n the finals, the Hunters will face either the Crocodiles or the Lumberjacks Semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball Artemisa 4, Industriales 0 Artemisa won the series 4-1 On Friday night in Havana, the Artemisa Hunters defeated the Industriales Lions by a score of 4-0 in Game 5 of the Semifinals of the Elite League. The Hunters will now advance to take on the Crocodiles or the Lumberjacks in the Finals, which should begin next week. Box score Hunters starter Yunieski García, José I. Bermúdez, and Liván Moinelo, the last two pitching in relief, combined for the one-hit shutout. For the Hunters, Dennis Laza homered, and Luis González and Andy Cosme added one RBI each. On the other side, Pavel Hernández allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings. However, in relief, the expected starter of the game, Reemberto Barreto, gave up one run in 3 2/3 innings. On offense, the Lions as a team went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Artemisa also did not use his best starter, Geonel Gutiérrez, but Yunieski García couldn't do it any better during the first three innings. The righthander threw the ball very well and in 2 2/3 innings was perfect against the Industriales' lineup, needing only 23 pitches. He struck out one. In the third inning, García suffered an injury and had to leave the mound. When it came to pitching, the Hunters and their manager Yulieski González were prepared for anything. They didn't panic and didn't send Gutiérrez to the mound with the score 0-0. Instead, they gave the ball to José I. Bermúdez. The great performance of Bermúdez in Game 5 was close to perfection. He went 4 1/3 scoreless innings allowing no hits, with 5 strikeouts and two walks. He ended up picking up the win. In the fourth inning, the Hunters just broke through. Heading into the top of the fourth inning, the Hunters had gotten 4 baserunners on but weren't getting them home. In that inning, they quickly got a 1-0 lead thanks to Dennis Laza's solo homer off Hernández starting the inning. It could have sufficed, but they scored more. Raúl González, who had two errors tonight, singled to left, stole second, and moved to third on a grounder. To make it 2-0, Andy Cosme singled to center. In response to another single by Jeison Martínez, Pavel Hernández was pulled from the mound. During the game, he faced 17 batters and allowed 2 runs on 7 hits over three-thirds of an inning. He was charged with the loss. In the regular season, Lions' starter Reemberto Barreto was dominant, but in the postseason, his dominance ran out. In Game 5, he was supposed to be the starting pitcher but was instead used as a reliever. Still, in relief, he was effective tonight. He pitched 3 2/3 innings of one hit allowing one run in the fifth. He struck out one and walked three. Artemisa scored again in the fifth. Following a walk by Luis González, Frederich Cepeda singled to right, moving González to third. Minutes later, González made it 3-0 with a double-play groundball from Laza. In the play, it was a mistake by Industriales' manager Guillermo Carmona not to move the infield in losing by two runs. Artemisa scored his final run of the game in the ninth inning off reliever Juan X. Peñalver, when Luis González singled to center with the bases loaded to make it 4-0. In the eighth, Liván Moinelo was brought in. With three strikeouts and a walk, he pitched two scoreless innings. As Industriales went hitless for eight innings, Moinelo could have completed the no-hitter, however, Christian Rodríguez hit a single to left field in the ninth inning to keep him from completing it. Despite walking another batter, he struck out Oscar Valdés to end the game. The Hunters made history with the win. Since the team was founded in 2011, this was the team's first Elite League final and the first final in a Cuban major tournament - National Series and Elite Leagues.

