By Leif Skodnick
World Baseball Network
Tiburones de La Guaira has played two games since Ronald Acuna, Jr. left the yard and then left the building, and they’ve won them both.
The Tiburones evened the Liga Venezolano Beisbol Profesional championship series at two games apiece with an 8-2 win in game four at home, putting on another offensive display a night after beating Caracas 7-1 in game three.
Shortstop Maikel Garcia homered to center to lead off the bottom of the first, giving La Guaira a 1-0 lead.
Alcides Escobar stroked a one-out double to the right field gap. The next batter, Francisco Arcia, drew a walk, and Escobar advanced to third when ball four found its way to the backstop. Ehire Adrianza’s sac fly to center scored Escobar, manufacturing a 2-0 lead for Tiburones.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, Alcides Escobar ripped a two-run double to left, scoring Danry Vasquez and Balbino Fuenmayor to make it 4-0 Tiburones.
Caracas first run came in the top of the fourth when Ali Castillo hit a hanging fly ball to shallow center field. Tiburones center fielder Franklin Barreto charged in, and as second baseman Alcides Escobar sprinted on to the grass and slid, the ball fell between them for a single, scoring Orlando Arcia.
But the Tiburones kept a hold of the Leones by the tail, nibbling offensively in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI groundout by Fuenmayor and chomping in the home half of the eighth when they manufactured three more insurance runs.
With the series squared up at two games apiece, Caracas will put Jhoulys Chacin on the mound tomorrow night against Ramon Garcia for La Guaira. Chacin went 5.2 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs while striking out seven and walking one in Caracas’ game one win. Garcia was the MVP of the round robin stage of the LVBP playoffs.
Game five of the series is Saturday at Estadio Universitario at 4 p.m. ET. and will be streamed live on BeisbolPlay.com with a subscription starting 6 p.m. EST.