MAZATLAN, GAME 44
MAZATLAN 7, LOS MOCHIS 4 IN MAZATLAN
Batting stars: Ricky Alvarez was 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Anthony Giansanti was 2-for-3 with a home run (his third), a walk, and two runs. Hector Mora was 2-for-4. Maxwell Leon was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
Pitching stars: Marco Antonio Duarte pitched three shutout innings, giving up four hits. Four relievers each pitched a scoreless inning: Ivan Zavala, Marco Antonio Rivas, Roberto Espinosa, and Jesus Pirela.
Opposition stars: Francisco Cordoba was 3-for-4 with a double. Isaac Rodriguez Salazar was 2-for-4 with a walk. Rodolfo Amador was 2-for-4.
The game: Mazatlan led 3-0 after one, but a four-run third for Los Mochis left Mazatlan trailing by one. Giansanti homered leading off the fourth to tie it and Hector Mora's RBI single later in the inning put Mazatlan ahead to stay. Mazatlan got insurance runs in the seventh and ninth.
WP: Duarte (3-2). LP: Marcos Machado (0-2). S: PIrela (11).
Stats: Isaac Paredes was 1-for-4 and is batting .347. Carlos Munoz was 0-for-4 and is batting .303. Rivas' ERA is 1.61. Espinosa's ERA is 1.73. Pirela's ERA is 1.45.
Record: Mazatlan is 22-22, in seventh place in the Mexican League, five games behind Obregon. They are a half-game behind sixth-place Mexicali.
Next game: Mazatlan hosts Los Mochis again tonight.
GIGANTES, GAME 20
GIGANTES 11, AGUILAS 2 AT GIGANTES
Batting stars: Ronald Guzman was 4-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, and four runs. Juan Francisco was 3-for-5 with two home runs (his second and third), three runs, and seven RBIs. Melvin Mercedes was 2-for-4. Oneil Cruz was 2-for-5. Alfredo Marte was 1-for-3 with a home run.
Pitching stars: Gabriel Ynoa pitched five innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk and striking out two. Three relievers each pitched a scoreless inning: Adonis Rosa, Domingo Tapia, and Ramon E. Ramirez.
Opposition stars: Juan Carlos Perez was 2-for-3 with a double. Rodrigo Vigil was 2-for-4.
The game: Francisco hit a three-run homer in the first and the Gigantes led the rest of the way. Francisco also hit a grand slam, in the eighth inning. The Gigantes hit five homers in the game.
WP: Ynoa (1-0). LP: Yoanner Negrin (3-2). S: None.
Stats: Marte is batting .500. Guzman is batting .333. Logan Moore was 1-for-4 and is also batting .333. Ynoa's ERA is 0.90. Tapia has an ERA of zero.
Record: The Gigantes are 9-11, in fifth place in the Dominican League, 2.5 games behind Este. They are one game behind fourth-place Estrellas.
Next game: The Gigantes host Escogido tonight.
LARA, GAMES 17 AND 18
LARA 7, LA GUAIRA 6 IN LARA (GAME 1--8 INNINGS)
Batting stars: Jecksson Flores was 3-for-3. Josmar Cordero was 2-for-3 with a double. Carlos Rivero was 1-for-3 with a home run, his second.
Pitching stars: Daniel Alvarez struck out two in two perfect innings. Wilking Rodriguez pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and one and striking out one.
Opposition stars: Victor Diaz pitched five shutout innings, giving up three hits and two walks and striking out three. Junior Sosa was 4-for-5. Danry Vasquez was 3-for-4.
The game: La Guaira led 4-0 through five, but Lara scored four in the sixth to tie it. La Guaira scored two in the top of the eighth, but Lara came back with three in the bottom of the eighth. Osman Marval's RBI single tied it. That single was followed by a hit batsman and two walks, the last of which forced home the deciding run.
WP: Leonel Campos (3-0). LP: Gregory Infante (0-3). S: None.
LARA 6, LA GUAIRA 1 IN LARA (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)
Batting stars: Josmar Cordero was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Yojhan Quevedo was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Jecksson Flores was 2-for-3. Ildemaro Vargas was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Gorkys Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two runs.
Pitching stars: Leonel Aponte pitched three innings, giving up one run on one hit and one walk and striking out two. Luis Oviedo pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and no walks and striking out one. Ricardo Gomez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.
Opposition stars: None. La Guaira had four hits, all singles.
The game: La Guaira scored one in the top of the second, but Lara scored four in the bottom of the second and never trailed again. They had a walk and five singles in the inning.
WP: Oviedo (1-0). LP: Ofreidy Gomez (0-2). S: None.
Stats: Cordero is batting .432. Vargas is batting .383. Flores is batting .343. Aponte's ERA is 1.08. Ovideo's ERA is zero. Gomez' ERA is 1.50.
Record: Lara is 11-7, in first place in the Venezuelan League West Division, one game ahead of Margarita.
Next game: Lara hosts Magallanes tonight.
MAYAGUEZ, GAME 7
CAGUAS 5, MAYAGUEZ 2 AT CAGUAS
Batting stars: Ex-Twin Brian Navarreto was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk. Emmanuel Rivera was 1-for-3 with a home run (his second) and a walk.
Pitching stars: Luis Quinones retired all four men he faced, striking out three. Yacksel Rios pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk and striking out one. Jean Cosme pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.
Opposition stars: Jose De Leon struck out twelve in five innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk. Noel Cuevas was 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple a walk, two runs, and two RBIs. Johneshwy Fargas was 2-for-4.
The game: Leading 2-0, Caguas scored three in the fourth to take control of the game. Cuevas had an RBI triple in the inning and Jancarlo Cintron had an RBI double.
WP: De Leon (1-0). LP: Eric Stout (0-1). S: None.
Stats: Navarreto is batting .438. Henry Ramos was 1-for-4 and is batting .423. Ex-Twin Danny Ortiz was 1-for-4 and is batting .321. T. J. Rivera was 0-for-4 and is batting .321. Rivera is batting .310. Xavier Fernandez was 0-for-1 and is batting .308. Quinones and Rios each has an ERA of zero.
Record: Mayaguez is 6-1, in second place in the Puerto Rican League, one game behind Caguas.
Next game: Mayaguez hosts Caguas tonight.