The Tomateros de Culiacán backed up a solid start by their Ace Manny Barreda with a seven-run attack in the first episode and beat the Charros de Jalisco 7-3 on Monday to discount their disadvantage in the Final Series to the best of seven, which now they lose 2-1 in their fight for the triple championship of the Mexican Pacific League.
In the first inning, the Tomateros’ offense exploded with an RBI single by Sebastián Elizalde, another two-run single by Joey Meneses, an RBI single by Víctor Mendoza, another one-run single by José Guadalue Chávez and a Jesús Fabela’s two-run triple that crowned the furious attack of the current two-time champions of the circuit.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Manny Barreda (1-0) scored the win with six solid innings of two-hit ball, one run and six strikeouts. The setback went to the record of Brennan Bernardino (0-1), penalized with five runs and five hits in a disastrous start with no outs.
PUERTO RICO
Former Major League player Rey Fuentes hit a triple with the bases loaded to drive in three runs in a four-run attack in the fourth inning that was decisive in the Criollos’ 5-4 victory over the Indios de Mayagüez. Caguas took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series that defines the champion of the Professional Baseball League Roberto Clemente of Puerto Rico.
Fuentes also hit an RBI single in the fifth inning to be the great figure in the Criollos’ attack after going 2-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs. David Vidal drove in a run with a single to complete the winners’ offense.
The victory corresponded to Alexis Díaz (1-0) after retiring two-thirds of the inning without allowing runs and taking advantage of the reaction of his teammates. Daryl Thompson (0-1) took the loss punished with four runs and four hits in 3 2/3 innings.
The Criollos seek to win their second consecutive title and the 20th in their history to ratify themselves as the team with the most crowns in the circuit. Mayagüez, for its part, is trying to avoid its fourth consecutive loss in a final and, if it wins the championship, it would tie at 19 with the Criollos as the two most successful franchises.
DOMINICAN
Gustavo Núñez stole third base and took advantage of a throwing error by catcher Webster Rivas to ground the Gigantes del Cibao in the bottom of the 11th inning, and the Estrellas Orientales escaped with a 5-4 victory in the first match of the Final Series to the best of seven that defines the Champion of the Dominican Baseball League.
Henry Urrutia put the Giants ahead with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, but in the bottom of the third the Estrellas Orientales tied the score on an RBI single by Major League veteran Robinson Cano.
In the seventh, the Stars took the lead on Christian Bethancourt’s RBI single, and increased their lead to 3-1 in the eighth on Elehuris Montero’s sacrifice fly.
The Giants reacted with a three-run homer by Houston Astros player José Siri to take a 4-3 lead in the ninth and move within three outs of victory. But down the stretch, Gustavo Nunez fired an RBI single to send the game into extra innings.
The victory corresponded to Román Méndez (1-0) with a blank inning in relief work. Huascar Brazoban lost (0-1) after conceding the difference race in his two-thirds inning relay.
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