Ciego-Pinar in Cuba Baseball Finals

By Circles Robinson

HAVANA TIMES, April 13 — Ciego de Avila erased a two-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth to tie 5-5 with Granma and then scored in the bottom of the 11th to win 6-5 to take the series four games to two.

Reliever Vladimir Garcia (2.2. innings, one hit, no runs) won his fourth game during his team’s playoff triumphs over Villa Clara and now Granma.

Granma was one out from tying the series at three games each but reliever Alexei Alarcon failed to maintain the lead when called in for a tired Alain Tamayo. The game was plagued by sloppy fielding, with Granma committing five errors and Ciego de Avila two.

Ciego de Avila reaches the finals representing Eastern Cuba for the first time in the current 50-year-old league history.  They will host Game One of the best-of-seven championship series vs. Pinar del Rio on Saturday, April 23rd.

Pinar del Rio Wins Western Division

In the Western Division, a pitching duel between Yosvani Torres of Pinar del Rio and Norberto Gonzalez of Cienfuegos also went into extra innings.  The game was decided in the top of the tenth when Pinar took advantage of an error by shortstop Erisbel Barbaro to break a 1-1 tie.

Both starters went the route. Gonzalez allowed only six hits, including a solo homer, in losing, and Torres scattered five to pick up the big 2-1 victory and allow Pinar del Rio to take the series four game to two.