Guantanamo, Cuba, June 6 (Prensa Latina) The Vegueros de Pinar today became the first team to qualify for the playoffs of the Cuban baseball championship by achieving their 43rd victory of the season.
Tailon Sánchez stood out with the bat by going 3 for 5 with a trio of RBIs to support the work of reliever Frank Denis Blanco, who worked three innings to score the success.
Andrés de la Cruz took the fences for the orientals in the defeat, which was the record of also rescuer Leonardo Moreira.
The fall of the Guantanamo team caused a triple tie above the line that divides the qualifying zone, when combined with the victories of Villa Clara and Sancti Spiritus, victimizers 2-0 and 9-2 of Mayabeque and Camagüey, respectively.
In that last match they hit home runs for Alexis Varona and Yunier Mendoza from Sancti Spiritus and Ermindo Escobar did it for those from the plain.
The Leñadores de Las Tunas were beaten by the Leones de Industriales with a final score of 10-9, with Roberto Álvarez taking center stage with a home run when picking up the bats that found the bases full and gave his team its first victory in the private mourning.
The Alazanes of Granma remained on the lookout for third place in the standings by defeating the coleros of La Isla 4-1, in a clash that only lasted six episodes due to the arrival of the rain.
The veteran Leandro Martínez walked the entire way to record his sixth victory of the campaign and the also experienced Yunier Gamboa took the setback.
The Wasps of Santiago de Cuba made the best of the day by beating the Cazadores de Artemisa on two occasions with scores of 5-4 and 6-2 to screw themselves into the fourth place in the standings.
In the first they achieved victory thanks to a home run by Adriel Labrada that left their opponents lying on the grass and in the second they were supported by a full return hit by Euclides Pérez with two teammates in the bags.
Finally, the Cienfuegos Elephants defeated Ciego de Ávila 9-2 with a home run by Xian Vega and good pitching work by Raykol Suárez, who reached seven wins to tie with the leaders.
The challenge between the Holguín Cubs and the Matanzas Crocodiles was sealed by the incidents of time, when the latter won 3-1 in the second chapter.
rgh/blc
