Cuba finished undefeated in Group A of the I Baseball5 Youth World Cup, after beating Malaysia
- Ray Otero-Alonso
- Oct 11, 2023
- 2 min read
With five wins, Cuba finished in first place in Group A heading into the Super Round of the tournament
Two other victories and another triumph for the Cuban youth national team that is playing in the I Baseball5 World Cup of the category in Ankara, Turkey.
At the Yenimahalle Spor Kompleksi Field 1 in Yenimahalle, the island's team defeated its Malaysian rival 12-0 and 8-0, to win 2-0. A fifth consecutive win to finish the qualifying round undefeated.
After today's victories, the Cubans have won six shutouts in 10 matches and four games have ended under the Mercy Rule. During this qualifying stage, the Cubans displayed solid defense and only allowed 12 runs. The team has scored wildly in almost every match. Cuba has outscored its rivals in the following ways:
China: 21-1 (+20 run)
Zambia: 19-1 (+18)
Turkey: 16-4 (+12)
Tunisia: 17-6 (+11)
Malaysia: 20-0 (+20)
Cuba's opponent, Tunisia, fourth in the world ranking - Cuba is sixth - was undoubtedly the most difficult. They blanked them in a match 8-0 while winning the second game 9-6.
Cuba's closest match was against the host country, Turkey, when in the first game of the double game, the Turks led 4-3 at the end of the first inning. From that point on, Cuba's defense closed doors and denied its rival any more opportunities, resulting in a 6-4 victory.
Final Standings
Tomorrow is the Super Round
Cuba, the world champion country of the discipline, will face France, first place in Group B, in the most anticipated match of the tournament this Friday.
In addition to Cuba, the French are the only undefeated team in the tournament. Despite not scoring as many points as the Cubans, the European team has outscored its opponents 52-17 in the best-of-three series. On Friday, the game will begin at 6:00 am, Eastern US time and Cuban time.
In the second presentation on Friday, Cuba will face the third place in Group B, Chinese Taipei. Chinese Taipei leads the world ranking, but lost two games to France and Mexico.
The Super Round ends on Saturday, October 14, and Cuba will play Mexico, second place in Group B, at 6:00 am in the same time zone.
At 4:00 am this Sunday, the third and fourth places in the Super Round will discuss the bronze medal of this first youth World Cup edition, with the first two placings in the Super Round advancing to the title discussion at 8:00 am.
Comments