Industriales sweep Artemisa, climb in the standings of Cuban baseball

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 23 (acn) Industriales won 5-0 over Artemisa to complete their first sweep in the 56 edition of the Cuban baseball championship and ascended to the so-called qualifying zone to the second round of the tournament.

The squad from Havana batted 14 hits, highlighting third baseman Yusef Amador, 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs, while Frank Montieth allowed only two hits in seven innings and earned his fourth win of the season.
Industrial has now balance of 19 wins and 16 losses, appearing eighth in the standings, position that grants the right to opt for one of the six tickets to the next phase, which will be accessed directly by the top four teams, while the two remaining berths will be defined in playoff series by the teams finishing from 5th to 8th seat.
The leader Matanzas maintained its unstoppable pace when beating twice Holguin, to be ratified as the only team with ticket already secured to the elite stage of the championship, with only nine games left to close of the preliminary round.
In the first match, the Matanzas Crocodiles won 9-3, with the third win of the season to Yoandry Ruiz and offensive highlight of outfielder Eduardo Blanco, 3 for 4 with a homer, a double and three RBIs.
Later, they knocked out 11-0 Holguin in match marked by solid performance of opener Adrian Sosa, who won for the fifth time this season, while second baseman Anibal Medina hit a solo homer and rookie Polledo Dariel drove in two runs.
Villa Clara honored the retirement ceremony of former catcher Ariel Pestano by defeating in an amazing game 3-2 Santiago de Cuba.
The ace Freddy Asiel Alvarez allowed an unearned run in nine innings but the winner was reliever Eddy Howard Diaz and the game found definition when first baseman Norel Gonzalez hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the eleventh inning.
The reigning monarch Ciego de Avila become consolidated in the second seat and extended its winning streak to seven consecutive wins by beating Mayabeque a couple of times, 12-2 and 8-7 in that order, with wins to Dachel Duquesne and Liomil Gonzalez.
Las Tunas reached its sixth straight win by overcoming 2-0 Cienfuegos, with the sixth win of the campaign to Yoalkis Cruz, supported by RBIs per capita of second baseman Ernesto Lalana and veteran DH Danel Castro.
In other results of the day, Camagüey lost 1-0 to Pinar del Rio and descended to ninth spot, Granma knocked out 11-1 Isla de la Juventud, and Guantanamo and Sancti Spiritus sealed their match tied to seven in the eighth inning.