Havana, July 16 (RHC) -- In what could qualify as the best game of the postseason, Santiago de Cuba left Camagüey on the field on Saturday and qualified to the semifinals of the 62nd National Baseball Series.
Last Sunday's duel between the international Jose Ramon Rodriguez and the consecrated among the best pitchers of the tournament, Wilber Reyna, was repeated and they again executed quality openings extended to the pitching limit without taking the decision of the clash.
For more coincidences, the scoreboard concluded 2x1 in extrainning, just like in that game. An error caused the outcome in the 12th chapter.
The Toros scored in the second act and the Avispas evened the scoreboard in the fourth. From then on both starters walked without many setbacks until they were forced to leave the end of the story in the hands of the bullpen.
José Ramón (10 IP, 1CL, 8H, 8K and 1BB) and Wilber (11.1 IP, 1CL, 6H and 6K) reminded many Cuban baseball fans of the duels between Freddy Asiel Álvarez from Villaclare and Noelvis Entenza from Cienfuegos in the 2013 semifinal, one of the most talked about in the postseason on the island.
The young pitcher from Camagüey, Fernando Ramos, conceded the setback determined by a throwing error by the bullpen in the 12th inning with two outs and the final score at third base. The victory went to Yosiel Serrano, who retired two men in his brief performance.
Since 2008, when they were crowned for the last time, the Santiagueros had not advanced to the semifinals of the national baseball championship.
With this victory, all the participants in the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball were also decided, as Camagüey and Ciego de Avila, who were placed seventh and eighth in the preliminary phase and eliminated in the quarterfinals, were excluded.
In addition, the semifinal duel between the leader, Las Tunas, and the most stable team of the last 12 years, Matanzas, has been agreed upon, qualified by most experts as an early final.
Santiago de Cuba awaits the winner of the match between Industriales and Sancti Spíritus, which can be defined today if the Leones get the fourth win in the bilateral series.
