The Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico’s playoff series between the Naranjeros de Hermosillo and the Venados de Mazatlan resumed Friday night, after a postponement Thursday after cartel-related violence gripped the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
Violence erupted Thursday afternoon following the arrest by federal authorities of Ovidio Guzman, 32, in the city of Culiacan. Ovidio Guzman is the son of notorious drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently serving a life sentence at ADX Florence, a maximum security U.S. federal prison in Florence, Colo.
The younger Guzman is a prominent member of the Sinaloa Cartel who was wanted in both Mexico and the U.S., with the U.S. Government offering a $5 million reward for information leading to Ovidio Guzman’s capture.
Venados evened the series with Naranjeros at two games apiece with a 2-1 win at home Friday behind a two-run fifth inning where four consecutive singles drove in Gabriel Gutierrez and Leo German. Braulio Torres-Perez scattered four hits over 6.1 innings pitched for Venados, allowing one run, while four relievers combined to throw 2.2 shutout innings in the win.
Game five of the series will be played January 7 at 5 p.m. Mexican Pacific Time.
