Cuba defeats Aruba at U15 baseball World Cup qualifying tournament

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 9 (ACN) The Cuban team achieved its first victory at the regional qualifying tournament for the U15 Baseball World Cup, defeating Aruba 8-5, after falling to the host Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

The success bolsters the hopes of the team coached by Alexander Urquiola, who must maintain a winning streak to aspire to the only direct ticket assigned to the 2026 World Cup in Italy.

The Caribbean tournament, scheduled to run until September 11, features only four teams, with a two-round, round-robin format. At the end of the tournament, the seeding will be decided, and the champion will secure an express ticket to the World Cup.

The second-place finisher will await two wild cards, which will be distributed among the runners-up in the three regional tournaments organized by WBSC Americas, the continent's governing body for baseball. The first criterion for selection is the championships with the most participants, followed by world ranking.

This first criterion puts the Cubans in a more awkward position, as they are playing in the smallest World Cup qualifying tournament, with only four participants, while the other teams have five.

Venezuela started the tournament in the South American region, followed by Colombia, and the North and Central American tournament will be played next in Mexico, with the United States, Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica also participating.

The second round begins this Tuesday, and the Cubans will seek revenge against the Dominicans, who defeated them 9-8 on the opening day.The match between Puerto Ricans and Aruba completes the slate.

The Dominican Republic team leads the standings undefeated (3-0), followed by Puerto Rico (2-1), Cuba (1-2) and Aruba (0-3).