Las Tunas blanked Ciego de Ávila 8-0, moving one step closer to retaining the lead on the way to the postseason

The Las Tunas Lumberjacks achieved a shutout victory against the Ciego de Ávila Tigers today at José R. Cepero Stadium, bringing them within two full games of the lead in the Third Cuban Baseball Elite League (III LEBC).

The Lumberjacks secured their second victory in five matchups against the Tigers, bringing them nearer to claiming a win in the head-to-head series between the two teams. This result is vital in the event of a tie during this qualifying round.

The right-handed duo of Jesús E. Pérez (1-0) and Rodolfo Díaz (2) restricted the Ciego de Ávila team to only four hits, with two contributed by second baseman Jorge L. Contreras. In just his third start in this III LEBC, Pérez delivered a flawless performance against Ciego de Ávila, retiring all fifteen batters he faced over five innings, striking out three and allowing no walks. His outstanding effort secured him his first win of the tournament.

Rodolfo Díaz backed up the perfect performance of starter Jesús E. Pérez to complete the 8-0 shutout of Ciego de Ávila. (Photo by Periódico26)

To secure the victory and complete the shutout, Rodolfo Díaz's four-inning shutout relief, during which he allowed all of his opponents' hits, was crucial to the win, complemented by a Las Tunas offense that racked up 15 hits and scored eight runs. Interestingly, of the four hits Díaz allowed, three occurred in the sixth inning when the right-hander took the mound. Consecutive singles by Jorge Contreras, Josiel Mojena, and pinch-hitter Ronaldo Castillo loaded the bases with just one out, but Díaz, who already had a 4-0 lead, managed to retire the next three batters to maintain the lead, including getting Contreras out at the plate on a grounder by Greysón Bergery.

This was the most perilous situation encountered by the pitching staff of the reigning Cuban national champions, as their offense gradually accumulated runs to clinch the win. In the first inning, against starter Leonardo Reyes (who replaced Luis A. Marrero before the game started), three consecutive hits, including an RBI from Luis V. Mateo, brought in the first run. The second run was scored in the third inning, following a walk to Héctor Castillo, a single by Yuniesky Larduet that advanced him to third, and a double play grounder by Yunier Rondón that allowed Castillo to score from third. In the fifth inning, a single by Larduet, coupled with an error and a sacrifice fly by Mateo, increased the lead to 3-0. In the next inning, a triple by Leonel Moas and a double by catcher Lázaro H. Ponce pushed the lead to 4-0, prompting the first reliever, Liomil González, to enter the game. In the seventh inning, Las Tunas combined four hits, including an RBI double by Yordanis Alarcón and an RBI single by Moas, with a walk and a sacrifice fly by Ponce, to extend their lead to 7-0. An inning later, a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Jean L. Baldoquín finalized the score.

The win marked Las Tunas' 20th in 29 games, keeping them two games ahead of their rivals, Ciego de Ávila (22-15).

The III ELCB has already seen three teams secure spots in the postseason: Las Tunas, Ciego de Ávila, and Industriales. The fourth spot is up for grabs between Santiago de Cuba (16-20) and Granma (15-21), who are currently in fourth and fifth place in the tournament, respectively.