The Las Tunas Lumberjacks split the honors on Sunday against the Pinar del Río Vegueros in the doubleheader held at Julio Antonio Mella Stadium. Initially, they were left on the field 10-9; however, they later prevailed 6-1. The matchup finished favorably for the locals, three wins to two.

Las Tunas, Cuba.– In the opening game, after a comeback that included a home run by Jean Lucas Baldoquín and a four-run rally in the seventh inning to take a nine-seven lead, the bullpen was unable to contain the Pinar del Río jitters in the final stages of the game, which was supposed to be played on Sunday, after the darkness forced it to be sealed in the seventh inning on Saturday evening.

In a game started by Rubén Rodríguez, Keniel Ferraz ultimately took the fall, allowing Pinar del Río's winning run in the twelfth inning, driven in by a single by Raidel Martínez. William Saavedra was the main executioner, punishing the home team with two home runs.

But the Leñadores wasted no time in the second game, unleashing their batting fury in the opening inning. Yuniesky Larduet and Yassel Izaguirre singled, and Yosvani Alarcón cleared the bases with a double to right field that made it 2-0.

Las Tunas starter Leandro Gabriel Cañada had a quality outing, hanging up four innings, allowing just three hits and walking just two batters, quite remarkable considering that the Pinar del Río lineup had just connected on 16 hits in the previous game.

The green-and-red squad steadily added runs in the following innings. In the third, Roberto Baldoquín scored on a ball thrown into a double play. In the fifth, Baldoquín extended the lead with a solo home run to left field, his second of the series, demonstrating why he is a key player in the heart of the Las Tunas lineup. The Leñadores added another in the sixth, thanks to an error, and closed out their run in the seventh, with a double by Maikel Molina that drove in Luis Antonio Pérez.

Rodolfo Díaz Silva earned the victory with two innings of work, despite allowing one run in the sixth inning. Yoelkis Cruz Jr. came on in the seventh to cap it off, pitching a perfect inning with two strikeouts.

With this result, the Lumberjacks not only finish their first home series with a winning record, but also against one of their direct rivals in the standings. The 64th National Baseball Series resumes on Tuesday at the "enchanted forest" on Frank País Avenue, when the Green and Reds host the Isle of Youth Pirates, who will arrive battered after being thrashed in all five games by the Santiago de Cuba Wasps.