The Tigres de Ciego de Avila shook off Sunday’s losing streak with a narrow 5-4 victory over the hard-charging Leñadores de Las Tunas, and in the process moved within striking distance of first place in the III Elite Cuban Baseball League.

With the Estadio José Ramón Cepero as their den, Danny Miranda’s boys picked up their 23rd win; in the process, they tied the series against Las Tunas and moved to within one game of catching them at the top.

The hero of the afternoon was Jonathan Bridón, who took two walks with the bases clean and, as if that wasn’t enough, Rodolexis Moreno also took the field, this time with two men on, to turn the scoreboard around for good.

Kevin Soto opened with authority and pitched six innings and a third, allowing just one run; although he didn’t get the win, he got the job done.

The win went to Yunier Batista, who came on in relief and held firm despite the Tuneros’ comeback attempts.

In the eighth and ninth Las Tunas put on the pressure, including a two-run single by Jean Lucas Baldoquín, but came up short.

Batista, who had just been voted best pitcher last week, closed out the game in cold blood and left them in the dust.

The loser was Rubén Rodríguez, who was unable to contain the Avileña offence and was charged with the three-run hit that changed the history of the game.

With this result, Las Tunas remains at the top of the table with a record of 20-10, followed by Ciego de Avila (23-15) and Industriales (20-20), all with a guaranteed ticket to the playoffs.

Santiago de Cuba (16-20) and Granma (15-21) are still fighting for the last ticket, while Pinar del Río (16-24) is already out of the way after concluding its schedule.