CUBA – And the baseball fever continues at every corner of the island. This season is shaping up to be a good one, with a Pinar del Rio that has taken revenge on Santiago de Cuba.

Last season, Pinar lost ten games to Santiago and this league it has won back five.

The last two games between the two teams on Wednesday had Pinar winning 15-4 and 12-2. It mattered little that Santiago ace Norge Luis Vera was on the mound in the nightcap. Yosvani Peraza, 2-for-4 hit his ninth homer and Jorge Padron, 4-for-5, hit two round-trippers to drive in five runs and lead his team to a mercy rule victory over the current national champions.

La Habana, the Western Division leaders pulled farther ahead on Wednesday with a double header sweep (6-5, 6-1) with their pitchers striking out 19 Las Tunas batters.

Meanwhile, Villa Clara improved on its Eastern Division lead with two wins over Cienfuegos (5-4, 4-1), moving farther ahead of Ciego de Avila which lost its game to Sancti Spiritus. Alfredo Unzue and Ismel Jimenez had a brilliant pitching duel with Jimenez allowing only two singles and striking out seven for the 1-0 win for Sancti Spiritus.

Metropolitianos continue in fourth place in the West after winning for the second consecutive day over Holguin, this time 7-0, with Joan Socarras and Raidel Borges combining on the mound for the win over Holugin’s Luis Miguel Rodriguez, who lost for only the second time against six wins.

In the other games, Lefthander Elier Sanchez showed his best once again for Camaguey in defeating Industriales 7-2; Isla de la Juventud beat Guantanamo 8-6, while Granma topped Matanzas 6-5.

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Tags: Cuba