Ciego de Avila Eliminates Granma, Makes Finals
HAVANA TIMES — Ciego de Avila defeated Granma four games to one in their semifinal series which ended on Tuesday afternoon with a 3-0 shutout from Yander Guevara.
Ciego also reached the championship series in 2011 and 2012, the year it won its only title in history.
Granma, with the league’s most feared lineup, was reduced by Guevara to three hits, and no base runner made it past second base. It was Guevara’s second win in the series and he was the easy choice as the Most Valuable Player of the semifinal.
It was obvious to most fans that Granma manager Carlos Marti didn’t have the pitching depth for the series despite having finished second in the regular season.
Ciego scored its first run in the first inning on a fielder’s choice that failed to turn an inning ending double play allowing Jose Adolis Garcia who had opened the frame with a single to score from third where he had arrived on a sacrifice and wild pitch.
The other two runs came in the fifth on a double by Andy Zamora, single by Yorbis Borroto and a double by Raul Gonzalez. The losing pitcher Juan Ramon Olivera went to the showers after 4.2 innings allowing all three runs on five hits.
From then on it was all goose-eggs on the scoreboard.
Ciego de Avila now plays Isla de la Juventud in the championship series starting Friday, which begins with two game sin Ciego.
Isla got its ticket to the finals with a four game to two series victory over Matanzas, which ended late Tuesday when Isla picked up a 15-5, 11-inning win.