Baseball

Matanzas left Industriales on the field by 4-3 to complete the sweep and gave an almost decisive step toward the Cuban baseball post season, besides compromising Industriales' sorting options.

The victory came at the end of the 9th inning with Richel Lopez, when reliever Yohandry Portal gave fateful ticket with loaded bases to outfielder Victor Victor Mesa.

Yariel Duke beat 4-3 with 1 homer, 2 doubles and 2 RBIs to lead the offensive of Matanzas' Los Cocodrilos, while for Industriales homered Yasmany Tomás and Yuliesky Gourriel, the latter confirmed as leader of this paragraph with 15. Reliever Felix Fuentes scored his 3rd victory, while Michel Martinez charged with the failure. Thus, Industriales joined its 4th straight loss but only 4 games away from the top because Holguín didn't take this move and dashed through falling 8-0 to current runner-up leader Pinar del Río.

Vladimir Baños starred a solid pitching work by only allowing 3 hits in 7 episodes, while Roel Santos and Giorvis Duvergel gave one homer per capita as the most prominent for the winners.

In the other result, Villa Clara was consolidated in the 3rd seat with 11-4 after beating Santiago de Cuba, with success for lefty Robelio Carrillo and offensive role of Yuniet Flores and Andy Sarduy, with individual homers.

Finally, Artemisa and Isla de la Juventud suspended their bilateral match in a minor subset without any relevance for classification.

To only 9 dates to run, Matanzas leads the Table of the 53rd Cuban Baseball Series with 49 and 29, followed by Pinar del Río (47-31), Villa Clara (46-32), Industriales and Holguin (44-34), Artemisa (39-38), Isla de la Juventud (37-40) and Santiago de Cuba (34-44).

And speaking on the National Series and its defending champion, Villa Clara, the official Granma newspaper said today Friday that the National Baseball Commission and country authorities shall decide on the appeal of Villa Clara's pitcher Freddy Asiel Alvarez regarding the incident involving him on February 17th at the Victoria de Giron stadium against Matanzas team that suspended him for the whole season.

Judo
The Cuban female and male judo teams will compete from today until Monday, the 17th at the tournament in Bridgetown, Barbados, qualifying for the XXII Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico.

The event features representatives from 30 countries, with individual actions in 16 divisions in both sexes and for teams (also in both sexes), but with the notably absent of Asley Gonzalez (90), Oscar Brayson (+100) and Onix Cortes

(70), who are recovering from muscle injuries.

The first 9 places of each category --8 female and 8 male-- will get tickets for the Mexican multi-sport event, scheduled from November 14th to 30th to come, which should be added the tickets to be given on the lid for teams.

Cuba will seek to achieve 18 berths in a program that includes the qualifying matches on Friday and Saturday and medals of the 16 divisions, while on Sunday the match will be by teams.

Experienced professors Reinaldo Veitía and Justo Noda direct the female and male teams, respectively.

Volleyball
With an emotional tribute to his 60 years dedicated to volleyball, Eugenio George, the best coach in the 20th century, enjoyed in a familiar atmosphere with several generations the Golden Collar Order awarded him by the International Volleyball Federation.

The legendary professor was honored by athletes, coaches, managers, state officials, referees and workers in general of the Volleyball National School, venue of the encounter which among anecdotes and confessions in appreciation of this teacher who about to celebrate his 81st birthday, has contributed to the triumphs of the discipline in our country through all these years.

He assured that Morenas del Caribe means culture, a quality team whose members from 1991 to 2000 were included in the Volleyball Hall of Fame in the United States.