Havana, March 16 (ACN) --The LXIII National Baseball Series continues today in eight stadiums of the country with the first duel of the season where the hosts will be visitors, as stipulated in the official regulations of the tournament.

This will take place every weekend at the same venue, a measure taken by the National Commission of this sport to reduce travel and contribute to fuel saving, in the midst of the complex energy situation the country is going through.

Las Tunas will begin batting at the Julio Antonio Mella Stadium, where they will try to extend their four-game winning streak at the expense of Guantánamo, which has led them to the top of the standings.

Yasiel Luis Labrada was announced as the starting pitcher for the reigning national champions, while their rivals will place Fernando Sanchez on the mound.

At the Latin American Championship in Havana, Pinar del Rio, also with a 4-1 record, will depend on Yeniel Medina to win the particular battle against Industriales, who will have Raymond Figueredo on the mound.

Sancti Spiritus and Ciego de Avila, the other teams sharing the top position, need a win to dominate the first five-game series of this campaign.

The Gallos have named Alex Guerra against Yadián Martínez of Mayabeque and the Tigres have Luis Alberto Marrero versus Darían Batista of Holguín.

In other matches that could tip the balance of the particular duels, Artemisa will face La Isla (Elian Moreno vs Jonathan Carbó), Cienfuegos will face Matanzas (Hermes González vs Silvio Iturralde) and Villa Clara will face Camagüey (Raidel Alfonso vs José Ramón Rodríguez).

Finally, Santiago de Cuba will face Granma, in a match in which Alberto Bisset will seek his 164th victory in national series, with Cesar Garcia in the opposite trench.