Cuba knocks out South Africa at the start of the U18 Baseball World Cup

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 5 (ACN) Cuban team knocked out South Africa (10-0) today on the opening day of the U18 Baseball World Cup being played in Okinawa, Japan.

Although the offense only produced six hits, the Cubans took advantage of the same number of errors from the opposing defense to bolster the excellent work of pitcher Leandro Forteza, who pitched five innings with just one hit and five strikeouts.

At bat, shortstop Jonathan Moreno and right fielder Yoan Aguilera went 2-for-3 with two runs each, while catcher Yaidel Ruiz led the field with two RBIs.

Cuban team, led by two-time National Senior Series champion Abeicy Pantoja, secured the victory with a six-run package in the second inning. Tomorrow, the island's squad will face Italy before taking on their most prestigious opponents in preliminary group A: Japan, Puerto Rico, and Korea, in that order.

The top three finishers in each bracket will advance to the super round from September 11-13, and on the 14th, the champion will be determined among the top two from the second phase of the tournament.

Cuba's last appearance in an U18 tournament was in 2017, when it finished sixth in the final standings and was subsequently left without spots for the 2019, 2022 (delayed by COVID-19), and 2023 tournaments, according to the WBSC website.