Cano, Hjelle inspire Mid East Falcons win over Mumbai Cobras

The Mid East Falcons bounced back with a 7-3 win over the Mumbai Cobras, ending a two-game losing streak and taking sole possession of second place in the Baseball United standings.

Gregory Canó hit a two-run homer in the eighth, and Jake Hjelle added another in the ninth, while Manato Tanai went 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.

Tanai, one of the two Yokohama Baystars prospects, hit a solo home run in the fourth inning; Hjelle went 2-for-5 with one run scored and three RBIs; and Canó went 1-for-4 with a HR and two RBI’s; as all three led an outstanding offensive performance for Mid East.

The Falcons' pitching staff had a solid night on the mound as well, highlighted by starter Kazuki Yabuta (4.0 IP 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO).

Shuto Sakurai picked up the win after a solid 2.0 IP relief with one hit and five strikeouts after scoring a Fire Ball with the bases loaded in the fifth inning.

Shingo Hirata (1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 SO), Kodai Hamaya (0.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER), and Severino González, who earned the save (1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO) completed the pitching line for the Falcons.

Other highlights:

• Karan Patel took the loss after 4.0 IP (6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR); Brandon Kaminer (1.0 IP, O ER, 2 SO, 1HR); Nyan Hernández (3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1HR) and Saurabh Gaikwad (1.0 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR)
• Brantley Bell (2-for-5), and Karim Ayubi (2-for-4) stand out in the Mumbai offense
• Bell reached 14 total hits, to remain the absolute leader in this category

The bats show out for Mid East 🔥 The number one team goes down. @MidEastFalcons put themselves in a good position for a chance at the United Series 🦅 pic.twitter.com/j0yuOL510J

— Baseball United (@BaseballUnited) December 2, 2025