Ariel Hechavarría homered and Jonathan Carbó had a strong outing Semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball Industriales 7, Artemisa 2 Artemisa leads the series 3-1 Jonathan Carbó delivered from the mound, slumping Ariel Hechavarría delivered a big hit and the Industriales Lions took advantage of a bad start of Artemisa Darío Sarduy to beat the Hunters 7-2 Thursday afternoon avoiding elimination and push the semifinal series to Game 5. Box score Ariel Hechavarría was just back in the Industriales lineup and hit a key two-run homer for his only hit of the series. Hechavarría was 0-for-6 in Games 1 and 2 of the series and didn't see any action in Game 3. Artemisa starter Darío Sarduy struggled early and was hit hard in the fourth inning. It was the inning when Industriales took control of the game, scoring four decisive runs. A single by Jorge Alomá, a double by Yasiel Santoya, and an RBI single by Oscar Valdés tied the game. A fielder's choice gave the Lions a 2-1 lead. This was the moment when Hechavarría came through with the huge hit, a two-run homer giving Industriales a 4-1 lead that Artemisa would never overtake. Sarduy returned to the mound in the fifth inning, but after issuing back-to-back walks he was removed. Alomá moved the runners with a deep flyout to center against new reliever Osdany Rodriguez, and Santoya's sacrifice fly extended the lead to 5-1 as Valdés' double made it 6-1. In just four innings, Sarduy was tagged with six runs. He allowed five hits and walked five in the loss. A superb performance from the Lions' starter was the highlight of the game for the second straight game. The six-inning gem pitched by Jonathan Carbó kept Industriales alive for at least one more day. Despite striking out two and walking a pair, Artemisa was limited to only one run on four hits from the right-hander. Tasked with extending the Industriales' season, Carbó delivered under pressure. Having started just three games for the Lions in the II Elite League, pitching 7 1/3 and going 1-0, he made 84 pitches for a win today. In relief, Kevin Hernández also excelled. In his nearly three perfect innings, he faced 10 batters and allowed just one hit, Frederich Cepeda's solo homer in the ninth. Hernández struck out just one, but most importantly, he preserved the lead to avoid a four-game sweep by the Hunters. Game 5 is Friday night (6:30 pm ET) at Latinoamericano Stadium, with ace Reemberto Barreto scheduled to start for Industriales. Possibly, Artemisa will use his Game 1 starter, Geonel Gutiérrez.

Game 6 is scheduled for Saturday at Victoria de Girón Stadium in Matanzas Semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball Matanzas 10, Las Tunas 5 Matanzas leads the series 3-1 In Game 5, Matanzas hit five home runs, including two in the eighth and ninth innings, helping Yoennis Yera remain undefeated this postseason. To avoid an often complicated Game 7, the Matanzas Crocodiles are heading back to Matanzas to contest Game 6. For Las Tunas, there was also Danel Castro in Game 5. A 47-year-old veteran who keeps adding records. On Thursday night, Castro became the first Cuban to reach 2500 career hits in the Cuban National Series. With all the changes in Cuban baseball, this record seems untouchable. Castro, well aware of the milestone he was aiming for, hit a long and high single to right-center field in his first at-bat off starter Yoennis Yera. As he announced this week that he will play in the 63rd National Series of Cuban Baseball, he will keep extending this record. Congratulations to the veteran and productive hitter from Las Tunas. With two runs in the first inning and another in the second and third innings, Matanzas took an early lead against starter Dariel Góngora. With two outs in the first, Góngora walked Yurisbel Gracial, and Samón hit his first of three extra-base hits, a double to center that brought Gracial home. Samón's double No. 456 was a new National Series record, one more than veteran Fredrich Cepeda, who plays with Artemisa. Rusney Castillo will follow with another double for a 2-0 margin. Eduardo Blanco doubled to left field in the second inning, then moved to third on Yordan Manduley's single, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Dariel Álvarez, who ended the rumors that he was leaving the team. Samón extended the lead to 4-1 with a solo shot to center in the third inning. After those three innings, Góngora pitched like he had done all season. Despite allowing four runs on five hits, including four extra bases, one strikeout, and a walk in three innings, Góngora followed with four scoreless innings, allowing three hits, two strikeouts, and no walks. Las Tunas had a chance to come back in the game, but they didn't. Matanzas' key was Yoennis Yera, who threw six innings despite being hit hard. He allowed 10 hits but just one run. Yera struck out one and walked one.  During this postseason, he has pitched 11 innings and allowed just one run. His record is now 2-0. Immediately following Góngora's exit from the mound, Las Tunas' bullpen took a major hit. The eighth and ninth innings of Game 5 showed Matanzas' favoritism and offensive power throughout this Elite League. In the eighth, Matanzas scored three runs on four hits, including a second homer from Samón and a two-run shot from José A. Noroña. Matanzas added three more runs in the ninth. Gracial hit a solo shot to center to start the inning, Samón walked, and after Ariel Sánchez gave up the first out, Erisbel Arruebarrena hit a two-run home run to left field to make it 10-1. In the bottom of the ninth, Las Tunas rebelled against Matanzas' bullpen. The team scored four runs, that included a solo home run by Denis Peña. Nevertheless, with the score 10-5, runners in the corners and one out, manager Armando Ferrer called his closer, Armando Dueñas. Despite a night to forget in Game 4, Dueñas retired Danel Castro with a 4663 groundout double play to end the game. Game 6 is Saturday at 6:30 pm (ET).

