Cuba Dominates in Opening Games of Baseball5 Youth World Cup

Cuba showed vast superiority in both victories

The I Baseball5 Youth World Cup started in Ankara, Turkey on Tuesday with two victories for Cuba's representation in Group A, as part of the qualifying round that lasts until the 12th.

Sadián Fernández led the mixed team to victories over China and Zambia, with the Cubans accepting only two runs during the four games.

To earn its first victory of the tournament, Cuba defeated China (#26 in the world ranking) by a score of 10-0 by the mercy rule in 4 innings, followed by an 11-1 victory over the Asian country in the second match.

Later in the day a 16-1 victory by the mercy rule after three innings, and a 3-0 win, in the closest of the matches, the victory against Zambia (#17) was resounding.

Cuba, the 2022 world champion in the senior category, quickly moved into first place in Group A with the victories.

This Group A is made up, in addition to China and Zambia, of the host country Turkey (#24), along with Malaysia (#18) and Tunisia (#4). It is likely that Tunisia, which ranks fourth in the world ranking of the discipline, will be the most difficult rival for the Antilleans. On the list, Cuba is ranked sixth.

The second-ranked team in the world, France, also won its first two games, over Mexico (#12) and Ghana (#13), while Chinese Taipei still hopes to make his debut against Australia in Group B. Also included in Group B is the South Korean team (#8).

As for the Cubans, their next matches are this Wednesday from 9:00 am (Cuba and Eastern time of the United States), when they will play Turkey and at 12:00 noon, when they will play probably the most difficult team of Group A, Tunisia.

On the following day, Cuba will play their last qualifying match against Malaysia at 10:30 am (Cuba and Eastern time of the United States).

The I Baseball5 Youth World Cup is being played at the Yenimahalle Spor Kompleksi sports complex in the Yenimahalle municipality in Ankara, Turkey. It will run until Sunday, October 15, when the tournament medals will be decided.

Baseball5 games are decided in five innings and during tournaments sponsored by the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC), such as the World Cup or the Olympic Games of any category, victories are defined in a best-in-three-game series.

2023 Cuba Youth National Team (Baseball5)

First baseman: Yoel David Blanco Frómeta, Amanda Díaz Jimeno and Claudia Caridad Gómez Gómez

Third baseman: Adis Yudith Espinel Felizola, Alexander Ortíz Vaillant y Haila González Collazo

Shortstop: Jadier René Ulloa Massip

Infielder: Josué Gutiérrez Calunga

Manager: Sadián Fernández Álvarez

Coach: Sergio Arturo Pérez Echevarría