Leones de León defeated Gigantes de Rivas 1-0 in Game 7 of the final of the Asociación Profesional de Béisbol Nicaragüense on Tuesday night, clinching back-to-back championships.
The decisive game was a classic pitchers’ duel. Leones right-hander Alfredo Villa threw six shutout innings and struck out nine, matching zeroes with Gigantes ace Tiago da Silva, the league’s pitcher of the year. Da Silva went five shutout innings with seven strikeouts.
Da Silva made three starts in the championship series, striking out 20 batters in 17 innings while allowing just one run. He finished the final with a 0.53 ERA, underscoring why he was the league’s most dominant pitcher and giving Gigantes every chance to win Game 7 on their home field.
Neither team scored through the first seven innings, but Leones finally broke through in the top of the eighth inning. Norlando Valle reached base when he advanced on a wild pitch on a third strike. After a sacrifice bunt, a groundout and an intentional walk loaded the bases, Benjamín Alegría delivered an RBI single to give Leones a 1-0 lead.
The score remained unchanged heading into the bottom of the ninth. After an error and a sacrifice bunt put a runner in scoring position, Cristhian Sandoval singled to center field. Chase Dawson then threw out Ronald Rivera at the plate, preserving the one-run lead. Samuel Adames followed by striking out pinch-hitter Luis Montealto to secure the victory and a second straight championship for Leones de León.
Cole Cook was named MVP of the final for the Leones. He made 4 appearances and pitched 14 innings with a 1.29 ERA. The title was the 10th in franchise history for Leones and their fifth in the past eight seasons. With 10 championships, Leones now stand alone as the most successful club in league history.
Leones de León will represent Nicaragua in the Serie de las Américas, scheduled for Feb. 5-13 in Caracas and La Guaira, Venezuela. The tournament field will also include the champions of Venezuela and Curaçao, Caimanes de Barranquilla of Colombia’s winter league, Club Daom of Argentina, Águilas Metropolitanas of Panama’s winter league, and Cuba’s national team.
With Venezuela not participating in the Caribbean Series as it traditionally does, the Serie de las Américas is expected to receive a significant boost this year. Águilas Metropolitanas are the defending champions after defeating Leones de León 3-1 in last year’s final in Managua, Nicaragua.
Unlike the Caribbean Series, MLB players and minor leaguers under contract with MLB organizations are not eligible to compete in the Serie de las Américas.
Photo: Leones team celebrates by running onto the field after their 10th championship in Asociación Profesional de Béisbol Nicaragüense (Photo courtesy of Asociación Profesional de Béisbol Nicaragüense)