On Thursday, Game 4 will be an elimination game Semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball Artemisa 2, Industriales 1 Artemisa leads the series 3-0 Among the II Elite League semifinals, Game 3 between Artemisa Hunters and Industriales Lions ended in an odd way. Artemisa' José A. Jiménez hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the ninth inning as the Hunters came from one run down to beat the Industriales Lions 2-1 on Wednesday and take a 3-o lead in the semifinals of the II Elite League. Box score Artemisa tied the game with a single in the ninth by Dennis Laza off closer Juan X. Peñalver. Yoán Moreno singled to lead off the inning, followed by a flyout by Luis González, and then Frederich Cepeda singled to advance Moreno to second base. The tying single was then produced by Laza. Artemisa's closer Liván Moinelo closed it out in the ninth, allowing Christian Rodríguez' single - combined with an error that moved the runner to second - and then putting the tying run in third base after a sacrifice hit by Roberto Acevedo. But Moinelo retired Luis V. Mateo in a groundout double play that included a tagging of Christian Rodríguez in home plate trying to score to end the game. Artemisa is now one win away from advancing to its first Cuban League finals, which include the National Series and Elite League tournaments. If the Lions lose the series - as expected -, there's no doubt that this game will trouble manager Guillermo Carmona for a long time. Mateo singled with one out in the first inning, and then Jorge Alomá hit a towering fly against the wall in left field. After admiring his possible home run, Alomá started running slowly and - without any chances - tried to reach second base. He was put out by Dennis Laza's throw to second baseman Osbel Pacheco and then first baseman Jiménez. Minutes later Industriales loaded the bases with walks to Yasiel Santoya and Oscar Valdés, but Artemisa' starter Albert Valladares settled down to get Yosvani Peñalver out on a flyout to the infield for the third out. Despite Valladers using 21 pitches and putting four runners on base, Industriales failed to score. The biggest reason for the team's loss in Game 3 was this. As the Lions did tonight, a team cannot afford to go 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in a close game. Valladeres was a different pitcher after struggling in the first inning. He gave up an unearned run in the second, after walking one and largely due to Artemisa's poor defense. But the starter gave manager Yulieski González 5 1/3 innings, allowing just four hits, with four walks, and two strikeouts. Having walked Peñalver with one out in the sixth, Yulieski decided it was time to replace his starter. He had thrown 87 pitches and overall had a quality start. The Artemisa bullpen then came into its own. Combined, Israel Sánchez and Moinelo pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and walking one. Sánchez was awarded the win for his work and Moinelo got his first save of the semifinals. But we can't forget Raymond Figueredo's outing for Industriales. In the series Industriales was looking for a sign from their pitching that would allow them to come back in this semifinal. Figueredo was able to provide that sign. In 5 scoreless innings, the right-hander allowed just 3 hits, struck out two, and walked two. After 87 pitches, Figueredo was removed at the right time. As for Industriales bullpen, it was also effective, at least until the eighth inning. In the sixth, Kevin Hernández got into trouble, but Islay Sotolongo saved him. Yunielkis Duardo then kept Artemisa scoreless for 1 1/3 innings. Although Peñalver got two outs in the eighth, he blew the game in the ninth. There has never been a Cuban League team that has come back from a 3-0 deficit. Game 4 is Thursday at 2:30 pm. As of yet, no starters have been announced.

