Pinar del Rio tie at the top of Cuban baseball

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 19 (acn) Pinar del Río beat 3-1 Ciego de Avila and now both share the top of Cuban baseball championship in its 55th edition.

William Saavedra hit 2 for 4 with two RBIs to lead Pinar del Río´s offensive while the starting pitcher Yaifredo Dominguez limited the Ciego de Avila Tigers to just three hits in seven innings, supported by Livan Moinelo´s 12 th save.
Pinar del Rio now has balance of 47 wins and 26 losses and commands the standings along with the current monarch Ciego de Avila (48-27), team that is going through its darkest moment of the season with four defeats in line , affected by injuries of several of its regular players.
Matanzas was consolidated in the third seat when beating 5-3 Granma, with the win to the account of Danny Betancourt and offensive highlight to William Luis, 2 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs.
Industriales won 5-0 over Las Tunas to break its streak of four consecutive defeats, thanks to strong pitching performance by starter Jose Pablo Cuesta and relievers Yanier Valdes and Juan Xavier Peñalver, while Alexander Malleta hit 3 for 5 with a double and three RBIs for the cause of the winners.
Finally, Holguin remained on the lookout for the qualifying area by knocking out 10-0 Isla de la Juventud; Luis Angel Gomez took the win and Yeison Pacheco had an outstanding performance when hitting 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs.
With 10 days to finish the regular season, excluding pending games, Pinar del Río (47-26) and Ciego de Avila (48-27) lead the Cuban baseball championship, followed by Matanzas (45-28 ), Industriales (44-32), Holguin (42-34), Las Tunas (40-36), Isla de la Juventud (37-37) and Granma (38-39).