Cuba U-18 Closes the Placement Round of the Pan American Championship with Two Losses

The Cuban U-18 baseball team lost to Canada (8-2) and Curaçao (7-1) in the Placement Round of the Pan American Championship and ended that phase with one victory and two losses.

The balance includes the win over Mexico, which the Antilleans carried over from the previous stage.

Against the Canadians, the Cuban team connected for five hits. Matanzas native Anthony Iván Navarro led the offense with two hits in four at-bats and one RBI.

The other run came from the home run by Granma native Dariel René Cabrera, who sent it out of the park as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning.

Against Curaçao, the offense was reduced to three hits. Cabrera again connected for a home run — his second of the day — and signed the only Cuban run. Navarro and Jorge Luis Valera completed the attack for the players from the largest of the Antilles.

On the mound, Jesús López took the loss against Canada after four innings, with three hits and three earned runs allowed, four walks, and five strikeouts.

Cienfuegos native Chrystofer Sarría assumed the loss against Curaçao, in a performance of 1.2 innings with three hits, three earned runs, two walks, and five strikeouts.