SANTA CLARA, Cuba,(acn) Havana’s Industriales, or the Blue Lions, as they are popularly known, took their 12th national baseball league title on Wednesday night after a thrilling 7-5 extra-inning victory in the
seventh game of the final play-off series over host Villa Clara at the Augusto Cesar Sandino Stadium in this central city.

Young southpaw Joan Socarrás took the win with an excellent 2 1/3-inning relief in which he faced eight batters, struck out five and allowed no hits or runs.

Another hero for the Blues was left-fielder Stayler Hernandez who, with the game tied 5-5 in the top of the tenth inning, drove in the go-ahead run with a double to center field off loser Misael Siverio while,
after catcher Frank Camilo Morejon’s sacrifice bunt, second baseman Raiko Olivares drove in the insurance run with a sacrifice fly to seal the final 7-5 score.

In winning their 12th league crown – more than any other team in national baseball tournaments - Industriales had to overcome a below-par preliminary round in which they secured their post-season slot in the last three games of the regular season.

Afterwards, in the semifinal round of the Western Division, they managed to oust Sancti Spiritus, the team with more wins in the preliminaries, and went on to beat defending champions Habana in the
Division finale. Then, in the best-of-seven championship finale, they came from behind twice to win the series 4-3.

For their part, Villa Clara, who won the last of their four national crowns in 1995, finished as runners-up for the second consecutive year as they also lost the championship finale in 2009 to Habana.