Eduardo Escobar continues to hit. Cole DeVries continues to struggle. No clutch hitting in La Guaira.
ANZOATEGUI 8, LARA 2 IN LARA (GAME 1--SCHEDULED 7 INNINGS)
Twins: Eduardo Escobar (Anzoategui) was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Anzoategui: Leslie Anderson (Tampa Bay) was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double, scoring twice. Cory Aldridge was 2-for-2 with two walks and a run. Niuman Romero (Baltimore) was 2-for-3 with a walk.
Lara: Gabriel Noriega (Seattle) was 2-for-3 with a double and a run. Scott McGregor (St. Louis) pitched 3.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks with one strikeout.
The game: Lara led 2-1 after five. A two-run Escobar double capped a four-run sixth to put Anzoategui ahead 5-2. Anzoategui added three more in the seventh to put it out of reach.
LARA 7, ANZOATEGUI 6 IN LARA (GAME 2--SCHEDULED 7 INNINGS)
Twins: Eduardo Escobar (Anzoategui) was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Anzoategui: Leslie Anderson (Tampa Bay) was 3-for-4 with a home run (his third) and four RBIs. Niuman Romero (Baltimore) was 1-for-1 with three walks and two runs. Chris Smith struck out seven in 3.2 innings, giving up one run on six hits and no walks.
Lara: Hernan Iribarren (Colorado) was 3-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. Nick Buss (Dodgers) was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Joc Pederson (Dodgers) was 2-for-4 with two runs.
The game: Anzoategui led 2-1 after four. Anderson hit a three-run homer to put Anzoategui up 6-1 in the fifth, but two walks were followed by four singles in the bottom of the fifth to make it 6-5. In the bottom of the seventh, Anderson De La Rosa (Milwaukee) hit a two-run double to drive in the winning run for Lara.
MAGALLANES 8, MARGARITA 4 IN MARGARITA
Twins: Antoan Richardson (Margarita) was 1-for-5 with a run. Deolis Guerra (Magallanes) pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout.
Magallanes: Allan Dykstra (Mets) was 3-for-4. Eliezer Alfonzo (Dodgers) was 2-for-5 with a home run (his second) and two RBIs. Mario Lisson was 2-for-3 with two walks and a triple, driving in two.
Margarita: Breyvic Valera (St. Louis) was 2-for-3 with two walks and a triple, scoring twice. Alberto Gonzalez was 2-for-4.
The game: It was tied at two through four. In the fifth, an error brought in the go-ahead run for Magallanes and an Alfonzo single drove in an insurance run. Still leading 4-2 in the eighth, Wilfredo Tovar (Mets) hit a two-run triple and later scored to make it 7-2. Margarita came back with two in the bottom of the eighth and got the tying run up to bat with two out.
ZULIA 8, ARAGUA 2 IN ZULIA
Twins: Ray Olmedo (Aragua) was 2-for-3 with a walk and scored once. Cole DeVries (Aragua) started and pitched 2.2 innings, giving up five runs on six hits and one walk. Aaron Thompson (Aragua) pitched a third of an inning, giving up one run on one hit and one walk.
Aragua: Alex Romero was 3-for-5. Willson Contreras (Cubs) was 2-for-3 with a walk. Jonel Pacheco was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Zulia: Freddy Galvis (Philadelphia) was 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Jose Pirela (Yankees) was 2-for-2 with two walks and a double, scoring twice and driving in two. Roy Merritt pitched five innings, allowing one run on eight hits and no walks with four strikeouts.
The game: Leading 1-0 after two, Zulia scored four times in the third to take control. Pirela had a two-run single in the inning.
LA GUAIRA 3, CARACAS 1 IN LA GUAIRA (11 INNINGS)
Caracas: Daniel Mayora was 2-for-5 with a triple and a home run, his fifth. Carlos Perez (Houston) was 2-for-4. Collin McHugh (Colorado) struck out six in six innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk.
La Guaira: Andy Wilkins was 2-for-2 with a home run. Alex Cabrera was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer. Edgmer Escalona pitched 6.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
The game: Wilkins homered in the second to give La Guaira a 1-0 lead. Mayora homered in the third to tie the score. There was no more scoring until the eleventh, when Cabrera hit a walk-off two-run homer.
Random: Not only did all the runs score on home runs, but neither team had a hit with runners in scoring position. Caracas was 0-for-10 and La Guaira was 0-for-6.