III Elite League - Postseason | The Las Tunas Lumberjacks take Game 1 against the Santiago de Cuba Wasps, supported by timely offense from Luis V. Mateo and Leonel Moas

Two of the reinforcements for the Las Tunas Lumberjacks in the third edition of the Cuban Baseball Elite League (III ELCB), former international player Luis Vicente Mateo and Agramontino Leonel Moas, became heroes on Wednesday. With a well-timed offensive, they secured Las Tunas' first victory over Santiago de Cuba, 5-4, in Game 1 of the III ELCB semifinals, held this afternoon at the Julio A. Mella stadium in Las Tunas.

Box score

Game 2 is scheduled for this Thursday at 2:00 p.m., with a strong possibility that right-handers Alejandro Meneses or Albert Valladares will pitch for Las Tunas, while Osvaldo Acuña or the experienced Danny Betancourt might take the mound for Santiago de Cuba.

Las Tunas' triumph in Game 2 was largely due to two crucial hits. These hits, along with an unexpected performance by left-hander Eliander Bravo and effective relief pitching by Yanielquis Duardo, successfully thwarted a late surge by the Wasps.

Initially, Mateo stepped up against right-handed starter Yosiel Serrano (1-1) and capitalized on a pitch over the plate to launch a three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning. This erased a narrow 1-0 deficit and gave Las Tunas a permanent lead on the scoreboard.

Luis Vicente Mateo put Las Tunas ahead in Game 1 with a timely three-run homer in the third inning. (Photo by Periódico 26)

Just two innings later, the crucial runs came against Serrano, who ended up taking the loss after failing to complete five innings and allowing 10 hits to the national champions. This occurred in the fifth inning, initiated by Yudier Rondón with his third hit of the afternoon—he finished the game 4-for-4—but Mateo quickly concluded the inning with two outs by grounding into a double play. However, Serrano couldn't close the inning, issuing his third walk of the game to Yosvani Alarcón, followed by a single from Roberto Baldoquín that advanced Alarcón to third base. With Serrano still on the mound, Leonel Moas delivered a timely double to right field, driving in both runners and increasing the Leñadores' lead to 5-1.

"I was always ready to do whatever was necessary," Leonel Moas told reporter Gretel Yanet following the game.

The blast marked a turning point for Serrano, who ended with five earned runs, no strikeouts, and three walks, eventually resulting in a loss in Game 1.

In the second inning, Santiago took the lead against starter Bravo when, with two outs, Yulieski Remón hit a single to left field and Luis Veranes followed with a double to center, bringing in the first run of the game.

Las Tunas took the lead in the third inning with Mateo's home run, and Bravo smoothly retired the fourth inning, facing the minimum of batters. However, in the fifth inning, he encountered trouble when his defense faltered, allowing the first batter, Remón, to reach second base. A walk to Veranes and a sacrifice bunt by catcher Alexander Llánes advanced the runners to third and second, putting the potential tying runs in scoring position with just one out. Following this, Las Tunas manager Abeicy Pantoja opted to bring in his bullpen, replacing the starting pitcher.

Right-hander Wilson Paredes was brought in to face Maikel Poll, but he ended up walking him, which loaded the bases with one out. This was a crucial moment for the Wasps, who had clear chances to at least tie the game. However, against the new reliever, right-hander Keniel Ferráz, all their scoring chances were thwarted as he managed to dominate the next two batters, José L. Gutiérrez and Osvaldo Abreu, with fly balls to the outfield that left all three runners stranded. These were three of the ten runners the Wasps left on base in Game 1. It's important to note that the absence of two of the Santiago's top home run hitters, tournament leader Yoelkis Guibert (13) and Yoel Yanki (8), significantly impacted the outcome.

Ferráz then pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief, giving up four hits and one run. The run was scored in the sixth inning when the team, which leads the tournament in extra-base hits (150), managed just its second and last extra base hit of the game. It was Jeison Martínez's double to right field starting the inning, scoring few minutes later on an RBI single by Eduardo García.

In the seventh inning, the Santiago team had another chance against Ferráz. With two outs, Gutiérrez and Abreu hit singles, but the right-hander quashed the threat by getting Jeison Martínez to pop up to center. This would be the last batter Ferráz faced in the game, ultimately sealing the victory, with Yanielquis Duardo providing relief pitching in the final moments.

In the eighth inning, Las Tunas' new reliever, Rodolfo Díaz, delivered a flawless performance, finishing with a strikeout. However, closer Alberto P. Civil ran into trouble in the ninth. After striking out Veranes to start the inning, Civil loaded the bases by giving up consecutive hits to pinch-hitters Harold Vázquez and Edilse Silva, followed by a walk to Gutiérrez. At this point, manager Pantoja opted to bring in Duardo, who promptly allowed a two-run single by Abreu, narrowing Santiago's deficit to 5-4. A subsequent hit by Jeison Martínez once again packed the bases with only one out.

Duardo then faced Eduardo García, the season's RBI leader, and won the duel by making García ground out to first base, resulting in Gutiérrez, who was running from third base, being forced out at the plate. The remainder of the inning was smoother, concluding with a strikeout of Francisco "Pancho" Martínez. This eased the tension of the crowd, which had been silent in the ninth inning, and secured the save in the crucial Game 1 of the series.

"I understood that I needed to be prepared to pitch at any moment. Maintaining control and aiming for the corners were crucial to navigating that challenging period," Yanielquis Duardo shared with reporter Gretel Yanet following the game.

Player of the Game

Luis Vicente Mateo | Las Tunas

2-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI

Best Performers

Yudier Rondón, Las Tunas	Luis V. Mateo, Las Tunas	Leonel Moas, Las Tunas	Osvaldo Abreu, Stgo de Cuba	Jeison Martínez, Stgo de Cuba
4-for-4, 2B, R	2-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI	1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI	2-for-3, 2 RBI	3-for-5, 2B, R

Teams Comparison

TEAMS	R	H	HR	TB	SB	LOB	E
Santiago de Cuba	4	11	0	13	0	10	2
Las Tunas	5	11	1	16	0	7	1