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Havana, May 4 (RHC) – Leñadores de las Tunas and Cocodrilos de Matanzas both staged comeback victories today to maintain their undefeated records in two appearances in the IV Elite League of Cuban Baseball.
While the rain stole the show at the Latinoamericano Stadium and paused the game between Artemisa and Industriales, in other parts of the country, the excitement overflowed with tales of courage and persistence.
Las Tunas, their hearts pounding with the rhythm of epic struggles, refused to accept defeat even when the score was against them, and in a dizzying finish, unleashed an offensive storm that left the Cachorros de Holguín reeling with a score of 11-10.
From early on, the game was a back-and-forth affair, like two boxers refusing to go down, first with the visitors’ initial push and then with Las Tunas’ response that mercilessly punished the opposing pitchers.
When it seemed that fate had definitively turned against them, the Lumberjacks reignited their spark in the ninth inning, stringing together hits like pieces of a perfect puzzle until they sealed a comeback that ignited pandemonium in the stands.
In that offensive onslaught, Luis Antonio Pérez’s single, which tied the game, and Yudier Rondón’s third hit of the contest, which decided the match, stood out.
Osmán Caruncho and Yassel Izaguirre also each had three hits in the afternoon, with Izaguirre driving in three runs.
Almost simultaneously, at Victoria de Girón Stadium, the Cocodrilos also wrote their own story of resilience, rallying in the eighth inning with a mix of patience and opportunism that turned the opposing team’s wildness into their greatest ally.
Between walks, hit-by-pitches, and Andrys Pérez’s bases-loaded double, Matanzas put together a rally that changed the course of the game and ultimately tipped the scales 8-7 in a finish that punished every mistake by the Huracanes de Mayabeque.
Roilán Averohff’s Matanzas relief pitching, precise at the right moment, managed to contain any attempt at a comeback, while Yadier Garay sealed the game with authority.
Not even Frederich Cepeda’s historic home run, which further cemented his place in Cuban baseball history, could prevent his team from bearing the weight of defeat on an afternoon of mixed emotions.
With the curtain still raised and the intensity rising, the Elite League prepares for a new chapter where each game seems to promise another story of unexpected twists and turns and momentary heroes.
