays like that, so I could be on the webpage, as well. All of a sudden now I'm on it, so it was just amazing. It's a blessing, and I hope we can keep on doing it."

While the women's team may be new on the international circuit, they're well known back home. The players often compete against each other in national tournaments where each of the states face off each other for country supremacy.

"In Mexico there are many national tournaments, but not many international opportunities to show what we're made of," pitcher Flor Valerio said. "Since there's not a league in Mexico like in other countries or other league personally are not well, it's tough but our work tells also younger generations that they can also work hard [and accomplish great things]."

Valerio, like many players on the national team, has spent most of her life playing against men. That includes a perfect game she threw when she was just 12 years old. It's a moment that stands out in her memory.

"I had played for eight years at that time and it had never happened before," Valerio, who pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings at the World Cup, said. "But I trusted my teammates -- they were all men -- coaches, manager and all the staff. I was nervous, but I overcame the nerves and threw a perfect game."

Adriana Palma, who held the U.S. bats in check on Sunday afternoon, also grew up playing primarily against men. She was almost a sideshow at the time, though, getting cash offers for striking out the hitters she'd face.

"There was this one guy who was really good," Palma said. "I knew about him and pretty much everyone told me, 'He's gonna hit a homer off you.' So I prepared a lot and used my slider -- my best pitch -- to strike him out. After that, a couple of people came up and said, 'I want to give you 500 pesos for striking him out.'"

While those stories are fun, it took Palma dominating against the men for a long time before she finally earned the respect of the opposition and the people in the stands.

"Discrimination was widespread, especially with players saying, 'She's a girl, she's not going to throw that hard, we want to hit her,'" Palma said. "But nowadays, well, I've earned my spot and they want to face me because I'm good and tough for them."

"Fans need to know that women can play the sport," Valerio said. "Just because in the past it was known as a man sport, it shouldn't stay that way. Obviously, the opportunities for women's baseball need to increase, but after this tournament, everyone knows what Mexico is capable of."

With the group stage over, the players will now return to their homes. They'll train for next year, with some returning to school and others to their local ballclubs. They'll look to continue surprising the world when they return for the finals next summer.

"[Advancing to the finals] is very important because I love the game of baseball," Benitez said. "I've also received a lot of texts and other messages that say, 'I want to be a baseball player like you and play like you.' I appreciate that and they're going to get there. You just have to dedicate your life to baseball like I did and the results will show up eventually."

Many thanks to Tony Alvarez and WBSC for translation assistance.