With their respective triumphs on Tuesday, the monarch Granma and the runner-up Matanzas became the first two teams to qualify for the upcoming semifinal phase of the 61st National Baseball Series.

Havana, June 1 (ACN)-- With their respective wins on Tuesday, the monarch Granma and the runner-up Matanzas became the first two teams to qualify for the upcoming semifinal phase of the 61st National Baseball Series.

Both Alazanes and Cocodrilos solved their matches with an unexpected and comfortable final score of 4 wins against one against Industriales and Las Tunas, respectively.

At the Latinoamericano Stadium, the Alazanes beat the Azules from the capital city 6-3, favored by a decisive three-run rally in the eighth inning, in which there was an opportune double by torpedo Yulian Milán against a delivery by the reliever and loser Andy Vargas.

The win was won by César García, who in 7.0 innings gave up six hits and three strikeouts. There was a save for Carlos Santana, who barely allowed a single in a couple of innings and thus closed this match with an excellent record of one win and two assists against the Leones.

Last season and in a similar quarter-final stage, the Alazanes left Guillermo Carmona's team on the road.

But it was demonstrated that Granma, although it won, needs to improve its productivity, because in the three games played at the Coloso del Cerro it left 35 runners on the pads.

Meanwhile, the Crocodiles used two left-handed pitchers on the mound and checkmated the Lumberjacks with a 5-0 shutout. Starter Dariel Góngora scattered seven hits in 6.2 innings, with four runs and only one ticket to get the win, while Yamichel Pérez got the save.

Yadil Mujica, who went 2-2, including a solo home run, was the outstanding hitter for the Matanzas team led by mentor Armando Ferrer.

Also on Tuesday, Pinar del Río, which left Sancti Spíritus on the field in the eleventh inning with Reinier León's golden jit against Yanieski Eduardo's run.

In that duel at the Capitán San Luis stadium, the Vegueros were down 2-7 on the scoreboard, but they produced an important string of seven runs in the seventh inning. Erli Casanova, who earned his eleventh victory of the season, was used for four innings as a reliever and allowed only three hits. There were key home runs by Pinar del Río sluggers William Saavedra and Yasser Julio González.

After this result, the green-bellied Pinar del Río took a 3-2 lead.

And finally, Mayabeque applauded a bases-loaded double by its starter and fourth baseman Yasniel González in the tenth inning against Yosvany Ávalos, to break a 2-2 tie and take a definitive 5-2 lead against Ciego de Ávila.

The palms once again went to young Marlon Vega, who threw six innings of relief with four singles and an equal number of strikeouts to achieve his 13th victory of the tournament. This play-off is even at two wins apiece.

This Wednesday there will only be one game between Ciego de Avila and Mayabeque