BCL 2025 | In a battle of explosive offenses, the Las Tunas Lumberjacks fell to the Kane County Cougars, 19-15

Providing additional evidence that the second edition of the Americas Baseball Champions League (BCL) is heavily focused on offense, and that the teams' pitching might be on par with—or possibly worse than—that of a Cuban National Series, the Kane County Cougars from the United States beat the Las Tunas Lumberjacks, 19-15, this Thursday. The tournament started last Tuesday at the Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City.

Box score

The win ensured the Cougars clinched first place in Group B, while Los Leñadores remain in the qualifying round. They will face Puerto Rico's Florida Titans this Friday in an elimination match, with a spot in the semifinals at stake.

In a game featuring 34 runs and 42 hits, four Cuban pitchers struggled to contain the Cougars' offense, which managed to score in five innings. This included an explosive second inning with eight runs and a decisive seventh inning where they secured the win tallying five runs.

Following scoreless first innings by both starting pitchers, the Cougars took advantage of pitches from Cuban starter Albert Valladares in the bottom of the second. The Cuban defense conceded a bases-loaded run due to an error by third baseman Yordanis Alarcón on a ground out, which brought in the inning's first run. Subsequently, Shed Long Jr. hit a three-run home run, extending the lead to 4-0.

Valladares gave up another home run in the inning when, following a single, Dillon Thomas hit the ball deep into right field, extending the lead to 6-0.

After Valladares allowed two more hits, manager Abeicy Pantoja decided to remove him from the game. Nonetheless, this didn't stop additional runs from scoring, as reliever Keniel Ferraz surrendered a double to the first batter he faced, Josh Allen, which led to the final two runs of the inning, solidifying the 8-0 lead.

As the Cubans initiated a comeback by scoring two runs in the third inning and another in the fifth, the Cougars matched their efforts with two runs in the fourth inning and another in the fifth, preserving their lead.

Until then, the game was securely in the home team's favor with a score of 11-3. Starter Chris Mazza pitched 3 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs while striking out 3 batters. The first reliever, Colten Davis, pitched 2 innings, giving up 2 hits and 1 walk, maintaining the score. However, in the top of the sixth inning, Las Tunas mounted an incredible comeback, scoring eight runs to create a stunning 11-11 tie.

In this inning, the Cubans recorded six hits—four of which were doubles—and also had a hit by pitch and two walks, bringing a total of 11 batters to the plate.. The doubles were hit by Yordanis Alarcón (2), Yosvany Alarcón, and Roberto Baldoquín, with the latter and Yordanis each driving in two runs.

When the Cougars regained the lead by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning against Dariel Góngora, who didn't manage to secure an out, it appeared that fortune favored the northern team. However, Las Tunas responded once more, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game again, this time at 14 runs.

However, facing Cuba's new reliever, right-hander Frank L. Medina (0-1), the Cougars gained a decisive advantage in the bottom of the seventh inning by scoring five runs that secured their win. During this inning, Medina gave up five hits and hit a batter, allowing a two-run double from Shed Long and a triple from Max Murphy that brought in another run.

Dillon Thomas' single contributed the fourth run, and he advanced to second due to one of Las Tunas' four errors in the game. He then scored soon after on Todd Lott's single, securing the winning run.

In the ninth inning for Las Tunas, Roel Santos hit a home run to narrow the gap to four. Despite another Las Tunas' hit in the inning, right-hander Tyler Thomas Beardsley quelled the threat by getting Rafael Viñales to ground out to shortstop.

In summary, the Cuban pitching team had a disastrous game, conceding 24 hits and 19 runs—13 of which were earned—while also giving up six walks and hitting one batter. Additionally, four defensive errors provided little assistance.

Frank L. Medina, responsible for five critical runs—four of which were earned—during the seventh inning, allowed six hits over just 1 2/3 innings and took the loss. Meanwhile, right-hander Daniel W. Bies (1-0), the fifth reliever for the Cougars, secured the win by pitching a flawless eighth inning with one strikeout.

This Friday, the Lumberjacks will play against the Florida Titans of Puerto Rico (third in Group A) in the day's second game, beginning at 9:30 p.m. (Cuban and U.S. Eastern Time). The winner of this contest will proceed to the semifinals to play against the Kane County Cougars, also scheduled for Saturday at 9:30 p.m. The team that loses will be eliminated, while the winner will move on to the final on Sunday.