The U-23 semi-final begins today in Bayamo

Camagüey, July 10.—The semifinals of the eastern bracket of the National Under-23 Baseball Tournament will begin today in the city of Bayamo, after being postponed the day before due to a combination of rain and questionable logistics.

The previous day's rain prevented the Mártires de Barbados field from being in playing condition yesterday, forcing the federation to postpone the start of the scheduled three-game match.

Added to the deteriorating condition of the field are the organizational failures displayed by the eastern hosts, which prevented entry to the hotel provided for in the contract, thus affecting the necessary rest after a journey of several hours.

It was finally decided that the match will take place this Thursday afternoon (starting at 2:00 p.m.), while the 10:00 a.m. start for the western match between Havana and Villa Clara will remain at the capital's Latinoamericano Stadium.

For the Camagüey’s team, right-hander Riquelmi Odelín is the obvious starter. With three wins in the qualifying segment, he was the main pitching leader.

Additionally, the Toros could use Yonimiller Mendoza in that lineup, and also have Juan Raúl Lugo and Abraham Licea ready for a hypothetical third game, although both are performing well in the reliever roles.

The Camagüey’s offense has its best expressions in Marcos Torres (383 average), Osniel Expósito (345) and Enmanuel Barreras (308), although with only thirteen appearances at bat.

The leaders in attack among the Granma team are Miguel Remón (500) and Ernesto Pérez (367) who, by the way, has three home runs in the championship. Among the pitchers, Leandro Bellas (0-3), Yurisel Rivera, and Alexei Ricardo stand out.

In the other zone, Habana opened with a 6-3 victory over Villa Clara, with reliever Javier Márquez winning the game, with Fher Cejas saving the game.

The failure was attributed to Cristian Rojas.

Villa Clara was the last champion of this event, which has not been held since 2022. (Text: Gilberto Rodríguez Rivero/Radio Cadena Agramonte Collaborator) (Photo: Archive)