The team from the capital clinched the victory thanks to a five-strikeout seventh inning.

The Industriales Leones broke loose in the second half of Wednesday’s game and beat the Avispas de Santiago de Cuba 7×1 in the 63rd National Baseball Series.

With this victory at the Estadio Latinoamericano, the team coached by Guillermo Carmona took a firm step towards qualifying for the post-season, which is also being pursued by their rivals.

The Leones, who had hit the rubber twice in the second episode, sealed their success with a five-run rally in the seventh thanks to four hits, including a two-run double by right fielder Dayron Miranda.

Seventh win for Andy Vargas, who pitched 6.2 solid innings at a three-hit pace.

Villa Clara defeated Cienfuegos 9×2 and moved to within one game of the longed-for eighth place playoff spot. Catcher Leonardo Montero hit the lumber hard and drove in four runs to support Cristian Rojas’ third win.

Mayabeque, still in the hunt for a place in the post-season, recorded its fourth successive victory, this time with a 12×1 win over Ciego de Ávila. Now they found good support in the swing of the international Yasniel González, author of two homers -one with the angles congested- and five runs batted in.

In addition, Holguín beat Sancti Spíritus 15×9 and broke its streak of six wins in a row. In a losing cause, the espirituano crack Frederich Cepeda hit his 370th home run in national series to join Romelio Martínez in fifth place in that department.

In the other result of the day, Matanzas beat Camagüey 6×3 and handed them their seventh consecutive defeat.

The games between leaders Pinar del Río and Granma -both qualified for the post-season- and the reigning champions Las Tunas against Artemisa were suspended due to rain.

The match between Guantánamo and Isla de la Juventud was sealed by darkness in the fifth episode, with a 7×6 advantage for the Indios del Guaso.