Battling against the “impossible” allowed Holguin team a historic and unprecedented triumph in the National Final of school baseball -U15- by defeating Villa Clara 6×5 in eight innings this Saturday, after a spectacular comeback.
The team of Villa Clara scored their five runs in the first third against starter Miguel Montero, who allowed all his opponents’ runs in 2 1/3 innings of work, before handing over the mound to Cristian Lias, center fielder and third hitter, who was in charge of stopping the offensive of the central Cuban team.
Holguín got its first hit, a double by Anthony Calderón, in the fourth inning, against starter William Álvarez, who in that same inning gave walked a rival and allowed a single, which together with an error brought the first two runs for the locals, playing as local in their Calixto García stadium.
In the fifth inning, the hosts took Álvarez out of the game, after a single and an unearned run. Reliever Elvis Herrera was greeted with three straight hits and the home team scored two more runs, all on the outgoing outfielder’s account.
The tie for the Holguin team came in the sixth, thanks to a walk to Brayan Medina, who stole second and third, and scored on a catcher’s throwing error.
In the seventh inning, Holguin had a chance to win the game, but the best of the game failed, third and sixth by way of a strikeout.
In the eighth, with a tie-breaking rule, Lias achieved a transcendental fert – three strike out men-, helped by an accurate throw by catcher Calderón to nullify a daring attempt to steal second, which closed the chapter.
In the closing of that inning, Holguin filled all the bases when an attempted sacrifice bunt by the man at the top of the lineup, José Entrada, won the hit condition, then Jorge Correa with a rolling to third caused the force out on the rubber.
The scene was ready for Lias to take away the thorn of the strikeout in the previous inning by hitting a superb line drive to right field that sealed the historic national crwon of our school battlers, the first medal achieved by our province in this category.
Holguin, after the initial 5×0 defeat against Matanzas, managed to link five consecutive victories; 8×4 against Havana, 5×4 against Artemisa, 8×4 against Ciego de Avila, 12×2 against Guantanamo and 6×5 against Villa Clara.
After Holguín (5-1) came, in this order, Havana (5-1); Villa Clara (4-2); Matanzas (3-3); Ciego de Ávila (2-4); Artemisa (2-4) and Guantánamo (0-6).
Cristian Lias (Holguin) was the leader in earned runs average, by not allowing any earned runs in 8 1/3 innings, and also in runs batted in (11), which earned him the status of most useful player of the event (MVP).
The honor roll of the event was completed with pitcher Erick Fernandez (Villa Clara), leader in win-loss average (2-0), Dairon Eduardo Delgado (Ciego de Avila) was the leader in hit and offensive average by compiling for 591 (22-13), the maximum home run hitter was Leandro Espinosa (Artemisa with two, Guillermo de la Rosa Polanco (Havana) was recognized as the most outstanding umpire and Walmer Urrutia Aldana (Holguin) deserved the condition of best coach.
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