The Cuban under-23 baseball team defeated Mexico 2-0 on Monday

Havana, October 18 (RHC)-- The Cuban under-23 baseball team defeated Mexico 2-0 on Monday and kept alive its hopes of advancing to the Super Round of the World Championship held in Taipei, China, which will be played today in its last day of the group stage.

In this duel of the B key played at the Tianmu Stadium, the troop of Cienfuegos mentor Alain Alvarez hit six hits, while his pitchers limited the offensive spending of the Mexicans to three hits, all connected to Guantanamo's starter Alexander Valiente in a couple of innings.

But in the third act, Valiente allowed a hit by first baseman Angel Camacho, then was cautioned for his second illegal move on the pitching board, and after Hector Moras' bunt to first on a pickoff, Alvarez did not think twice and sent to the box the reliever Marlon Vega from Mayabuco.

Vega relied on his good control and pitches in the low zone to get the third hitter Zepeda out of the box and then forced the 102-kilogram slugger Brandon Valenzuela to hit into a double play. The Mayabechense did not allow any liberties in three innings, with four strikeouts included.

The two Cuban runs came at the beginning of the seventh and last inning in which they took advantage of three bases on balls, a deflected pitch and just one hit, which was a double by Havana's Bryan Gonzalez against José Luis Reyes, valid for the first run.

In the seventh act, the second run came with a pitch on the outside that opened the doors to the plate for Cristián Rodríguez.

The game was closed by Pinar del Río's Frank Abel Álvarez, who pitched a couple of immaculate innings to get the victory.

Obliged to win today and wait for what happens in the remaining games, Cuba must face Australia to settle the game they could not play on the second day because of rain.

So far, the Cuban team has a record of one win and three losses, its batters have hit 17 hits with only four runs scored in 28 innings.