In a thrilling game, the Holguin Cubs defeated the Industriales Lions 7-6 to climb to second place in the standings. They become the first team to beat them in four of five meetings in the 64th National Baseball Series.
The Holguin team, playing away at their home stadium Calixto García. Opened fire in the very first inning, scoring three runs, driven in by Michel Gorgüet’s eleventh home run of the series. They added another run in the fourth when starting pitcher Carlos Manuel Cuesta was pulled and replaced by Misael Fonseca.
The Blue Jays scored one run in the second inning on a home run by catcher and eighth batter Pedro Roque, his third of the game. They added another in the third and tied the game at four runs in the fourth when they chased starter Jesús Enrique Pérez (3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 2 BB), who was replaced by Michel Cabrera.
The Cubs regained the lead in the fifth, 5-4, when Fonseca led off with a walk to Jorlis Bravo, and Andy Vargas was greeted with a powerful hit to right field by Yasiel González. The hit, which was good enough to drive in Bravo, was ruled a double, as Vargas injured his leg while nearly reaching third base.
Vargas imploded in the seventh inning when Nelson Batista hit a home run off him, his second of the series, with Gorgüet on first. Frank Ernesto Herrera, in a losing effort, pitched 2 1/3 innings without allowing a hit or a run, striking out two and walking two.
In this game, Rodríguez earned a win, his fifth against two losses, and two saves, his third and fourth. This performance was more than enough to earn him the title of best pitcher of the subseries.
In summary, the Cubs collected 12 hits and played flawless defense, while the Lions managed 11 hits and committed one error. For the winning team, along with home run hitters Gorgüet (4-for-3, 3 RBIs) and Batista (4-for-2, 2B, 3 RBIs), Yasiel (4-for-2, 2B, 1 RBI) and Edward Magaña (5-for-2, 3B) also stood out.
This Sunday, the Mayabeque Hurricanes took a firm step toward their playoff aspirations by knocking out the struggling Guantanamo Indians for the second consecutive day, this time 15-0 in five innings.
Meanwhile, the defending champion Las Tunas Lumberjacks maintained their lead by defeating the Sancti Spiritus Roosters 7-4 at Julio Antonio Mella Stadium.
The Santiago de Cuba Wasps defeated the Matanzas Crocodiles 9-8 at Victoria de Girón Stadium. Winning the head-to-head series and moving their opponents into third place in the overall standings.
Meanwhile, the Granma Alazanes, playing in Campechuela, defeated the Cienfuegos Elephants 11-8, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Meanwhile, the Artemisa Hunters fell 9-7 to the Camagüey Bulls at Cándido González Stadium.
At Capitán San Luis Stadium, the Pinar del Rio Vegueros, after a three-game winning streak. Lost 6-2 to the Ciego de Avila Tigers and failed to close the gap on the playoff zone.
Finally, the Villa Clara Leopards routed the Isla de la Juventud Pirates 18-3, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive. With only 10 games remaining in the official qualifying round schedule, plus pending games.
The standings, in their leading segment, show the following order: Las Tunas (39-21); Holguin (40-24, 1.0 behind); Matanzas (40-25, 1.5 behind). Mayabeque (37-25, 3.0 behind); Industriales (36-26, 4.0 behind); Cienfuegos (34-27, 5.5 behind); and Sancti Spiritus (34-31, 7.5 behind).
The Cubs still have the series against the Piratas de la Isla, starting this Tuesday the 9th at Cristóbal Labra Stadium in Nueva Gerona, and against the Tigers de Ciego de Avila, which will be played entirely in Holguin. They also have a pending game against the Vegueros de Pinar, a seven-inning game that was stopped in four innings with a 3-0 loss.
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