As an old saying goes, "Where there is revenge, there is no room for resentment." And yes, the Leñadores (Las Tunas Lumberjacks) managed to get rid of the thorn they've had in their side since Thursday, when the North American Kane County Cougars sent them scrambling for a spot in the semifinals in the sudden-death round.

Mexico City.– In a game full of excitement and offensive power, the green-and-red squad sealed their place in the Champions League grand final with a resounding 17-10 victory. The blow-fest included 23 hits, including four home runs, one triple, and a double.

The squad has lived up to expectations and will face the Diablos Rojos del México (Red Devils) for the "champion of champions" trophy of the Americas. The Mexican hosts, the only undefeated team in the tournament, triumphed over the Santa María Pirates (Curaçao) with a score of 17-8 last night.

The title challenge will be this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (Cuban time) at the majestic Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium, also known as the Diamond of Fire in Mexico City and home of the Devils. Andy Vargas will start for the Lumberjacks while José Bravo, also a right-hander, will take on the mound for their rivals.

KEYS TO VICTORY AGAINST COUGARS

Starter Yadián Martínez allowed a home run to the leadoff batter in the first inning but then retired the other three. In the opening inning, the Las Tunas tied the game with a home run by Rafael Viñales. Martínez pitched a scoreless run in the bottom of the second inning, but two errors led to a run for the Americans.

Our team responded in the top of the third inning with eight hits, sending starter Bourassa to the showers. Yosvanis Alarcón's three-runs homer stood out; plus, a wild pitch by reliever Westin Muir, an error, and the Lumberjacks scored eight runs. In the bottom half, Dayson Croes' second home run of the tournament, the error by the Las Tunas third baseman, and another hit added three to the American tally.

In the fourth, "Rafa" Viñales' second home run of the afternoon completed the Lumberjacks' ten runs; four more hits gave us the seven-run lead. Yadián retired without problems at the bottom of that inning, but in the fifth, he endured two home runs and was relieved by left-hander Dariel Góngora, who allowed another. So, the Cuban coaching staff brought in Frank Luis Medina, who, despite allowing a home run, held off the American batter for four and two-thirds chapters.

From the batter's box, the Lumberjacks continued to score, adding two pairs of runs in the sixth and eighth innings, taking full advantage of their opponent's defensive errors and hitting long runs, such as masked pitcher Andrys Pérez's first homer of the event.

Rafael Viñales (3-5), Andrys Pérez (4-4), and Yosvani Alarcón (2-5) stood out in the Green-Red offensive barrage, adding nine RBIs between them. The loss went to starter Landen Bourassa, who allowed eight runs and could not close the third inning. Brandley Bell and Dayson Croes hit two home runs each, and Dillon Thomas one, for the Cougars.