Despite the fact that Game 5 will take place at 6:30 pm on Thursday, it is guaranteed that the series will return to Matanzas Semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball Las Tunas 4, Matanzas 3 The series is tied 2-2 We just had a weird ending to Game 4 of the II Elite League semifinals involving the Matanzas Crocodiles and Las Tunas Lumberjacks. Box score Matanzas, which won Games 1 and 2, took a 3-0 lead before the Lumberjacks rallied. RBI singles by Danel Castro - his number 2499 in National Series history - and Yosvani Alarcón trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the seventh inning. Back-to-back walks were issued by closer Armando Dueñas to Castro and Alarcón in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. Then Rafael Viñales hit an infield single that had shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena make an outstanding catch. Castro scored the tying run with the single, and Alarcón scored the deciding run on Arruebarrena's throw to home plate.  A throw that was cut by Dueñas, who then made an error with his throw. Instead of being down 3-1 and on the brink of elimination, Las Tunas has now tied the series heading into Game 5 Thursday night in Las Tunas. On the mound, Matanzas right-hander starter Renner Rivero outdueled Lumberjacks right-hander Alejandro Meneses. Rivero tossed five one-third scoreless innings, permitting six hits and issuing three walks. Meneses pitched well through 5 1/3 innings too and had only one bad inning, allowing three unearned runs in the fourth inning, before struggling in the sixth, giving up an Erisbel Arruebarrena's single before being removed from the game after getting the first out of the inning. Despite Meneses allowing two hits in the fourth and issuing two walks - one intentional - Matanzas scored his only runs in the inning and game thanks to two errors by Las Tunas' defense. But if Matanzas does not advance in this semifinal series, everyone will remember how right-hander reliever Keniel Ferráz performed in Game 3. A lineup packed with stars was dominated from top to bottom by Ferráz. Aside from striking out two and hitting one, he only allowed two hits through three and a half innings and walked none. Ferráz's efforts were rewarded with the win. Armando Dueñas, a historically consistent closer with the Crocodiles, took the loss after an inefficient ninth inning. One of his failures? Allowing Viñales to reach the batter's box. Game 5 is at 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday in Las Tunas. For Matanzas, Yoennis Yera will take the mound against likely Las Tunas pitcher Dariel Góngora.

As the Hunters' offense continues to work, the teams is already thinking about the finals Semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball Artemisa 6, Industriales 4 Artemisa leads the series 2-0 Postseason stages are known for rewarding the teams capable of performing in the biggest moments. On Monday, the Artemisa Hunters beat the Industriales Lions twice in the stage that really matters, after each team won four matches between them in the II Elite League qualifying round, to take a solid 2-0 lead in the semifinal series. Box score Artemisa was effective again Monday, winning a nail-biting 6-4 decision in Game 2 at 26 de Julio Stadium. As a result, the 12 times Cuban champions find themselves in a weird postseason bind. Even though Artemisa led the league in home runs during the regular season, reinforcements are always welcome. In Game 2, several of them were responsible for burying all hope for the Lions. The bats of Luis González, Frederich Cepeda, Dennis Laza, and Raúl González - all reinforcements - combined to go 11-for-19 offensively, scoring five of the Hunters' six runs in Game 2. Furthermore, Cepeda hit the Cazadores' first home run of the series. It was a solo shot to right field in the eighth inning that gave Artemisa a 6-3 lead. This marked his 358th homer in National Series history. In addition, José A. Jiménez and catcher Andy Cosme contributed two runs each that were crucial to the team's victory. A single by Jiménez to center enabled Artemisa to take a 2-1 lead in the first inning against Pavel Hernández with the bases loaded and two outs. The second run in that first inning - scored by Cepeda - caused Industriales' manager Guillermo Carmona to be tossed from the game, after Carmona had a heated argument with the home plate umpire, Luis Felipe Casañas, when the video review revealed an illegal block by catcher Oscar Valdés on runner Cepeda. Another key situation occurred in the fifth. Similarly, with two outs and after Artemisa was looking to regain the lead after a rebellion by the Lions led to a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Andy Cosme hit a single to right field that drove in two more runs, giving the Hunters a 4-3 lead. It was then time for the Industriales' offense to step up in the seventh inning. Despite Artemisa's 5-3 lead, reliever Osdany Rodriguez gave up back-to-back walks to begin the inning. For Artemisa's manager Yulieski González, it was the right moment to call his bullpen again. However, this was no ordinary call. It was Liván Moinelo, a left-handed pitcher with Nippon Professional Baseball's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, who was called up to the Artemisa bullpen for the postseason. Moinelo limited the Lion's bat, even when Industriales' manager - coach Alexander Malleta - played a terrible inning, ordering a sacrifice hit with two runners on, no outs, and losing by two. After two ineffective sacrifice attempts, Moinelo struck out Jorge Alomá for the first out. He then retired the next two batters, Yasiel Santoya and Oscar Valdés, in easy flyouts to right field. Moinelo's level above the island baseball today was evident. It was no problem for the left-hander to work a perfect 2 1/3 innings with 4 strikeouts and only one man reaching base, courtesy of Raúl González's error in the eighth. In all, he threw 31 pitches, 24 strikes, with a fastball that reached 96 mph. In the 9th, Moinelo got one out and was replaced by veteran right-hander José A. García because of the pitching limit. Unfortunately, García got in trouble, allowing Industriales to score one run to make it 6-4. In no time at all, González pulled his reliever and right-hander José I. Bermúdez ended the threat by striking out Ariel Hechavarría to end the game. As a result, he was credited with the save. In the fourth inning, Industriales rallied against starter Yunieski García. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and a fielder's choice and an error allowed the Lions to take a 3-2 lead. But García got out of the inning. Despite this, Industriales left 11 runners on base in the game, which can be costly in close games. García, who led the league in strikeouts during the regular season, recorded only three strikeouts in Game 2. Despite this, he had a quality start and was removed at the right time. García pitched five solid innings, allowing three runs on six hits. As a result of his work, he earned the victory. Oscar Valdés started the 6th inning with a double against García, so Artemisa's coaches decided to start using the bullpen, knowing Moinelo was in the pen in case of a critical situation. This Wednesday, 6:30 pm, Game 3 will be played at the Latinoamericano Stadium in Havana.

