Baseball

Los Tigres of Ciego de Ávila could take the crown of the 54th Cuban Baseball Championship next Friday after defeating Isla de la Juventud's Los Piratas 4x3 last Wednesday to stand at 1 victory from getting their 2nd title, as they now outstrip the Islanders 3-2.

Visitors at the Cristóbal Labra Stadium in the Nueva Gerona City, the Avilanians managed to succeed 2 times in 3 days, this time for decisive RBI by 3rd baseman Yeniet Perez in the 9th chapter.

Ismel Jimenez, opener of Los Tigres, endured 8 hits in 7 innings, but gave 5 strikeouts to leave the locals in just 2 runs.

José Adolis García, 5-2, Ariel Borrero, 4-3, and Yorbis Borroto, author of 1 homer, were combined in the visitors' attack.

Alaín Sánchez was announced by director Roger Machado for Friday's game, while José Luis Rodríguez Pantoja could use Darién Núñez for the islanders.

Athletics
The main figures of Cuban athletics will participate in around 20 competitions in 15 countries, with a view to the Pan-American Games in Canada next July.

The first competitive incursion of these games, the so-called Summer Tour, begins on April 26th in Des Moines, United States, where the global holder of Sopot, Cuban pole vaulter Yarisley Silva is the trump card.

The technical head coach of the national commission, Daniel Osorio, told the local press that the Cuban athletes will attend the first 10 stages of the Diamond League and caps of Caribbean and Canada Circuits, plus the World Championships in Beijing in August.

On the physical performance of the leading exponents of Cuban track and field, the expert said they are in good shape and have begun training bases in different Mexican venues as Traxcala, Puebla and Mexico City... while the sprinters are training in Kingston, Jamaica.

Another news is that the Cuba Cup and the Barrientos Memorial will be carried out as a single event between May 26th and 28th at the Panamericano Stadium in the east of Havana.

Beach Volleyball

The best Cuban beach volleyball pairs, which cover Lianma Flores and Leila Martinez, and Sergio Gonzalez and Nivaldo Diaz, will attend the World Championships of the discipline to be played in four Dutch cities, next June.

In the women's rankings, the duet of Lianma and Leila was located in the main draw in the seat 43rd among the 48 couples classified, and will be one of 10 representations of North Central America and the Caribbean to take part in the fair.

According to the system established for the competition, each sex involves the 24 pairs better placed in the world ranking, with a maximum of 2 per country, and the list is completed with the top 4 non-classified couples from each of the 5 continental confederations.

As the male contest, Sergio and Nivaldo enter the fair in the 44th spot.
The 48 participant duets will be divided into 12 groups of 4 teams each, and the first 2 of each series will advance directly to the 2nd stage, plus the 8 best 3rd places.