The Cuban under-23 team defeated Brazil 2-0 in its debut at the baseball tournament of the First Pan American Junior Games held at the Edgar Rentería stadium in the Colombian city of Barranquilla.

Havana, November 28 (RHC)-- With a superb pitching performance by left-hander Naykel Cruz, the Cuban under-23 team defeated Brazil 2-0 in its debut at the baseball tournament of the First Pan American Junior Games held at the Edgar Rentería stadium in the Colombian city of Barranquilla.

Cruz pitched 6.2 innings with 11 strikeouts, one base on balls and only two hits, both by the fifth batter Osvaldo Carvalho.

As seven innings are played in this category, the last out of the game was taken by Pinar del Río reliever Frank Abel Álvarez.

The Cubans were not very effective with the wood in their hands as they only hit five hits in the whole game, which they decided with a couple of runs in the fourth inning, in which they hit three singles.

In that inning, Guillermo García opened with an unearned run against the loser Gabriel Barboza, who also pitched a good game.

Then, fourth baseman Pedro Pablo Revilla hit a double and, with runners on third and second, Alejandro Escobar hit the golden jit that brought in the two runs.

At bat, the best player for the squad led by the espirituano mentor Eriel Sánchez was Revilla, who hit 3-2 and scored a run.

In its second game, Cuba faces Nicaragua today.