Vegueros de Pinar del Río defeated Leones de Industriales 2-0 today at their home stadium Capitán San Luis and became the first finalist of the Cuban baseball championship.
Alexander Urquiola’s team, supported by a huge crowd, imposed the favoritism gained after dominating the qualifying stage from start to finish, and finished the Western Classic, supported by the work of its pitching staff.
Branlis Rodríguez moved the ball well and put it in the difficult hitting zone. His pitches on the outside, combined with straight fastballs, were impossible to decipher for the artillery of the Industriales.
Meanwhile, reliever Raudel Lazo worked 2.2 spotless innings, as he retired all eight batters he faced, including two strikeouts, thus achieving his third save of the tournament.
The rest was taken care of by former major leaguer Raudel Lazo, who after an effective rescue in the seventh inning, thanks to an excellent catch by Luis Pablo Acosta in the center field, put the last two runs on the board.
Right-hander Pavel Hernández, in the opposite trench, also had a quality outing, walking a seven-pitch route, but was unable to prevent the runs in the fourth that gave the hosts the definitive lead.
Consecutive singles by Tailon Sánchez, Jorge Yoan Rojas and Acosta himself, the latter to bring his teammates home, sealed the game.
The Vegueros’ opponent in the final will be the winner of the duel between Granma and Las Tunas, favorable for the moment to the latter, three to one.
