Zolio Almonte had an RBI single in the first and Josh Lester and Gustavo Nunez each hit solo homers for the Sultanes de Monterrey in a 3-1 victory over the Charros de Jalisco in game three of the Serie Campeonato.
With the win, the Charros, who finished sixth in the Zona Norte in the regular season and beat the Sultanes four games to three in the first round of the playoffs, lead the series two games to one.
In the top of the second, Kyle Garlick grounded into a double play at shorts with runners at first and third, allowing Donny Sands to score and give the Charros a 1-0 lead.
Almonte tied the game for Monterrey in the second with an infield single that scored Victor Mendoza.
Nunez, the former Boston Red Sox infielder, homered to left center in the third off Charros starter Luis Payan to give the Sultanes a 2-1 lead, and Lester’s solo homer to right field in the fourth capped the scoring.
Payan went six innings and allowed three runs on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts for Jalisco, getting pinned with the loss despite making a quality start.
The Charros mustered six hits and five walks off five Monterrey pitchers, with Sultanes starter Stephen Tarpley going five innings and allowing one run on three hits and four walks.
Game four of the series is Wednesday night in Monterrey at 9:30 p.m. EDT, with Luis Ivan Rodriguez starting for Jalisco against former New York Yankee Luis Cessa for Monterrey.
Diablos Rojos del Mexico 7, Piratas de Campeche 5 – Robinson Cano went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored as the Diablos Rojos squared their series with Campeche at two games apiece.
Cano’s first-inning double to left scored Carlos Sepulveda to give the Diablos a 1-0 lead. Two innings later, a sac fly fron Jose Marmolejos scored Sepulveda again to make it 2-0 Mexico.
Felix Perez hit his playoff-leading 10th homer, a solo shot in the fourth, to get Campeche on the scoreboard.
In the top of the fifth, an RBI single by Marmolejos scored Allen Cordoba to make it 3-1, but Cal Mitchell’s double in the bottom of the inning scored Connor Hollis to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Diablos broke the game open in the sixth, getting an RBI single from Sepulveda that scored Rio Ruiz. Two batters later, a single by Robinson Cano scored Sepulveda and Cordoba to make it 6-2. Cano later scored on a wild pitch to give the Diablos a 7-2 advantage.
¡Explota el madero! 🫨
Rally al que se suma Robinson Canó 👹 con hit productor de par de carreras. 🆙 #CienAñosSiendoElRey👑 pic.twitter.com/wJ4zJBYzCW
— Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (@LigaMexBeis) September 4, 2025
In the bottom of the sixth, Campeche’s Brett Auerbach scored on a wild pitch to cut into the Diablos’ lead, and a ground out by Jesus Fabela got Connor Panas home to make it a 7-4 game. Cal Mitchell’s double got Hollis in to cut the lead to two runs, but that is as close as the Piratas would get.
Game five of the series is Thursday night at 9:30 p.m. EDT, with Ricardo Pinto starting for the Diablos against Domingo Acevedo for Campeche.
Where to Watch – All LMB games are streamed on LMB.tv for a fee. The series between Monterrey and Jalisco is streamed live for free on YouTube via Claro Sports.
Serie Campeonato Full Schedule
All times Eastern Daylight Time
* – If Necessary
August 30
Piratas de Campeche 4, Diablos Rojos del Mexico 2
August 31
Diablos Rojos del Mexico 6, Piratas de Campeche 4
Charros de Jalisco 11, Sultanes de Monterrey 9
September 1
Charros de Jalisco 6, Sultanes de Monterrey 3
September 2
Piratas de Campeche 5, Diablos Rojos del Mexico 3
September 3
Diablos Rojos del Mexico 7, Piratas de Campeche 5
Sultanes de Monterrey 3, Charros de Jalisco 1
September 4
9:30 p.m. – Diablos Rojos del Mexico at Piratas de Campeche – Game 5*
9:30 p.m. – Charros de Jalisco at Sultanes de Monterrey – Game 4
September 5
9:30 p.m. – Charros de Jalisco at Sultanes de Monterrey – Game 5*
September 6
6 p.m. – Piratas de Campeche at Diablos Rojos del Mexico – Game 6*
September 7
4 p.m. – Piratas de Campeche at Diablos Rojos del Mexico – Game 7*
7 p.m. – Sultanes de Monterrey at Charros de Jalisco – Game 6*
September 8
9:30 p.m. – Sultanes de Monterrey at Charros de Jalisco – Game 7*
Photo: The Sultanes de Monterrey won game three of the Serie Campeonato against the Charros de Jalisco, but trail 2-1 in the series. (Photo courtesy of the Sultanes de Monterrey)