Rain had caused the game to be suspended on Sunday Semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball Artemisa 11, Industriales 1 (7 Innings) Artemisa leads the series 1-0 During Game 1 of the semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball, the Artemisa Hunters scored in all innings except the sixth to beat the Industriales Lions 11-1 by the Mercy Rule in seven innings. Box score As the best team in the entire championship, the Hunters averaged 5.85 runs per game entering the postseason of this elite edition of the Cuban tournaments, and in Game 1 of the semifinals against Industriales, which was played in two days because of the rain, they proved why that was the case. In just four innings, the Hunters had already scored 10-1 after an offensive that included 12 hits, including five doubles and a triple. The outburst made it easy for starter Geonel Gutiérrez and reliever Israel Sánchez. The two pitchers combined for four and three innings, respectively, leaving the Lions with a single run and sending an early signal of how difficult it will be for the finalist of the 62th National Series to beat them in this postseason. In four innings, the left-handed starter gave up one run, five hits, struck out five, and walked one, but did not return to the mound on Monday as expected, denying him his first playoff victory. While this was Artemisa's sixth victory in ten games, it was the team's thirteenth in 21 home matches during this Elite League. In the first inning, Frederich Cepeda tied the score with his double #455 in National Series - all-time leader - and two batters later, Raúl González gave Artemisa an early 3-1 lead with his two-run double. A double by Luis González against Industriales' starter Reemberto Barreto in the second inning put the team ahead 4-1.  When José A. Jiménez started the third inning with a triple to right field - Industriales' defense did not look good in the outfield - manager Guillermo Carmona decided it was enough and quickly extracted its top regular-season winner. Barreto pitched only two innings, allowing six hits, five of which were extra-bases, allowing 5 earned runs in a short-lived effort that ended in defeat. As the rain forced the match to be suspended in the fourth inning on Sunday afternoon, Artemisa had a 7-1 lead with the bases loaded. At the end, with the game out of reach, Industriales' bullpen was drained, allowing six runs in two innings and allowing the Mercy Rule to be used in the seventh. Meanwhile, the Industriales' bats were silenced. Three consecutive singles by José L. Gutiérrez, Luis V. Mateo, and Jorge E. Alomá gave the Lions their only run in the first inning. Against the starter Gutiérrez and Israel Sánchez, the first reliever and winner of the game, they hit only five more hits with no extra-base hits. On Monday, Sánchez pitched three innings, striking out three and walking one. Game 2 of the series was underway, with Artemisa up 2-1 in the fourth inning. This was in an apparent right-handed duel between Pavel Hernández for Industriales and Yunieski García for Artemisa.

