Naranjeros goes to the semifinals with a jewel from Wilmer RíosSeventh Inning

On a night with a special dedication, starter Wilmer Ríos was two outs short of pitching a complete game; Even so, his jewel of 8.1 innings, combined with a failure of the Buenos Aires defense in the sixth chapter, led the Naranjeros de Hermosillo to a 3-1 victory against Venados de Mazatlán before a full Estadio Sonora this Sunday January the 8tha result that makes the Orange Squadron the second classified to the semifinals in these playoffs 2023 from ARCO Mexican Pacific League (LMP).

Hermosillo returns at semi-finals for the second time in the last three years, joining Cañeros de Los Mochis as the first two guests in the prelude to the grand finale. Both were the two best teams during the regular role, finishing in first and second place in the general standing.

Orange growers and sugarcane growers hope to meet a rival of the other two series that are still active, both to be defined in a Game 7. sultans rose from a 0-3 against before Cottoneroswhile Eagles started down 0-2 before Yaquis and traveled to Obregón at a disadvantage.

The framework of victory could not be better for the orange trees that, in addition to securing your ticket to the next round, they extended their streak to 19 consecutive victories playing at home; to find the last defeat in Hermosillo you have to go back to November 19 when they fell to Los Mochis.

The melodious notes of the Naranjeros baseball at home have spread rapidly throughout the city that, even on a Sunday before the end of the vacation period, made a entrance of 16,429 people to the parkaccording to the official report of the game.

With a sold-out arena and the chance to take the team to the next round this postseason, Wilmer Ríos came out big, retiring 15 rivals in a row between the second and sixth innings. He spaced out a couple of hits over the next few innings and took the mound again in the ninth inning, earning applause from the fans.

Fabricio Macías doubled in the ninth inning, the only Venados player to touch second base. On the next turn, first baseman Luis Alfonso Cruz let slip a ball that he had on his radar, turning it into a foul shot; the reinforcement Christian Villanueva took advantage of the extra opportunity and hit a simple producer that put an end to the work of Ríos on the mound.

Just as during his entrance, the public applauded Ríos as he left the field.

American Thomas McIlraith struck out the last two batters to end the game.

Only on his third outing of the regular role, Ríos was one out away from throwing a complete game in the house of the Tomateros de Culiacán. But that was not what had a bittersweet taste in him and reflected a certain bewildered face in the interview after the meeting.

“This game is for a friend who had an accident yesterday and, thank God, I think he’s out of danger,” Rios said. “This whole game is for him. You know, Martín, that the whole team is with you and we’re going up”.

Alex Flores ignited the orange attack with an RBI single in the fourth, two innings after getting stranded in the first in a bases-loaded situation.

In the sixth inning with two outs, runners on first and second, Jasson Atondo bunted the ball to surprise the Venados defense; although pitcher Casey Harman picked up the ball and seemed to have the situation under control, the shot to first base was bad and sparked a series of defensive errors that allowed Hermosillo to score two more runs and thus set the table for Wilmer Ríos to finish his run. great performance.