Avispas overtake Leñadores and retain Cuban baseball summit

Havana, February 16 (RHC/ACN)-- In a duel extended to 10 innings, Santiago de Cuba left Las Tunas on the field by a score of 7-6 at the Guillermón Moncada stadium and increased its lead at the top of the LXI Cuban National Baseball Series.

With the game tied 2-2, the Leñadores scored four runs in the top of that tenth inning, in which they exploited left-hander Luis Fonseca, leader in games saved of the tournament (7).

But the Avispas were never deterred and came back with a decisive five-run rally in the bottom of the tenth inning. Thus, they reached a record of 12 wins and four losses, and separated themselves by a game and a half from Mayabeque and Matanzas, who are tied in second and third place.

For the Santiagueros, who committed four errors and left 12 runners on base, third reliever Adrián Sagarra, who barely got one out, won the game. On offense, the palms went to catcher Harold Vázquez, who went 3-2 with a double and two runs.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes hit 15 hits and beat Artemisa 13-3 in seven innings, with designated hitter Rafael Fonseca, who went 4-3, with a double and three runs to the plate.

The Mayabequense victory went to José Ignacio Bermúdez, who in 5.2 innings allowed four hits and gave up a whopping seven tickets; but the Cazadores left 12 men on the bases.

And Matanzas fell 3-8 to Pinar del Río. Yayfredo Domínguez won despite allowing six hits and giving up three walks in five innings.

There was a save for Frank Luis Medina, who pitched 1.2 inning without a strikeout. Juan Carlos Arencibia, the Vegueros' leadoff man, hit 5-2 with a double and three RBIs.

In the other results, Sancti Spíritus achieved its fifth successive victory by defeating 6-1 the monarch Granma, and now shares the fourth and fifth places with Industriales, both with a 9-6 record.

The capital's Leones beat Villa Clara 8-1, Holguín 8-5 against Ciego de Avila and Camagüey beat Guantánamo (17-8) with the seventh home run of the tournament's leading hitter Alexander Ayala.