Yoennis Yera's work was supported by 16 hits, an overwhelming attack Semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball Matanzas 12, Las Tunas 0 (7 innings) Matanzas leads the series 1-0 On Saturday afternoon in Matanzas, the Matanzas Crocodiles beat its rival, Las Tunas easily, 12-0 by the mercy rule in seven innings, in the II Elite Cuban Baseball League semifinal. Box score Game 2 of the series will take place at Victoria de Girón Stadium in Matanzas this Sunday at 6:30 pm, with Matanzas leading the series 1-0. Crocodiles' offense, combined with Yoennis Yera's great start, were decisive in the first victory of the tournament favorites. The three-run home run by Yurisbel Gracial in the opening inning against lefty starter Dariel Góngora, provided an early indication of Las Tunas pitching's challenge on the night - and in the series. It was Gracial himself who would shine with the bat, going 4-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. The ruthless attack continued in the second inning, where Matanzas scored seven times. Six hits were hit in this inning, including a solo home run by catcher Andrys Pérez and a three-run home run by Yordanis Samón. This was also the inning in which Rusney Castillo hit his first of two solo home runs. The fifth home run of the night came two innings later when Castillo hit the ball over the right field fences against the second Las Tunas reliever, right-hander José A Sánchez. In Yera's five innings, he only allowed one single, struck out three, and walked one, taking revenge for his only loss on November 20, a close 2-1 decision against the right-handed Yadián Martínez. Reliever Jesús E. Pérez recorded six more outs. Pérez, enjoying a 12-run lead, faced seven batters, allowing only one hit, a double off 47-year-old veteran Danel Castro. Castro is now only four hits away from reaching the 2500 mark in Cuban baseball. Despite beating Matanzas three times in 2023 during the qualifying stages of the National Series and the Elite League, Góngora could not repeat his performance tonight. During the latter, Dariel won two games 11-0 and 10-0, completing 12 innings with 8 hits and 5 strikeouts. A reinforcement from Camagüey didn't last beyond the second inning this Saturday, facing only 11 men and allowing seven runs - 5 earned - without striking out. He was charged with the loss. Right-hander Yadián Martínez, for Las Tunas, will look to even the series this Sunday, when he faces another right-hander and debutant in the Elite League, César García.

Matanzas has scored 22 runs in two games and has confirmed their favoritism once more Semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball Matanzas 10, Las Tunas 2 Matanzas leads the series 2-0 All the efforts of the starter, as a reinforcement of Las Tunas, Yadián Martínez, collapsed in just one inning, when Matanzas made a comeback to end up leading Las Tunas 10-2, during Game 2 of the semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball. Box score No matter the place or the moment, the Matanzas Crocodiles are rolling right now. Yurisbel Gracial homered for second consecutive game, César García pitched five effective innings, Frank L. Medina took the win after three scoreless innings and Matanzas beat Yadián Martínez and the Las Tunas Lumberjacks 10-2 on Sunday night for a 2-0 lead in the semifinals of the Elite League of Cuban Baseball. To stop the best offensive of this second edition of the League Élite, Las Tunas coach Abeysi Pantoja undoubtedly bet on Martinez. For five innings, Martínez delivered. Within that timeframe, the right-hander threw only 63 pitches, saving a team that lost Game 1 of the series 12-0 after allowing five homers. After five innings, he held Matanzas' batters hitless. Despite loading the bases in the second inning, Yadián gained confidence and retired 11 Matanzas batters in a row. Thanks to two hits and an error in the second inning, as well as an RBI single by shortstop Juan C. Arencibia in the fifth, he enjoyed a 2-0 lead after five innings. It is, however, not easy to hold on to a group with three former MLB players as well as other historic Cuban baseball players, and Yadián once again fell victim to the power displayed in the first meeting of the series by the Crocodiles. After one out in the bottom of the sixth, tournament batting champion Alexander Pozo singled and Yurisbel Gracial hit a two-run homer to tie the game at 2-2. This was the 10th home run of Matanzas slugger Gracial in the tournament, and his second in two games. Yadián would never be the same after the home run. Yordanis Samón and Rusney Castillo singled back-to-back - both advancing on an error - and an adverse pitching count against Dariel Álvarez, Martínez was removed. For the national champions, it was just the beginning of the end. Facing reliever Rodolfo Díaz, Erisbel Arruebarrena's sacrifice fly gave Matanzas a 3-2 lead that they would never surrender. As a result of two errors and a steal in the inning, two more runs were scored, extending the lead to 5-2. Yadián faced 23 batters over 5 1/3 innings. Despite only accepting four hits with three walks and five strikeouts, he could not dominate Gracial's hot bat in that crucial sixth inning. For the 62nd National Series champions, the game was never the same after the tie. Taking the loss, the right-hander would finish with four runs - three earned. Armando Ferrer, Matanzas' manager, was pleased with his starter's performance. César García left the game with a 2-0 deficit after five innings, but it should be noted that it was just his first start of the tournament and he faced another starter who, for the same number of innings, limited the Matanzas team's offensive. Despite not striking out, García did not walk, and he was able to limit the Las Tunas' offensive damage during his appearance. After Las Tunas' fateful sixth inning, the eastern team had a chance to come back into the game, this time against right-hander Frank L. Medina from Pinar del Rio. Héctor Castillo started the eighth inning with a double, and Yunieski Larduet moved him to third after a single. With just one swing Las Tunas could have got back into the contest, but Medina retired Arencibia, Castro, and Alarcón, in a row to keep the score the same. With an RBI single from Rusney Castillo in the seventh, Matanzas extended the lead to 6-2, bringing home Yordan Manduley. The team closed out the match completely in the eighth, scoring another four runs with five hits against three relievers from Las Tunas, securing the final 10-2 win. In the ninth inning, closer Armando Dueñas faced four batters and struck out two to end the game. Now, Game 3 of the series will take place at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, January 9 at the Julio A. Mella stadium in Las Tunas.  Right-hander Joel Mojena will start for Matanzas. Las Tunas will counteract with right-hander Yosiel Serrano.

