A big day for Eduardo Escobar. A rough outing for Cole DeVries. A big comeback for Margarita.
LA GUAIRA 9, ARAGUA 7 IN LA GUAIRA
Twins: Jermaine Mitchell (Aragua) was 0-for-2 with a walk. Cole DeVries (Aragua) pitched 1.2 innings, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Dakota Watts (Aragua) pitched one inning, giving up two runs on four hits and one walk.
Aragua: Hector Gimenez was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double, scoring three times and driving in two. Luis Maza was 2-for-4 with a walk and scored twice.
La Guaira: C. J. Retherford was 3-for-4 with a double. Jose Martinez (Atlanta) was 2-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer. Pedro Villareal (Cincinnati) struck out five in five innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits and three walks.
The game: Trailing 7-3, Aragua came up with four in the eighth to tie the score, three of them coming on a home run by Jim Murphy (Philadelphia). In the bottom of the eighth, La Guaira answered. Retherford doubled and scored two put La Guaira ahead, and an RBI single by Andy Wilkins (White Sox) provided an insurance run.
ZULIA 5, ANZOATEGUI 2 IN ZULIA
Twins: Eduardo Escobar (Anzoategui) was 3-for-5.
Anzoategui: Leslie Anderson (Tampa Bay) was 3-for-5 and scored once. Alex Herrera pitched three innings, giving up one run on four hits and no walks with one strikeout.
Zulia: Jose Flores was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Jose Pirela (Yankees) was 2-for-3 with a walk, a triple, and a home run, scoring twice and driving in two. Felix Perez (Cincinnati) was 2-for-4 and scored once.
The game: Zulia scored three in the third to take a 4-0 lead and was never threatened. Pirela hit a two-run homer in the inning.
CARACAS 6, MARGARITA 5 IN MARGARITA
Twins: Antoan Richardson (Margarita) was 0-for-4 with a walk and scored once.
Caracas: Gregorio Petit (San Diego) was 3-for-4 with a home run, scoring three times and driving in two. Jesus Aguilar (Cleveland) was 2-for-4 with a walk and two doubles, driving in one. Daniel Mayora was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
Margarita: Zach Walters (Washington) was 2-for-4 and scored once. Fernando Nieve pitched four shutout innings, allowing two hits and three walks with two strikeouts.
The game: Margarita scored three in the fifth to go ahead 5-1 . It was 5-2 after seven. In the eighth, Mayora hit a two-run double to cap a four-run rally and put Caracas ahead 6-5. Margarita could not advance the tying run past first base.
MAGALLANES 8, LARA 1 IN LARA
Magallanes: Jesus Flores (Tampa Bay) was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and three RBIs. Ezequiel Carrera (Cleveland) was 2-for-5 with a double and scored twice. David Bromberg pitched six shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks with two strikeouts.
Lara: Paulo Orlando (Kansas City) was 2-for-3 and scored once.
The game: Magallanes got two in the second and four in the fifth to take a 6-0 lead. In the fifth, the runs scored on a sacrifice fly, a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch, and an RBI single.