Cuba finishes without medal at the Youth World Baseball Championship

Cuban youth baseball team stumbled again in Okinawa, falling 3-0 to South Korea today, a result that leaves them out of contention for medals at the World Cup in this category.

After a promising start with victories against South Africa and Italy, the team coached by Abeyci Pantoja collapsed, losing three losses in a row. This slump condemned them to fourth place in Group A, a position that only grants access to the so-called consolation round, where spots seventh through twelfth are contested.

The game started poorly from the start. In the first inning, the Asians took advantage of a triple by Jaewon Oh, a walk, and a defensive error to score two runs off Cuban starter Leandro Forteza.

An inning later, Jiho Park drove in the third with a sacrifice fly. After that start, relief pitcher Edenis Cruz managed to keep the South Koreans scoreless for five innings, but the Cuban offense never managed to reawaken.

Right-hander Joel Kim, the game's winner, was responsible for tying up the Cuban bats: he allowed just one hit and struck out 10 in five and a third innings.

The Caribbean team is now on a 22-inning scoreless streak, with only five hits in that span. In addition to South Korea, Japan and Puerto Rico secured their place in the next phase in Group A, while the United States and Chinese Taipei already had their tickets in Group B, with the final qualifier awaiting determination.