Havana, February 2 (RHC) – Cocodrilos de Matanzas, hosts at Victoria de Girón, defeated Industriales de La Habana 4-1 and struck first in the semifinal duel of the Cuban baseball championship, which will be a best-of-seven series.
Armando Ferrer’s disciples painted the so-called Palacio de los Cocodrilos (Palace of the Crocodiles) red and yellow, confirming—at least for this game—the experts’ predictions and remaining steadfast in their goal of winning their second championship with the Matanzas name on their chests.
Industriales opened the scoring in the very first inning thanks to a solo home run by Yasiel Santoya, but that was all they could do against veteran starter Yoennis Yera.
In the fourth inning, after the Leonesleft the bases loaded without being able to break through the plate, the Cocodrilos got their bats going against right-hander Raymond Figueredo and produced two runs to take the lead, despite a great catch by Ángel Alfredo Hechavarría that robbed Ariel Martínez of a home run.
Consecutive doubles by Hanyelo Videt and Yurisbel Gracial, combined with a steal and a throwing error by the catcher, caused the Yumurinos to stir up their venue and raise the temperature of the game on the cold afternoon.
Figueredo remained on the mound until the sixth inning, when Eduardo Blanco, with an RBI single, forced him home with the loss.
His replacement, Misael Fonseca, couldn’t prevent a single by Luis Ángel Sánchez that widened the gap and left the Leones sinking deeper into the mire.
Left-hander Yera didn’t allow any more liberties from the Blues and pitched six innings, striking out one and walking one, to earn the win and put his team ahead in this game for a spot in the grand final. Armando Dueñas took care of the rest, pitching three scoreless innings and recording the save.
Today, these teams will face off again at the same venue, and the other semifinal series will begin between the reigning champions, Leñadores de Las Tunas and Cazadores de Artemisa. Both games are scheduled for the afternoon.
