Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, July 26. - The Cuban U-12 baseball team suffered its second consecutive defeat today in the VIII World Cup being held in Tainan, China Taipei, losing 0-4 to the Japanese squad.
The island's young players were unable to decipher the pitches of Japanese starter Shotaro Hashimoto, who limited them to just three hits throughout the game. The Japanese right-hander walked the entire route with remarkable control, throwing five strikeouts and giving only one base per ball.
The team coached by Raúl Rodríguez allowed a run in the first inning, thanks to a triple by Taiki Toyama and a ground ball to the infield, and saw their opponents add three more in the following two innings, enough to seal the game.
Despite their efforts, the Cubans have started the tournament with two losses, after falling on opening day to the hosts of China Taipei (3-6), and now they need to beat Mexico in their next presentation to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the Superround.
Cuban pitcher Yan Carlos Ramírez took on the challenge from the mound throughout the game, facing without a substitute a Japanese offense that was effective with players on the pitch.
After today's results, Cuba sits in last place in Group A (0-2), tied with Germany, also with two losses. Japan and Mexico (2-0) lead the group, while China Taipei (1-0) and Australia (0-1) complete the standings.
The road narrows for the Cubans, who must show their best against the Mexicans if they want to stay in the running for one of the three spots in the next round. (Source: ACN)
