III Elite League - Postseason | The Ciego de Ávila Tigers are one win away from reaching the final; they beat Industriales de La Habana 7-5 in Game 3 and lead the series 3-0

The supporters of the Cuban capital team were optimistic when their team, Industriales de La Habana, trailing 2-0 in the semifinals of the III Elite Cuban Baseball League (III ELCB), returned to their iconic Estadio Latinoamericano to play three games in the best-of-seven series.

For many, there was still a chance to come back in this series and at least secure a tie, which would lead to a fifth game on their home field. However, this Friday afternoon, the situation appeared otherwise. The Ciego de Ávila Tigers clinched a 7-5 win with a crucial fifth inning, establishing a commanding 3-0 lead in the series and positioning themselves just one victory away from reaching their first Elite League final.

Box score

Game 4 of the series is scheduled for this Saturday at 2:00 pm, with Industriales expected to start right-hander Pavel Hernández, their Game 1 pitcher, in hopes of achieving a victory to remain in the series.

Ciego de Ávila required just the fifth inning to clinch the crucial victory that places them on the brink of reaching the final of this III ELCB. The team excelled offensively against the city's pitching, overcoming a 5-1 deficit to stage a comeback and secure the win.

Indeed, it was a disastrous inning for Industriales' pitching, as both the starter and the first reliever faltered against the team that has performed the best throughout the Elite season. However, a walk and a double were enough for manager Guillermo Carmona to take the ball from right-hander Hermes González, who had been doing an admirable job until that fifth inning, utilizing the outside corner to limit Ciego de Avila to just one hit over four innings. The right-hander's only mistake came against veteran Yordanis Samón, who hit a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning, putting the Tigers in the score. It's true that Carmona acted hastily when the Tigers had runners on third and second with no outs, and perhaps removing Hermes essentially cost him the game. Nonetheless, the leadoff reliever, Fher Cejas, pitched to minimize the damage, and Ciego should never have scored five runs in the inning.

Initially, right-hander Cejas's inning appeared to be effective. With the first two batters facing off, Cejas allowed two runs. Rodolexis Moreno's grounder drove in catcher Fernando De la Paz, who had walked to start the inning, and advanced Yoasán Guillén, who had hit a double, to third base. Minutes later, Ronaldo Castillo hit a sacrifice fly to left, bringing Guillén home. However, neither Carmona nor Cejas anticipated that Azul left fielder Ariel Sánchez would make a crucial error, allowing Castillo to remain on first. From that point, things deteriorated for the capital team.

Yordanis Samón is greeted by Frederich Cepeda after his home run that drove in Ciego de Ávila's first run in Game 3 of the III ELCB semifinals. (Photo by Roberto Morejón)

Samón kept the inning going with a single, and Frederich Cepeda followed by bringing in Castillo with a run that narrowed the gap to 5-4. A popup by Robert L. Delgado would have ended the inning if not for Sánchez's error. Cejas then allowed a triple to the next batter, Leonelkis Escalante, who cleared the bases, completing a five-run inning that flipped the score, putting the Tigers ahead 6-5. Ciego de Ávila maintained their lead from that point on.

Leonelkis Escalante's timely triple decided Game 3 of the series. (Photo by Roberto Morejón)

"I believe it was an excellent game. When Industriales took the lead at 5-1, we anticipated a challenge due to the pitching of their starter, Hermes González. However, he unexpectedly lost control, and we managed to capitalize on that," Yordanis Samón shared with Radio Rebelde journalist Guillermo Rodríguez following the game's conclusion.

If removing Hermes was potentially the move that led to the disastrous fifth inning for Industriales, then bringing in Sancti Spiritus left-hander Alex Guerra for the Tigers in the bottom of the inning was the crucial decision made by Ciego de Ávila manager Danny Miranda in Game 3.

Ciego de Ávila's manager, Danny Miranda (#14), continues to do well, and in his managerial debut he's already one step away from the final of this third ELCB. (Photo by Roberto Morejón)

Guerra started his relief stint by giving up a single to Yasiel Santoya, but from then on, he achieved the impressive feat of retiring 12 batters in a row. He induced an equal number of fly balls (6) and ground balls, completely dominating the capital city's batters, who were unable to make any adjustments during his four scoreless innings.

Guerra certainly subdued the Blue's offense, and when Industriales' bats eventually came alive in the ninth inning with back-to-back hits by Ángel Hechavarría and Ariel Sánchez at the start of the inning, the Ciego de Ávila manager concluded that Guerra had fulfilled his role completely and opted to bring in his bullpen, calling on Guantanamo right-hander Leonardo Moreira (6).

Once more, the outcome was disastrous for the Industriales offense, which was only two runs behind and had most of its lineup functioning well. Just like in Game 1 of the series, Moreira capitalized on the Industriales' offense, successfully retiring Dennis Laza, Yasmani Tomás, and Erisel Arruebarrena consecutively, including striking out Tomás. This performance secured him his second save of the semifinal, extending his series record to 1 2/3 scoreless innings against the Blues.

In the initial three games of this semifinal, Industriales has managed a batting average of only .182 (6 hits in 33 at-bats) against relievers Yunier Batista, Leonardo Moreira, and Alex Guerra. Over 9 2/3 innings, the Industriales hitters haven't scored a run, recording 5 strikeouts and no walks. The combined result of these games is two victories credited to Batista and Guerra, with two saves by Moreira.

Industriales played aggressively against starter Isaís Grandales, forcing him out of the game in the third inning. This inning began with Laza hitting a single to right field, followed by Tomás striking out. Arruebarrena then hit an RBI double to center field, giving them a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, Industriales increased their lead when Santoya hit a two-run home run to left field, making it 3-0. This energized the stadium and ended Grandales' time on the mound.

When Ciego cut the deficit with a home run by Samón in the top of the fourth inning, Industriales swiftly responded against reliever Liomil González in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Laza hit a double and Tomás followed with a home run to left field, increasing the lead to 5-1. These were the final runs for the team from the capital, as their offense stalled with five consecutive scoreless innings, hitting just .167 (3-for-18) for the rest of the game.

During the eighth inning, Ciego de Ávila secured the final score against experienced reliever José A. García. Castillo hit a sacrifice fly to center field with the bases loaded, resulting in a final score of 7-5.

Player of the Game

Alex Guerra | Ciego de Ávila

W, 4 IP, 3 H

Best Performers

LeonelkisEscalante, Ciego de Ávila	Yordanis Samón, Ciego de Ávila	Ronaldo Castillo, Ciego de Ávila	Alex Guerra, Ciego de Ávila	Leonardo Moreira, Ciego de Ávila	Yasiel Santoya, Industriales	Yasmani Tomás, Industriales
1-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI	2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI	0-for-3, R, 2 RBI	G, 4 IP, 3 H	SV, 1 IP	3-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI	1-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI

Team Comparison

TEAMS	R	H	HR	TB	SB	LOB	E
Ciego de Ávila	7	7	1	13	0	8	0
Industriales	5	11	2	19	0	8	2