Mexican Matchups: Games of 12/21

Brad Boyer gets a key hit.  Wheeler is Zelous in pursuit of victory.  Brian has another day that will live in Burgamy.

CULIACAN 7, MAZATLAN 5 IN CULIACAN

Twins:  Brad Boyer (Culiacan) was 1-for-5 with a run and two RBIs.

Mazatlan:  Orlando Hudson was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Ivan Terrazas was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Ivan Gamero was 1-for-2 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

Culiacan:  Emmanuel Valdez was 1-for-2 with two walks and a two-run homer (his seventh), scoring twice.  Felix Perez was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring twice and driving in one.  Jorge Reyes pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and no walks.

The game:  Valdez hit a two-run homer in a three-run first to give Culiacan a 3-0 lead.  Mazatlan got on the board in the second, tied the score on a two-run Terrazas double in the third, and took a 4-3 lead in the fourth on an RBI single by Erick Rodriguez.  Gamero's RBI single made it 5-3 in the top of the sixth, but Culiacan struck for four in the bottom of the sixth to get in the lead to stay.  Boyer had a two-run single to put Culiacan in front.  Mazatlan had the tying run on base with one out in the seventh, but their last eight batters were retired.

GUASAVE 5, OBREGON 2 IN GUASAVE (14 INNINGS)

Guasave:  Zelous Wheeler (Yankees) was 3-for-7 with a three-run homer, his tenth.  Leonardo Heras was 2-for-6 with a walk and a double, scoring once.  Jeff Bennett pitched seven innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

Obregon:  Dan Robertson (San Diego) was 3-for-6 with a run.  Barbaro Canizares was 1-for-4 with a home run, his ninth.  Rolando Valdez pitched six innings, allowing one run on eight hits and no walks with three strikeouts.

The game:  Canizares homered in the second inning to give Obregon a 1-0 lead.  Each team scored once in the sixth, leaving Obregon ahead 2-1.  The lead held until the ninth, when a Gabriel Gutierrez RBI single tied the score.  It was tied until the fourteenth, when Wheeler hit a two-out three-run homer.  Obregon went down in order in the bottom of the fourteenth.

LOS MOCHIS 3, HERMOSILLO 2 IN HERMOSILLO

Los Mochis:  Brian Burgamy was 1-for-2 with two walks and a two-run homer, his fourteenth.  Emmanuel Avila was 3-for-4 with a run.  Jonathan Castellanos pitched six innings, giving up one run on seven hits and no walks with two strikeouts.

Hermosillo:  Stefan Gartrell was 3-for-4 with a double and a run.  Jerry Owens was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Nathan Reed pitched six shutout innings, allowing two hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

The game:  Heber Gomez had an RBI single in the second to give Hermosillo a 1-0 lead.  It stayed 1-0 until the seventh, when Owens singled in a run to double the Hermosillo advantage.  Los Mochis got on the board in the eighth on two singles and a squeeze bunt.  In the ninth, Burgamy hit a two-run homer to give Los Mochis its first lead of the game at 3-2.  Hermosillo went out in order in the bottom of the ninth.

MEXICALI 3, NAVOJOA 1 IN MEXICALI

Mexicali:  Jon Weber was 1-for-3 with a walk and a double.  Alejandro Gonzalez was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.  Carlos Orrantia was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run.

Navojoa:  Oscar Robles was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Xorge Carrillo (Mets) was 2-for-3.  Terry Doyle struck out seven in six innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks.

The game:  Mexicali scored all three of its runs in the third, two on a Robles single and one on a sacrifice fly.  Navojoa got its only run in the fifth.  They had the tying run on base in both the sixth and the ninth, both times with two out.