Ciego de Ávila is on the verge of completing a sweep against Pinar del Río, while Industriales achieves another win against Granma in the III Elite League

The Ciego de Ávila Tigers, leaders of the III Cuban Elite Baseball League (III LEBC), are on the verge of sweeping Pinar del Río in a four-game series following their 6-4 win this Wednesday afternoon at Capitán San Luis park in the western region. At the same time, Industriales secured their second consecutive victory over Granma with an 8-3 score, solidifying their hold on third place in the tournament.

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Jonathan Bridón drove in the winning run with a single against Pinar del Río, backing up the great performance of winning pitcher Yunier Batista. (Photo by Roberto Morejón)

Ciego de Ávila 6, Pinar del Río 4

In the top of the sixth inning, Jonathan Bridón hit a single that allowed Frederich Cepeda to score, giving Ciego de Ávila a narrow 5-4 lead over Pinar del Río, a lead they maintained for the rest of the game. Shortly after, the decisive run was added when catcher Fernando de la Paz grounded into a double play, enabling Robert L. Delgado to score and securing the final score of 6-4. Prior to this inning, the game was tied at four runs each. Ciego de Ávila gained an early advantage over Vegueros' left-handed starter Geonel Gutiérrez (1-2) by scoring two runs in the second inning. This inning featured a double by Cepeda, a walk, a fielder's choice, and an error that led to the first run, followed by a single from Yoasán Guillén driving in the second run. However, Pinar del Río staged a comeback in the third inning, scoring four runs, to remove José I. Grandales, the starter for Ciego de Ávila, from the mound. During this inning, Ciego de Ávila's defense faltered, making two crucial errors. However, significant moments included catcher Yadiel Guerra's single with the bases loaded, which drove in two runs, and Yasiel González's hit that completed the fourth run of the inning. After that, with reliever Yunier Batista (2-0) taking the mound, Pinar's offense was stifled. They were held scoreless for 4 2/3 innings, managing only one hit and allowing another player to reach base via a walk. From the final out of the third inning through the eighth, Batista successfully retired 14 of the 15 batters, conceding only a hit to Guerra at the beginning of the sixth inning. This performance earned him credit for the win. Before the decision in the sixth inning, Ciego had leveled the score in the fifth, helped by one of Pinar's five errors in the game. A double by De la Paz, followed by a single from Guillén that moved him to third, and an error allowed the first run. After Rodolexis Moreno's sacrifice advanced the runners, a passed ball resulted in the tie. Geonel Gutiérrez pitched for five innings, conceding five runs—only two of which were earned—while recording three strikeouts and two walks, resulting in a loss that pushed Pinar further down the standings, now eight games behind first place and two and a half games outside the qualifying zone. Meanwhile, Ciego de Ávila secured its fourth consecutive victory, maintaining its lead in first place, now two and a half games ahead of its nearest competitor, Las Tunas.

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Pavel Hernández pitched another great game against Granma, for his third win in the LEBC III. (Photo by Phil Selig)

Industriales 8, Granma 3

A strong performance by right-hander Pavel Hernández (3-2) led Industriales to their second straight win against Granma, with an 8-3 score, positioning the team from Havana four games from the top and in third place in the III LEBC. This took place at Mártires de Barbados Park in Granma, where Pavel pitched for seven innings, conceding six hits and one earned run, while striking out four and walking three, securing his third victory of the tournament. Pavel was backed by an Industriales offense that tallied 17 hits and eight runs, featuring Dennis Laza's fifth home run of the season. Following a 1-1 tie in the first inning, Industriales scored intermittently against left-handed starter Yunier Castillo (1-3), adding one run in the third inning and another in the fifth, prompting Castillo to leave the game. In the third inning, Yasiel Santoya drew a bases-loaded walk, giving Industriales a 2-1 lead. The fifth inning began with a single by Alfredo Rodríguez, followed by a double from Ángel Hechavarría, advancing Rodríguez to third and in the process, driving out the Granma starter. Castillo completed four innings, allowing seven hits and three runs—two of which were earned—resulting in his third loss. Facing the new pitcher, Geyler Gracial, a wild pitch allowed Rodríguez to score, but Gracial managed to avoid further issues by retiring three of the next four batters. In the seventh inning, Industriales scored again. Laza started the inning with a walk against the new reliever Juan D. Pérez, advanced to third on Santoya’s single, and then scored on a hit by Ángel Hechavarría, which resulted in Pérez being taken out of the game. The inning's final run was scored with two outs when shortstop Roberto Acevedo hit a single to right, bringing Santoya home. In the eighth inning, Laza's solo home run increased the score to 6-1. After the Industriales starter was replaced, Granma managed three hits and scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth, narrowing the gap to 6-3. Rodríguez then secured the final score by driving in two runs with a hit in the ninth inning. For Industriales, closer Armando Dueñas pitched the last two innings, giving up three hits and two runs in the eighth, but facing the minimum of batters in the ninth despite a hit by Alfredo Despaigne.

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