Manager Wellington Cepeda’s heart might be worse for wear, but his lineup’s flair for the dramatic was once again for the best. After trailing at two different junctures (most notably being behind two runs in the eighth inning), Johan Rojas propelled the Gigantes del Cibao to an 11-9 win over the Estrellas Orientales in ten innings.
With the bases loaded and two down in the bottom of the 10th, Rojas drove a groundball past the reach of the diving Estrellas shortstop, a mass of celebration on the Julián Javier Stadium grass soon following.
There was reason to rejoice. The Gigantes had to grind through the entirety of their win Tuesday night.
There were only a few moments of reprieve, one came after taking a sizeable lead via a Yermin Mercedes three-run home run in the early going.
The game could’ve gotten away from the Estrellas much earlier in the night with the three-run bomb. But just as was a trend throughout, it wouldn’t last. The Estrellas added five runs in the fourth via a pair of two-run home runs by José Barrero and Eguy Rosario.
The Gigantes then retook their lead with a pair of knocks from Geraldi Díaz and Wilmer Difó, continuing to add on.
Once again, it wouldn’t last, not with a grounder getting through the infield, allowing the Estrellas to retake their lead.
On any normal night, maybe that would’ve been a turning point. On this particularly dizzying evening, it was just one of several.
Noelvi Marte and Marco Hernández both added knocks in the ninth, pushing the game to extra innings before Rojas’ flare for the dramatic was the difference in the contest.
Reymín Guduán (1-0) got the win, and Eury Ramos (0-1) recorded the loss.
The victory pushes the Gigantes out of last place, helping them improve to 9-14 on the season, while the loss keeps the Estrellas Orientales securely in third place with a record of 13-11.
