In a hard-fought battle, as it never gave up, it gave in to the host Nicaragua.

Leñadores de Las Tunas fought until the end, but it was not enough and lost 4×5 to host Nicaragua in the semi-final of the I Baseball Series of the Americas 2025, a game played at the Roberto Clemente Stadium in Masaya.

The locals opened the scoreboard with a dirty run in the first inning without a hit by Raymond Figueredo, who conceded two tickets, mixed with an error by the shortstop Yordanis Alarcón.

The game continued with pitching dominance, until the Lumberjacks evened the score (1×1) in the fifth act, with three hits, including Yoelkis Guibert’s run-scoring run off starter Cole Cook. He was the pitcher who had beaten the Cubans in the qualifying round match-up.

In the sixth inning, mentor Abeicy Pantoja’s team took a 2×1 lead with a solo home run by fourth baseman Yosvani Alarcón – the team’s fourth of the tournament – off reliever Fidencio Flores’ first delivery.

Reliever Dariel Góngora had been playing the game without blemish since the third act, when Figueredo felt discomfort in his right shoulder, but the Nicas made it 2×2 in the bottom of the sixth on a homer with no men on base by designated hitter Emanuel Trujillo.

Incidentally, Trujillo won the tournament’s triple crown by leading in average, home runs and runs batted in.

Góngora endured two more (4×2) in the seventh when the hosts hit a pair of home runs, including the run-scoring run after a powerful swing by starter Elián Miranda in front of reliever Alberto Pablo Civil.

Civil got his fifth and final run in the eighth, after two outs, with a pair of tickets and a hit by Brandon Leyton.

The Lumberjacks created a late-game rally, but came up short. They scored two on an error and a pair of singles, including Guibert’s two-run homer, which brought home the runs.

Between the four pitchers employed by Pantoja, they conceded seven walks and hit two balls. The Tuneros had 10 hits, four more than Nicaragua.

Leñadores returns to Cuba with a record of two wins and four losses – including two consecutive KO’s – 32 runs scored and 46 conceded, to finish fourth in the tournament.

Thursday’s final will be contested by Nicaragua and Panama, who in the other semi-final beat Curaçao Goats 7×0, unbeaten until that match.