Havana, champion of the National Under-23 Baseball Series

The Havana team defeated Sancti Spíritus 7 runs to 2 and was crowned champion of the second National Under-23 Baseball Series.

After losing the first game of the finals, Havana rallied and won two consecutive games against the team from Sancti Spíritus to become champions in the second edition of this young tournament, which had its first champion as Artemisa last year.

In yesterday's game, the players from the capital quickly figured out the pitches of starter Javier Vázquez, who was coming off pitching the last inning of the previous game. The blue team scored two runs in the first inning, where they combined three hits with a passed ball from catcher Yunior Ibarra.

They then added two more in the fifth inning and three in the sixth, enough to surpass an opponent who barely put up any resistance. Meanwhile, the Yayabo team managed to score one run in the fifth and another in the sixth, both against the starter and winning pitcher, Brando Delgado. Coming to the rescue in that same inning was Héctor Ponce, who halted the final uprising by the team from Sancti Spíritus and pitched another three solid innings to earn the save.

For the winners, Ariel Hechevarría was the standout offensively, going 3-for-5 with two runs batted in, including the game-winner. After a very strong season, the third batter from Havana is poised to take over the hot corner in future industrialist lineups. Also noteworthy were Yusnier Rosabal, who went 2-for-3, and Hasuan Viera, who hit 2-for-5. The capital's cleanup hitter, Andrés Hernández, also having a great season, put fear into opposing pitchers, finishing 1-for-1 with one run batted in, two intentional walks, and one hit by pitch.

In this second edition of the under-23 tournament, Villa Clara, Santiago, Cienfuegos, Artemisa, Camagüey, Holguín, Las Tunas, Guantánamo, Granma, La Isla, Pinar del Río, Mayabeque, Ciego de Ávila, and Matanzas finished behind La Habana and Sancti Spíritus.