The National Media team defeated the Holguin Brewers 17-16 this Friday and was proclaimed champion of the XXII National Press Softball Tournament that was held in the city of Matanzas.
The Galacticos, undefeated throughout the competition, defeated Holguineros and Vaqueros twice on their way and on one occasion Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, Ciego de Avila, La Isla and the Yumurinos hosts.
Led by Annel Martínez, the cast demonstrated their power from the first challenge on the calendar, scoring a whopping 58 home runs, to leave no room for doubt about their favoritism and to keep their tenth consecutive crown in these contests in the showcases.
In this last challenge, played at the Victoria de Girón stadium, headquarters of the Matanzas Crocodiles in the National Baseball Series, the monarchs left opponents lying on the grass who only suffered two defeats in the entire event, both against their attackers on this date.
A full return hit by Carlos Michel Perdomo put an end to the story, after a high-tension duel, where either of the two would have ascended to the throne.
The Brewers opened the scoring in the same first inning with a solo home run by Rafael Pérez and extended the lead one inning later with a two-base rocket by Fernando Ballester, who brought in a teammate for the plate.
Six runs in the lower part of that same chapter marked the National Media team to take a momentary advantage, thanks to three RBI hits and a home run by Dayron Valdés with two bags occupied.
Jorge Ramiro Velázquez’s eastern team, which had scored one in the third, tied the score in the fourth inning thanks to a home run by Diosdani Reyes with two on bases and took the lead in the fifth, when Reyes once again fired a shot that brought two runners’ home.
The champions imposed their rank just a few minutes later with six more runs, four of them driven by home runs by José Méndez and Owen Llanes, all against the starter and defeated Richard Driggs.
Those from the City of Parks did not hand out flags and hit the board with the second four-corner shot by shortstop Pérez, this one with two full pillows, but the reaction was not enough for them to make a comeback.
Another two runs in the sixth seemed enough, but the brave Easterners took command when it came to picking up the bats for a single by José Ávila and left the scene ready for the electrifying finale that came a few minutes later.
With information from Cubaperiodistas/ Translated by Radio Angulo
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