By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
Jan. 18, 2023
Indios de Mayaguez went on the road and beat Gigantes de Carolina by a score of 5-3 in game one of the Liga Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente finals in Puerto Rico on Tuesday night.
Mayaguez got on the board in the top of the third, when Emmanuel Rivera drove a home run over the left field wall, scoring Chavez Young for a 2-0 lead. Gigantes starter Jonathan Bermudez was taken out after three innings allowing four hits, two earned runs, and striking out two batters.
During the bottom of the fifth inning, Gigantes de Carolina’s Jose Sermo drove a three-run home run to right field, scoring Anderson Feliz and Tsung-Che Cheng to take a 3-2 lead.
Mayaguez starter Daryl Thompson, who was lifted from the game before Sermo’s homer, was responsible for two earned runs through four innings pitched, walking one batter, allowing two hits and striking out four.
In the top of the seventh, Josh Palacios was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Jeremy Rivera, as Mayaguez tied the game at three. A few batters later, relief pitcher Johzan Oquendo threw a wild pitch and Mayaguez broke the tie with Young came into score to take a 4-3 lead. The next pitch, Oquendo sent another pitch to the backstop and Rivera came in to score, as Mayaguez extended their lead to 5-3.
Mayaguez’s pitching staff combined for nine strikeouts during last night’s win, as relief pitcher Braden Webb came in to close the game, striking out Sermo to end the game. Game two will be played in Mayaguez’s Isidoro Garcia Baseball Stadium on Wednesday at 6:10 p.m. EST.