Cubans among the best players in baseball pre-World Championship

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela, Aug 21 (ACN) First basewoman Libia Duarte and shortstop Odrisleisis Peguero stood out for Cuba among the best players of the pre-World Baseball Championship of the Americas, held in—and won by—Venezuela.

Duarte, who was cleanup batter in the first four games and then appointed lead-off hitter, finished the qualifying stage as leading scorer with six, whereas Peguero, third in the lineup all along, finished with a .333 batting average and no errors and was chosen best third basewoman of the All-Star team.

“I was really surprised to have been the best third basewoman, since there were other very experienced players. (…) And even if we couldn’t take a medal back home with us, the team fulfilled its main objective, which was to qualify for the 2023 World Cup,” Peguero stressed.