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The Cocodrilos de Matanzas continue to set the pace in the final of the 64th National Baseball Series after defeating the current champions Leñadores de Las Tunas 7 runs to 3 this Thursday, bringing the series to 2-0 in their favor at the Estadio Latinoamericano.
In the so-called "Coloso del Cerro", a neutral venue due to the ongoing energy crisis on the island, the final has taken an unexpected turn: Matanzas, which had never before started a playoff with two consecutive victories, is in control, while Las Tunas faces an unfamiliar situation, suffering for the first time two consecutive losses at the start of a final, according to the site JIT.
Shaiel Cruz holds the Yumurí pitching
Pitching was once again crucial for the team led by Armando Ferrer, thanks to a strong performance by Shaiel Cruz, who pitched 5.1 innings, allowed only three hits, and struck out three batters to secure his sixth win without a loss this season.
The offensive from Matanzas took advantage of the poor start by the starting pitcher from Las Tunas, Rubén Rodríguez, who allowed three runs in the early stages of the game, forcing manager Abeicy Pantoja to turn to his top reliever, Keniel Ferráz, early in an attempt to stem the damage.
Consecutive home runs sway the game
Although Ferráz managed to stabilize the game momentarily, in the fourth inning, Matanzas delivered the near-definitive blow with a rally of three runs, driven by consecutive home runs from Esteban Terry, who knocked in two, and a solo shot from Yurisbel Gracial.
Las Tunas found their only offensive response in the bat of Henry Quintero, who drove in all three of his team's runs with a home run with two men on base against reliever Yosney García. With that home run, Quintero became the 19th player to hit at least one home run in each phase of a postseason.
Ferrer calls for calm; Pantoja admits to problems
After the match, Ferrer avoided getting overconfident despite the lead: “I don’t believe this final will end 4-0. We need to focus on each game, because Las Tunas has been the champion in the last two campaigns,” he told JIT.
For his part, Pantoja acknowledged the difficulties his team was facing: “If the defense fails and the batting doesn’t respond, it becomes very challenging to support the pitching. I don’t know why we’ve been working this way, because we were the team with the most victories in the regular phase,” he stated to the mentioned outlet.
Third game this Friday
The final will continue this Friday with the third match, where Bryan Cedeño will take the mound for Matanzas, while Yosmel Garcés will be tasked with pitching for Las Tunas, who will be looking to respond in order to avoid being backed into a corner.
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