The honey of triumph will remain one more calendar in the Amancio Rodríguez agro-industrial sugar company, whose baseball team defeated the representatives of the Colossus Antonio Guiteras, from the municipality of Puerto Padre, in the fifth game of the finals, with a knock-out of 12 runs for two, to take the series three to two.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Led by Reinier Enrique, the winning pitcher, besides an outstanding offensive of 14 hits, the southerners tipped the balance in their favor, after sharing honors in two doubleheaders in previous days. Meanwhile, the success will allow them to face similar teams in the National “Sweet Ball” Tournament.
In the first duel for the title, those from “Amancio” barely needed two hits to score the same number of runs and make a laureate debut (2-0) on the grounds of their Gilberto Ferrales Báez stadium. In the second hour, the Puerto Padre players adjusted the productivity of the logs to win (7x5) and send the series to the América Latina Baseball Park.
A smile in the third confrontation, with a score of six runs to one, placed the Villa Azul team in an unbeatable position, which in the end they would miss since they had two opportunities to seek the final push. However, the circumstances of sudden death exalted the action on the grass of the current two-time provincial champions, after winning the fourth commitment (8-2) and returning to the vicinity of their sugar mill to decree the final "grinding.”
José Manuel Pérez Smith, who served as the fifth at bat in the ranks of the U-23 provincial team, managed by Osmani Urrutia, brought out virtues by compiling five hits in eight-at-bat, including a home run. In addition, Smith’s teammate José David Espinoza also wore the colors of the former Francisco Sugar Company, within a roster with a majority of local faces.
With little time to prepare, and perhaps the addition of some reinforcements, the "Amancio" team will begin the zonal stage in the central-eastern demarcation this September, to match the feat of "Jesús Menéndez," the only national champion from Las Tunas in the Sugar Baseball League.
(With information from Tamayo, a journalist with Radio Maboas)
