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.