Granma, Matanzas and Pinar del Río are sweeping up in first baseball sub-series

Havana, January 28 (ACN)-- The brooms applied by the monarch exponent Granma, the sub-leader Matanzas and that "machine" of producing pitchers as Pinar del Rio, all in the role of hosts, tinged the actions of the first sub-series that ended on Thursday, on the calendar of the 61st National Baseball Series.

In their Mártires de Barbados stadium, in Bayamo, the Alazanes gave Guantánamo the second successive knockout, now 14-1 in seven innings, based on a strong display of 15 hits and a decisive cluster of nine runs in the fifth inning.

For the Granmenses, middle infielder Carlos Benítez stood out, who went 1-1 and drove in five runs, but that positive digit was a double with the bases loaded. His two remaining runs were for receiving tickets with the bases loaded.

The Alazanes left 12 runners on base, as to their fifteen hits must be added the 13 bases on balls and one hit by the opposing pitchers. Yunier Castillo, who pitched six innings with five hits and three strikeouts, won the game, although he gave out four tickets.

Meanwhile, the left-handed pitching duo of Dariel Góngora and Naykel Cruz combined to give the Cocodrilos a 2-0 defeat to Cienfuegos, a game in which Yariel Duque went 4-2 with a home run and a tow, at the Victoria Park in Girón.

Góngora was the starter and got the win by pitching six innings with six hits allowed, but he gave seven strikeouts and did not give a ticket in the complicated moments. Meanwhile, Naykel was again brought in as a reliever and in three acts, he assimilated two hits and gave up three passports to first base, to earn the save.

With this victory, Armando Ferrer's Saurios are undefeated in four outings, since in the debut game, they defeated Granma 4-3.

And the Vegueros beat Isla de la Juventud 6-2, with the experienced Vladimir Baños on top of the box, where he pitched five innings with four hits and two strikeouts, with three tickets.

Middle infielder Pedro Luis Dueñas was the offensive hero, hitting 4-3 and driving in three runs. The Pirates left 11 men on base.

In addition, with the characteristic offensive power that came to the fore in the third game of the sub-series, Las Tunas avoided the sweep after beating Ciego de Avila 15-8, with a whopping 16 hits, including seven extra-base hits, including two home runs by 1,000-season veteran Danel Castro and a grand slam by Rafael Viñales in the decisive seven-run third inning.

Both Danel and Viñales towed in five runs to take better advantage of the Tigres avileños, who, with 11 hits and seven bases on balls by the opposing pitchers, left 12 runners on the pads.

The victory went to second reliever Yasel Labrada, despite allowing three hits and two runs in just one inning and two thirds of play.

In the other results, Camagüey took the broom off its back by beating Sancti Spíritus (5-4), while Santiago de Cuba beat Holguín 5-4 and won the particular sub-series 2-1.

The Mayabeque-Villa Clara and Artemisa-Industriales games were suspended due to rain.