The saying goes that "who strikes first, strikes twice." In baseball, there is some truth to that, especially when the visiting team does it on opposing fields; as the Lumberjacks did this Thursday beating the Alazanes (Grnam Sorrels) 3x1 at the "Mártires de Barbados" during the opening of the semifinals of the 63rd National Series.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- The huge responsibility of opening hostilities on Bayamo soil fell on Eliánder Bravo, who was again up to the task after covering half the route with only one run allowed. The left-hander barely allowed three hits from the 18 batters faced, one of them a home run by Alexquemer Sánchez, while he retired three by way of strikes and gave up four walks.

With a four-inning relief guarantee, Rodolfo Díaz took advantage of the opportunity to vindicate himself on the mound. The rescuer pointed to his work as another season save, giving the pass to the front after learning that Keniel Ferraz would be out for the rest of the event due to a domestic accident. Díaz and other key arms of the bullpen will have to double services to fill the void left by Ferraz, hence the decision of Abeysi Pantoja to reserve the "bullet" of Alberto Pablo Civil despite the minimal advantage.

The frenetic pace of Yosvani Alarcón on offense in this postseason seems unstoppable, as he drove in two runs thanks to a pair of hits in three at-bats, in addition to receiving a pair of walks. Yosvani, that beacon of light for a gloomy lineup in terms of productivity, somewhat made up for the deficiency of the green-reds to make runs: they left 18 runners on base. It was more of the same, except that, sometimes, the team used speed in favor of hitting.

The third time was not the charm for César García and he suffered another setback, although a better performance. The right-hander was within range of a quality start but not without complications during a large part of his work. Juan Danilo Pérez jumped to his aid and stopped the visitors' momentum, although the hosts never reacted.

The current champions are undefeated in the initial game in the semifinal playoffs and achieved a victory with greater importance than it could be perceived. Both teams will return to the fight tomorrow, in a duel with much to say in the next games.