As much as the lyrics of a certain song resounds in the Capitán San Luis Stadium -"I don't believe in you, I don't believe in anyone-, in Pinar del Río lands they begin to take for granted the firm step of the Leñadores (Lumberjacks) after the second victory of the visitors six runs to four, in the first duel of a final defined by the Schiller Rule throughout 63 editions of the National Series.
Pinar del Río, Cuba.- The nine innings were insufficient to define the second commitment, given the exchange of blows on the grass, in a day with greater prominence for the pitching. With a bases-clearing double, Yosvani Alarcón once again played the hero in extra innings to extend Abeysi Pantoja's unbeaten streak to six wins in the stages of title contention; while Alberto Pablo Civil, who seems born for emergency circumstances, took charge of the last gasp.
The team from Las Tunas opened the scoring with two runs in the fifth inning, with RBIs from Héctor Castillo and Yuniesky Larduet. However, the local team response took the minimum delay because Alexei Ramírez brought the tie with a double to the center field, in the bottom of that same inning. The hosts' advantage emerged from a play between the Alarcón brothers; it is a rehearsed play that gives them much confidence but the risks continue behind it and come to light when the throw from the catcher to third base is wrong. However, it was for a short time because Yudier Rondón hit a single to tie the game in the seventh inning.
The arm problems of Raudel Lazo, the Vegueros' closer, limited Alexander Urquiola's decision-making in handling his pitchers. After Branlis Rodríguez's six innings, with just three runs and five hits allowed, the coach brought out Jenier Álvarez, who kept on until the end. Álvarez allowed the decisive hit, therefore, he charged the loss to his account.
Since the three balls that kept the spirits high in the "San Luis" by striking out to complete the 27th out, Alberto Pablo Civil kept his movements calm to correspond to the trust placed on him from the bench. "I like difficult moments, which require calm, hence the preparation that I start in the bullpen and then I put into practice on the mound," acknowledged the winner of the match.
Despite the two smiles on the western ground, Pantoja insists on maintaining the competitive intensity to finish the task and obtain the second championship in consecutive seasons (third in history). After the transfer to the Balcón de Oriente (Cuban Eastern Balcony), the final will resume on Friday at the Julio Antonio Mella Park.
