Staff Reports
World Baseball Network
Former Major Leaguer Adeiny Hechavarria’s RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning sent Bryan Torres home with the game-winning run, pushing the Gigantes de Carolina past the Criollos de Caguas in game one of the LBPRC championship series.
Nelson Velazquez’ solo homer in the eighth gave Caguas a 2-1 lead, but Carolina tied it in the bottom half of the inning on Torres’ RBI triple.
Six Caguas pitchers combined to allow just five hits and three walks in the loss.
Game two of the best-of-nine LBPRC championship series is Saturday at 6:15 p.m. EST. All LPBRC games are streamed live via the league’s facebook page.
Estrellas Orientales Snap Three-Game Skid – Lead-off man Dairon Blanco was struck with the fourth pitch of the game and came in to score two batters later, giving the Estrellas all the offense they’d need to snap their three-game losing streak with a 3-0 shutout of the Leones del Escogido.
Raimel Tapia’s second-inning RBI single drove in Webster Rivas, and another RBI single by Tapia in the ninth sent home pinch runner Alfredo Reyes.
Five Estrellas pitchers scattered six hits across nine innings of work, walking four and striking out four in the shutout.
The first-place Estrellas improved to 9-4 in the LIDOM round robin, while the third-place Leones fell to 5-8.
Gigantes del Cibao 9, Tigres del Licey 5 – A five-run bottom of the fifth capped by a three-run single by Jeimer Candelario pushed the Gigantes del Cibao past the Tigres del Licey Friday night.
The Gigantes added four more runs in the bottom of the seventh, two of them coming on a single by Candelario, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and four RBI.
Five Gigantes relievers combined to hold the Tigres to one run in the final five innings of the game as Cibao improved to 4-9. The Tigres fell to 8-5 with the loss.
The Gigantes face the Leones del Escogido at 4 p.m. EST Saturday, while the Tigres del Licey face the Estrellas Orientales at 6:30 p.m. EST. All LIDOM games are streamed on MLB.tv with a paid susbscription.
Tiburones de La Guaira 6, Leones del Caracas 5 – Yasiel Puig went 1-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored, and clubbed a solo homer in the second inning for the Tiburones de La Guaira, who edged the Leones del Caracas 6-5 and improved to 8-1 in the 16-game LVBP round robin.
Luis Torrens’ two-run homer for tied the game at five for La Guaira, and Maikel Garcia’s RBI single in the top of the seventh put the Tiburones in the catbird seat.
The Leones del Caracas fell to 4-5 with the loss and are tied for second place with the Cardenales de Lara.
Cardenales de Lara 9, Tigres de Aragua 6 – Jermaine Palacios smacked a two-run single in the top of the fourth and ripped a two-run double in the top of the fifth, part of a 3-for-4 night with four RBI and a walk, as the Cardenales de Lara topped the Tigres de Aragua 9-5 and improved to 4-5 in the LVBP round robin.
The teams will face each other again Saturday at 4 p.m. EST. The Tiburones de La Guaira will face the Bravos de Margarita at 5 p.m. EST Saturday. All LVBP games can be streamed via Beisbolplay.com with a paid subscription.
Hermosillo Tops Mexicali, Leads Series 2-0 – The Naranjeros de Hermosillo edged the Aguilas de Mexicali 3-1 and spoiled a masterful start by the Aguilas de Mexicali’s David Reyes, who allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out two.
Former major league Aaron Altherr went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI and Jasson Atondo went 1-for-3 with an RBI for Hermosillo.
Game three of the series will be played Monday night at 9 p.m. EST.
Venados de Mazatlan 5, Tomateros de Culiacan 3 – A two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth off the bat of Jesus Valdez gave the Venados a lead that held up, as seven Mazatlan relievers combined to allow the Tomateros just one hit and two baserunners after the fourth inning.
Game three of the series is scheduled for Monday night at 9:05 p.m. EST. Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico games can be streamed via Extrabase.tv for a fee.
Gigantes de Rivas Lead Nicaragua’s LPBN Series 2-1 – The Tren del Norte exploded for five runs in the fifth and added another three in the sixth as they beat the Gigantes de Rivas 10-5 in game three of the LPBN championship series.