Las Tunas now trails 2-1 with Game 4 on Wednesday Semifinals of the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball Las Tunas 8, Matanzas 5 Matanzas leads the series 2-1 After dropping both away games, the Las Tunas Lumberjacks recovered in Game 3 to beat the Matanzas Crocodiles 8-5 in Game 3 of the semifinals of the Elite League of Cuban Baseball on Tuesday. With the win, they put themselves in position to tie the series with a win in Wednesday’s Game 4 at home. Veteran Danel Castro led Las Tunas going 2-for-4 at the plate with a homer and two RBIs while Rafael Viñales went 3-for-4 with one RBI. Yordanis Samón gave Matanzas hope with a solo homer in the third and a 2-for-4 game with 3 RBIs, however, Las Tunas' bats were much more efficient thanks to an all-around effort. Just as Matanzas got off to a hot start in Game 1 with a three-run first inning and then a seven-run second inning, this time it was Las Tunas' turn to take over. Las Tunas seized a 2-1 lead in the first inning thanks to veteran Danel Castro, who hit a two-run homer against struggling starter Joel Mojena. The veteran pitcher allowed Yunieski Larduet's double to start the inning and even when he struck out two in the inning, he also issued a free pass and allowed Castro's key homer. In National Series history, Danel's homer was his 252nd, and with his two hits night, Castro is just 2 hits away from 2500. Las Tunas extended the lead against Mojena in the second inning, thanks to Denis Peña's double and a RBI single by Héctor Castillo. Then when Samón homered in the third inning and Matanzas added another run to tie the game, Las Tunas bats came alive for the first time in the series, scoring five runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 8-3 lead. In that inning, there were singles by Juan C. Arencibia, Yosvani Alarcón, and Rafael Viñales, the latter of whom drove in a run to get starter Mojena out. Las Tunas then put on a feast against reliever Noelvis Entenza, hitting four consecutive singles to extend their lead to 7-3. Entenza was instantly back in the dugout after being unable to get a single out. The second reliever, Haykel Parra ended the inning, no before allowing Arencibia's RBI single for the fifth run of the inning. Matanzas had a chance to come back in the game after Parra pitched three and a third scoreless innings. Also shutting down Las Tunas' hitters in the seventh and eighth innings was Eriel Carrillo. However, Las Tunas relievers managed to limit the powerful Matanzas lineup to only two runs in six innings. It was the relievers Rodolfo Silva and Alberto P. Civil who did the rest, after starter Yosiel Serrano had a bad outing allowing three runs in three innings. There was only one bad moment in Silva's four excellent innings of two hits. In the sixth, after two outs, he walked Alex Pozo, then allowed Yurisbel Gracial and Yordanis Samón to hit back-to-back singles that cut Las Tunas' lead to 8-5. Despite this, he ended the inning by retiring dangerous Rusney Castillo with a 54 groundout and pitched a scoreless seventh to complete the outing. As a result, he was credited with the victory. Las Tunas top closer Pablo A. Civil logged another save after pitching two innings. A double by Yordan Manduley and a walk to Gracial put him in trouble in the eighth, but he was able to escape the jam by striking out Samón. In the ninth, he walked Erisbel Arruebarrena, but retired Castillo and Dariel Álvarez, and struck out Andrys Pérez to end the game. After the game Civil said "In our first game, I had paid close attention to their aggressive hitters back in Matanzas, so I pitched on the corners, never giving anything away, and that's how the game turned out." Game 4 is Wednesday at 2:30 pm.

