Las Tunas had a walk-off win against Cienfuegos, 12x11, at the bottom of the tenth inning, on Sunday. It was another moment of suspense after the decisive walk-off hit from Rafael Viñales, in a mad game of constant alternatives, won by the team that took the best advantage of their overflowing offensive.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Viñales' hit, with a runner at third base and the match tied, was fielded in the first instance by Juan Miguel Soriano, but the extraordinary effort he made to catch the connection between left and center did not allow him to keep the ball. It was the climax of a battling duel in which Yosvani Alarcón’s hit number thousand shone in National Series.
Although he knew he was close to that number, Yosvani came out in the tenth inning to look for the tie without being aware that the connection that fell in left field was his number thousand in Cuban baseball. The single tie the match and left the scene ready for Viñales to define.
"I'm very happy. Every player wants to reach a thousand hits and 100 homers, fortunately, I have already achieved both; but happier because the team is coming out of the bad moment it had at-bat and now the Leñadores (Lumberjacks) are those that all the people of Las Tunas are used to seeing," said Alarcón at the end of the game, well assumed as he has his role of captain of the team.
A day after winning 13x0 against the Elefantes (Elephants), Las Tunas started the Sunday game at full blast, scoring nine in the first four innings. It seemed that there was no pitcher capable of dominating Pablo Alberto Civil's team.
After Cienfuegos starter Hermes González and relievers Carlos Ramírez and Bárbaro Herrera failed, it was time for young Álex Daniel Pérez, who stopped a grown team and kept the Elephants afloat.
His relief one ER and four UR in 7.1 episodes led the southern squad to get into the game and even take command in the eighth act, by a home run to center field from the third baseman Pável Quesada. The Elephants stomped with 16 hits against starter Ángel Sánchez and relievers Yosbel Alarcón and Yoalkis Cruz.
Only the right-hander Yasel Labrada could do justice, with the work of a single and an undeserved run in 2.2 episodes that brought him his first success of the season.
For the Elephants, César Prieto was 6-for-4, with a double and three runs scored, while four other hitters bat more than one hit. Left fielder Juan Miguel Soriano, while going 1-for-6, hit a three-run homer in the third inning that started the rally for the visiting team.
Rafael Viñales, 5-3, with a home run and three RBIs, was the best of the Las Tunas attack, seconded by the Yosvani (5-3 / 2R / 2RBIs) and Yordanis Alarcón brothers (4-2 / R / RBI).
The Lumberjacks scored 25 runs, with 33 hits, in their two games against Cienfuegos, a clear sign of their offensive recovery. Now, Las Tunas has a 3-4 balance and is preparing to receive the Azucareros de Villa Clara from next Tuesday.
