Industriales of Havana, visiting the Mártires de Barbados Stadium, defeated Granma’s Alazanes 10-5 and “closed in another half-game on the top of the 64th Cuban Baseball Championship.”

On a day in which the reigning champions, Las Tunas Leñadores, split a doubleheader with Ciego de Ávila Tigers, the capital team took advantage of the other clubs’ rest to move alone into third place in the overall standings.

With an offense totaling 14 hits and a standout performance from rookie Brian Garzón—who “drove in five runs, hitting a triple and the first home run of his career”—the Leones defeated the eastern caballos for the third time and secured the head-to-head series.

Meanwhile, at the Julio Antonio Mella Stadium, the split between the Ciego de Ávila Tigers unfolded as follows: in the first game, the Felinos prevailed 4-3, aided by a solo homer from George Luis Contreras.

His brother Jorge Luis and Reinaldo Valdivia also drove in runs to bolster the pitching of Roibelis Liranza, who “worked seven innings with two earned runs allowed, despite giving up five hits and issuing six walks.”

Keniel Ferráz took the loss after two relief innings, in which he allowed three runs, one of them unearned.

In the second game, the Leñadores took their turn and won 4-3, thanks to a “home run by Luis A. Pérez with two runners on base.”

Rodolfo Díaz pitched 2.1 scoreless innings to earn his third win of the season, while Alberto Pablo Civil notched his fourth save by closing out the game.

The National Baseball Series sees Santiago de Cuba leading with a 15-3 record, followed by Matanzas (14-4), Industriales (12-5), Holguín (12-6), Artemisa (10-5), Las Tunas (11-6), Sancti Spíritus (11-7), and Camagüey (9-9), rounding out the qualifying zone.