The Holguín Cubs returned to dominate the 64th National Baseball Series this Sunday after defeating the Matanzas Crocodiles 5-3 at the Calixto García Stadium in a high-tension game.
After three consecutive setbacks, the team came out hungry for victory and ended up striking hard. Yasiel González, who is on fire like a blowtorch, hit his sixteenth home run of the season and later provided the decisive lead with a sacrifice fly that ignited cheers from the crowd.
On the mound, Jesús Quintán was a wall. He came in to restore order and delivered an impeccable relief of 4.2 innings, while Rubén Mene took the loss for the visitors.
The Lumberjacks of Las Tunas made a strong statement at the Latinoamericano by overpowering Industriales 9-3, supported by timely hitting from Leonardo Joseph and Diosmel Hurtado, both of whom hit home runs. Keniel Ferráz provided a long and effective relief of 6.1 innings to secure his sixth victory.
The pleasant surprise of the day was Cienfuegos, which continues to climb the ranks with its 3-1 victory over Ciego de Ávila. Raúl Ferrer drove in two runs, and Luis Ángel Santana secured the win from the bullpen. This marks the third consecutive victory for the Elephants, who are now closely eyeing the top spots in the overall standings.
In Camagüey, Sancti Spíritus won 5-1 thanks to home runs from Daniel Fernández and Frederich Cepeda—who went a perfect 3-for-3—and a stellar pitching performance from Yohannis Hernández, who threw seven scoreless innings without breaking a sweat.
Villa Clara also celebrated in Sandino, crushing Mayabeque 13-2 with an offensive outburst of 18 hits. Jonathan Moreno and Yuri Fernández both hit home runs and drove in seven runs. Omar David Pérez pitched a complete game and earned another victory.
The Santiago de Cuba Wasps struck hard at 26 de Julio, defeating Artemisa 13-9 despite the Hunters connecting more hits. Andy Rodríguez stole the show with two home runs and six RBIs.
In Cristóbal Labra, Granma broke out of its slump and knocked out La Isla 15-3, with Guillermo Avilés and Pedro Almeida driving in three runs each, while Osvaldo Abreu punished pitchers with three singles.
With these results, Holguín remains at the top with 31 wins and 18 losses, closely followed by Matanzas (31-19) and Industriales (29-18). Las Tunas sits fourth with a record of 27-18, while Cienfuegos (26-20), Sancti Spíritus (28-22), Mayabeque, and Artemisa complete the playoff zone.
