Cuba Beats Panama in Mexico's Baseball Championship

HAVANA, Cuba, Oct 4 (acn) Cuba defeated Panama 4-3 at the 2016 COPABE Pan-American AAA Baseball Championship taking place in Monterrey, Mexico, from September 30 to October 9.

Cuban Emilio Almeida hit an RBI-hit on the third day of the competition and now the Caribbean island has a balance of two wins and one loss, the JIT Web site reported on Monday.
Panama scored first, but Cubans matched the game 1-1 at the bottom of the third inning and it was not until the fifth that they took the lead 3-1 thanks to a 2 RBI-triple by right fielder Oscar Colas.
Impetuous, their opponents tied in the eighth through RBI-singles by catcher William Saavedra and first baseman Losid Bernal.
But Cubans countered back in the bottom of that same inning with Almeida´s aforementioned action, while reliever Richard Guach (1-0) earned the win after surrendering 8 hits and allowing 2 earned runs with one strikeout in three innings and a third of work and closer Roberto Hernandez took the save.
Oscar Colas, 3 for 3 with the important triple and two RBIs, third baseman Miguel Gonzalez, 2 for 3, and shortstop Luis Medina, 2 for 2, offensively highlighted for the winners.
Cuba had previously beaten Honduras by forfeit and lost 4-5 to the United States.
The event is a qualifier for the U18 World Cup scheduled for next year in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Standings:

1. USA (3-0)
2. Nicaragua (2-1)
3. Mexico (2-1)
4. Cuba (2-1)
5. Panama (1-2)
6. Brazil (1-2)
7. Colombia (0-3)
8. Honduras (0-3)