Colombian sporting body says the tournament has not been endorsed by their main international sports organizations As the newly created FEPCUBE, a federation that seeks to represent Cuban professional baseball players, most of whom are outside Cuba, is in the process of selecting and training its team for the V Intercontinental Baseball Series - an invitational tournament created by brothers Edgar and Edinson Rentería and which will be played in Barranquilla, Colombia from January 26 to February 1 -, the Colombian Baseball Federation and the country's Olympic Committee issued an official statement yesterday about the event, but in essence, about the participation of the FEPCUBE team. First of all, the statement clarifies the type of event, private and by invitation. It makes it clear that neither the FCB (Colombian Baseball Federation) nor the COC (Colombian Olympic Committee) have approved the competition. Furthermore, the request for financing the event by the Ministry of Sports was denied, considering that this type of request must be presented by national federations, which is not the case for this organization, which is private. Later, the statement states FEPCUBE's intention to use at least two patriotic Cuban symbols in the event, the flag and the national anthem. In it, the Colombian Ministry of Sports rejects such an intention, as it constitutes an infringement of Cuba's constitutional and sporting rights. Leaving aside the passion and feelings associated with the event and Cuban teams' participation, it is clear that FEPCUBE has not been correctly informed about the procedure in cases like this in competitions within countries that belong to the International Olympic Committee and, in the case of baseball, to the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC). With the statement, even though some requests may have been made to the Colombian side by the Cuban Baseball Federation in this regard - nothing illogical and that everyone should have thought would happen -, the Ministry of Sports of Colombia, which directly involves the Colombian Olympic Committee and in terms of federations to the Colombian Baseball Federation and which has recently been hit by the loss of the venue for the 2027 Pan American Games, precisely in the city of Barranquilla, is essentially putting into effect the statutes for international competitions involving national federations of other countries integrated into the International Olympic Committee, and in the case of baseball, to the WBSC's statutes regarding events that do not have the support of said organization. Taking a look at just two articles from said world organization, numbers 3 and 5, will provide you with much information. Article 3 As per Article 19.2 of the WBSC Statutes regarding international play, “WBSC Full Members are the only authorities in each country to select their National Team and have the exclusive right to represent the country or territory name, flag and colours.” As for Article 5, it clarifies and outlines the directives for something like what FEPCUBE intended in its participation in Colombia. Let's take a look. Article 5 Misrepresentation and fraud: where a team is not the National Team acting under the authority of the National Federation and/or respective National Olympic Committee - and/or where a competition has not been duly sanctioned by the WBSC - the uniform colours and style of such team competing in an international competition must not be the same as or similar to any National Team uniforms of the WBSC Member. The National Flag of the country of that National Federation must not appear on the uniform and such team should not be promoted/positioned as a team representing a country or nation on any media outlets (broadcasting, website, social media, print publications, etc.). There isn't much more to add, as you can see. International competitions, especially those that include national federations, such as the V Intercontinental Series with the invited teams and the host country. These competitions must comply with the existing rules for international sports competitions when participating in these types of events. Representatives of a country, other than the country's federation, cannot be its representatives without the authorization of the country they seek to represent. There are many examples and we can think of non-national North American baseball teams that have represented the country on several occasions in events such as the well-known tournaments organized in Holland, Haarlem, and Rotterdam, or in cases where North American national teams have not participated in the baseball editions of the Pan-American games (1951 & 1995). In all those events, the national federation of the country has always certified and approved it, as well as the North American Olympic Committee for the two Pan American teams. The Intercontinental Baseball Series - formerly the Latin American Series - can also succeed in future editions by incorporating the event into the calendar of international competitions organized by the WBSC. Despite that, even the FEPCUBE team won't be allowed to participate in the tournament in this case. This is of course, without permission from the Cuban side, i.e., the Cuban national federation. Below, we present the official statement issued yesterday by the Colombian Ministry of Sports.

It is possible that a doubleheader will be played Monday starting at 11:30 a.m. On Sunday afternoon, Artemisa and Industriales had to postpone Game 1 of their semifinal because of rain. At the end of the fourth inning, Artemisa was leading the match 7-1. In the first inning, the Hunters scored three runs, one in the second and third innings, and two in the fourth. When the match was interrupted by rain in the fourth inning, the home team's offensive party had not ended when they had the bases loaded and no outs. As indicated by the II Elite League organizers, the match will resume on Monday at 11:30 am. If the game ends in nine innings - no Mercy Rule is applied - Game 2 of the series will be moved to Tuesday at 1:30 pm. If Game 1 ends in or before the seventh inning - the Mercy Rule is applied - Game 2 will follow.