Centrales celebrates triumph

Havana, December 1 (JIT) - On a day with successes for three left-handed pitchers, Centrales brought out its pitching fundamentals, painted Ganaderos in white 8x0 and catapulted to second place in the First Elite League of Cuban Baseball, which will close its twelfth particular subseries this Thursday.

At the Augusto César Sandino stadium in Villaclare, the pitching recital was started by left-handed pitcher Yamichel Pérez, who only allowed one hit in six innings, with five strikeouts. Right-hander Javier Mirabal closed with three unblemished innings to earn the save.

For the middle infield, Luis Vicente Mateo, who batted 4-3 and drove in four runs, was the standout hitter. This was the fifth consecutive defeat for the team coached by Héctor Huelga.

Meanwhile, the comfortable leader Agricultores maintained its excellent pace and defeated Tabacaleros 10x2, which fell to third place. At the Julio Antonio Mella Park, in a game without errors, the team of the manager Carlos Martí, from Granma, started to bat and did not stop until they scored 13 hits, with Osvaldo Abreu, 3-3 with a tow.

The sinister Yunier Castillo earned his third win with five hits and four walks in six innings. First save of the tournament for Carlos Santana.

At the Estadio Latinoamericano, Cafetaleros beat Portuarios 7x4 with a 14-strikeout offense and a highlight for catcher Yasmani Velázquez, who hit 3-2 and drove in two runners at the plate.

Left-hander Uberley Estévez won with an excellent relief of 2.1 chapters, in which he did not tolerate any hits or runs. The fast Yeudis Reyes earned his seventh save to tie Alberto Pablo Civil (AGR) for the lead in that department.

After these results, Agricultores (21-9) leads, followed by Centrales (16-15), Tabacaleros (15-15), Cafetaleros (14-15), Ganaderos (13-16) and Portuarios (11-20).