Ciego de Ávila remains at the forefront of the III Elite League, while Pinar del Río stays competitive with its eighth win

As Las Tunas pauses to get ready for the Champions League of the Americas starting on April 8, Ciego de Ávila secured the top spot in the III Cuban Baseball Elite League (III CBEL) with a narrow 2-1 win against Industriales today. Meanwhile, further west, Pinar del Río maintained its upward momentum by defeating Santiago de Cuba 6-1, achieving its eighth win and tying for third place in the tournament.

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Pinar del Río 6, Santiago de Cuba 1

The combined performance of left-hander Geonel Gutiérrez (1-0) and right-hander Jenier Álvarez (1) enabled the Vegueros de Pinar del Río to secure a 6-1 win against Santiago de Cuba in the opening game of a four-game series at the Capitán San Luis Occidental stadium. The win marked the second straight victory for the Vegueros and their seventh in the last ten games, giving them the second-best current record among the six competing teams. Starter Gutiérrez gave up seven hits and two walks over his five innings, with Santiago scoring only once against him in the second inning. During that inning, Santiago managed three hits, including a double by Euclides Pérez starting the inning, which led to a score shortly afterward. When Geonel exited the mound at the beginning of the sixth inning, Jenier Álvarez delivered an outstanding four-inning relief performance, allowing just three hits, striking out three, and issuing one walk, securing his first save of the III CBEL. The efforts of both pitchers contributed to reducing the Vegueros' pitching ERA to 3.93, ranking as the second-best among all teams. Meanwhile, Santiago's right-handed pitcher, Wilber Reyna (1-3), had limited the Pinar del Río hitters to three hits over the first three scoreless innings, maintaining a narrow lead. However, in the fourth inning, singles by Luis P. Acosta and Yaser J. González at the start of the inning, began to create challenges for Reyna. After Jorge Rojas' out advanced Acosta to third, Frank González recorded the second out, but a hit by pitch to Lázaro Fernández loaded the bases. A grounder by Rolando Martínez resulted in a error by the Santiago's defense, allowing the first run of the inning to tie the score. A fielder's choice on another grounder, this time by shortstop Dainiel López, brought in the second run, which ultimately proved decisive. Just two innings later, against reliever Jesús Quintan, Pinar clinched the win with a four-run surge. Two singles and a walk—with one out in between—loaded the bases, and López doubled to right field to clear the bases and gives Pinar a 5-1 lead. Minutes later, Juan C. Arencibia completed the final score, with a single to right field that drove in López for the last run for the Vegueros.

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Today, Ariel Zerquera secured his fourth win in the III Cuban Baseball Elite League, making him the first pitcher to do so. (Photo by Radio Bayamo)

Ciego de Ávila 2, Industriales 1

The Ciego de Ávila pitching staff once again showed why they, along with Pinar del Río, are the only teams with an earned run average (ERA) under 4.00 in this III CBEL. This Friday, the Ciego de Ávila team secured a close 2-1 win against Industriales at their home ground, José Ramón Cepero Stadium. Left-handed pitcher Ariel Zerquera (4-1) played a key role in the Tigres' triumph, becoming the first pitcher to achieve four wins. Zerquera pitched 7 2/3 innings, conceding seven hits and five walks but only one earned run, while striking out five batters. The Azules scored their sole run in the first inning. This occurred when Ariel Hechavarría walked, Yosvany Peñalver hit a single, an error advanced Hechavarría to third base, and a grounder led to a double play that allowed Hechavarría to score. However, in the bottom of the inning, a single by Robert Luis Delgado with runners on second and third changed the score, giving Ciego a 2-1 lead over starter Pavel Hernández (1-2), a lead they maintained for the rest of the game. From that point, both starting pitchers engaged in a duel, with Pavel striking out eight batters, issuing four walks, and allowing only three hits over his seven innings on the mound. Facing Zerquera, the Azules had chances to level the score, managing to get at least one runner on base in every inning except the seventh. However, the crucial RBI hit eluded them, resulting in 11 runners left stranded. When Zerquera was replaced in the eighth inning after Roque Tomás singled with two outs, right-hander Leonardo Moreira (3) was brought in. Despite a tense moment in the ninth inning, where Industriales advanced the tying run to second and had two men on base, Moreira delivered as he had throughout the tournament, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and issuing one intentional walk, securing his third save of the tournament.

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