III Elite League - Postseason | The Ciego de Ávila Tigers win Game 2, taking a 2-0 lead over the Havana Industriales

The tension at José Ramón Cepero Park in Ciego de Ávila on Wednesday afternoon, during a game decided in the home team's second-to-last offensive chance, faded after nearly four hours of play. The Ciego de Ávila Tigers triumphed 4-2 over the Havana Industriales, taking the series to Havana with half the journey completed towards the final of the third edition of the Cuban Elite Baseball League (III LEBC).

Box score

The third game is scheduled for this Friday at 2:00 p.m. at Latinoamericano Park in Havana. It's highly probable that right-hander José Ramón Rodríguez will pitch for Ciego de Ávila, while Yadián Martínez is expected to pitch for Industriales.

The game was a genuine pitching showdown between right-handers Kevin Soto of the Tigers and Raymond Figueredo of the Industriales. Soto pitched six innings, giving up two runs on five hits, with five strikeouts and five walks. Similarly, Figueredo also pitched six innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs, with one strikeout and four walks. Despite their efforts, neither pitcher was credited with a decision in the game.

Both starting pitchers faced a batter at the start of the seventh inning, but when they exited the game, with the score still tied at two, it was up to the bullpen to stop any additional runs.

Right-hander Kevin Soto, despite a no-decision, performed well Wednesday against Industriales in Game 2 of the III ELCB semifinals. (Photo by Periódico Invasor)

Just like in Game 1 of the series, Industriales once again missed chances against the Ciego de Ávila team. This time, one such opportunity occurred in the seventh inning. Veteran Ariel Sánchez started the inning with a double to right field, prompting Soto to leave the game. However, Ángel Hechavarría, who had been 0-for-7 in the series before this at-bat, popped out to center field on a drive that moved outfielder Juan Onofre to the right. Onofre then made a perfect throw to third base, catching runner Sánchez, who was attempting to advance from second. This play was widely debated, considering the veteran Matanzas native's lack of speed on the bases. The play was reviewed on video, but home plate umpire Juan de Dios León upheld the out call, providing the home fans with significant relief and proving crucial in deciding the game.

These were the first two outs recorded by newcomer reliever Yunier Batista (5-0) in the game. For the right-hander, who had excelled for the Tigers during the qualifying round, this was just the start of a performance where he retired seven of the nine batters he faced. Only Yasmani Tomás, with a single in the eighth inning, and Roberto Álvarez, who reached base after a strikeout and a wild pitch, managed to get on base for the rest of the game. Batista effectively silenced Industriales' batters, striking out three without allowing any walks to secure the win.

In the eighth inning, his team provided offensive support to secure the victory. Industriales' third reliever, right-hander Leodán Reyes (2-1), began the inning by hitting catcher Fernando de la Paz but Onofre's fielder's choice resulted in the runner on second being forced out. Consecutive singles from Rodolexis Moreno and Ronaldo Castillo put the team in the lead, followed by a hit from Yordanis Samón, which sealed the score, giving the Tigres a 4-2 advantage that they held for the remainder of the game.

"That at-bat was crucial for me. I discussed it in the dugout. Having missed the previous two, I knew this was the key at-bat, and I needed to make the most of it. That's when the winning hit happened," Ronaldo Castillo told Radio Rebelde journalist Guillermo Rodríguez after the game.

Industriales began the game assertively against starter Soto, using two hits and a walk to score two runs in the first inning. Sánchez drew a walk, and after Ángel Hechavarría and Dennis Laza were retired, it appeared Industriales wouldn't score in the inning. However, Yasmani Tomás then hit a single to center, moving Sánchez to third base. This set the stage for Erisbel Arruebarrena to bring both runners home with a single to left.

Nevertheless, those runs ended up being the Industriales' sole scores in the game, and the two hits contributed to only the total of five that the Lions' offense managed to achieve against Soto throughout his entire performance in Game 2.

The Lions had a few opportunities, specifically against Soto, where they managed to get two men on base in two separate innings. However, no Industriales player advanced beyond second base on either occasion. In the fourth inning, Arruebarrena started with a single and reached second base on a wild pitch after two outs. This prompted an intentional walk for catcher Andy Cosme, but both runners were left stranded when Roberto Álvarez made the third out with a pop fly to center field.

The sixth inning unfolded in a similar manner. After the first two outs, Alfredo Rodríguez hit a single to left field and advanced to second base following the second wild pitch by the Ciego de Álvarez starter. Cosme walked again, but the team once more left both runners on base when Álvarez's groundout resulted in Rodríguez being forced out at third. Ultimately, Industriales left eight runners on base during this game.

After Industriales' two runs in the first inning, the Tigres slowly tied the game against Raymond Figueredo. In the bottom of the first inning, Moreno and Castillo led off the inning with singles. Samón gave up the first out, driving Moreno to third, while Frederich Cepeda extended his streak of consecutive hits in the series to four with a tying RBI single to right, sending Moreno home, while Castillo was thrown out trying to advance to third.

During the second inning, a hit and two errors advanced a Ciego de Ávila runner to third base, but Figueredo prevented any additional damage by successfully handling back-to-back Moreno and Castillo.

In the third inning, two more men reached base for the Tigers, but this did not affect Figueredo, who maintained a slim 2-1 lead. In the fourth inning, Ciego's manager, Danny Miranda, opted for a small ball strategy to try to even the score early in the game. After De la Paz walked to start the inning, Miranda ordered Onofre to bunt, advancing De la Paz to scoring position. The strategy paid off perfectly when Moreno, in an 1-1 count, hit a single past the shortstop Arruebarrena into center field, allowing De la Paz to score the tying run.

Yunier Batista (left) put a great performance in relief to stop Industriales' offense, securing a victory in Game 2 of the III ELCB semifinals. (Photo by Periódico Invasor)

The rest is history, as Industriales now trails 0-2 in the series. They failed to take advantage of the limited chances they had against starter Soto and then had their offense shut down by Batista's effective relief pitching.

Player of the Game

Yunier Batista | Ciego de Ávila

W, 3 IP, H, 3 SO, WP

Best Performers

Rodolexis Moreno, Ciego de Ávila	Ronaldo Castillo, Ciego de Ávila	Yunier Batista, Ciego de Ávila	Erisbel Arruebarrena, Industriales
3-for-5, 2 R, RBI	2-for-4, RBI	W, 3 IP, H, 3 SO, WP	2-for-4, 2 RBI

Teams Comparision

TEAMS	R	H	HR	TB	SB	LOB	E
Industriales	2	6	0	7	0	8	3
Ciego de Ávila	4	10	0	10	0	14	0