Villa Clara beats Santiago, keeps chances in Cuban baseball

HAVANA, Cuba, Oct 20 (acn) Although excluded from the qualifying area of the Cuban baseball championship, Villa Clara kept its meager chances of advancing to the second round after winning 4-1 over the already eliminated Santiago de Cuba.

Freddy Asiel Alvarez achieved his fourth win of the season when allowing one earned run and six hits in six innings and two thirds, supported by save of Yanny Delgado.
Considered one of the Big Four of Cuban baseball, Villa Clara dawned today in the eleventh spot of the standings with 19 wins and 20 losses, but only one and half game behind Cienfuegos ( 19-17), eighth seat and last team so far with access to the next stage.
Cienfuegos won twice yesterday over Camaguey: first 9-2 early with the fifth win of reliever Carlos Ramirez and two RBIs per capita to Edel Tamayo and Yusniel Ibanez, the latter also drove in two runs in the 5-3 victory in the second match.
In turn , Granma beat Sancti Spiritus 11-2 to complete the sweep in the subseries, with credit from the mound to Yanier Gonzalez and offensive highlight of Adrian Moreno and Yordanis Samon, with three RBIs per capita .
Yasiel Santoya homered and Jonder Martínez reached his seventh win in the 4-1 win of Matanzas over Industriales, which won 3-2 the second game thanks to solid pitching performance by reliever Hector Ponce and strong offensive by rookie Andrés Hernández, who hit 2 for 4 including a homer and two RBIs.
Las Tunas defeated Holguín 9-4, with highlights for the winners of catcher Yosvany Alarcon, who hit three homers in a game for the second time in his career.
Alarcon also homered in the second match, but Holguin won this time 7-5, thanks mainly by the three RBIs of DH Michel Gorguet .
Finally, Artemisa knocked out 10-0 Mayabeque while the matshes Isla de la Juventud -Guantanamo and Pinar del Rio-Ciego de Avila were suspended because of rain.
With only six games left for the end of the qualifying stage, Ciego de Avila commands the standings with 27 wins and 9 losses, followed by Industriales (25-14), Las Tunas (23-13), Pinar del Río (21-12), Granma (24-14), Holguin (22-17), Matanzas (21-17), Cienfuegos (19-17), Guantanamo (19-18), Isla de la Juventud (19-19), Villa Clara (19-20), Sancti Spiritus (18-21), Santiago de Cuba ( 15-24), Camagüey (11-28), Artemisa (10-26) and Mayabeque (7-31).