GIGANTES 9, AGUILAS 8 AT GIGANTES (12 INNINGS)
Batting stars: Jose Siri was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs. Abiatal Avelino was 2-for-5 with two walks and two RBIs. Carlos Peguero was 2-for-5 with a walk. Oneil Cruz was 2-for-5. Richard Urena was 2-for-6 with a double.
Pitching stars: Tiago Da Silva struck out three in three innings of relief, giving up one run on one hit and one walk. Carlos Ramirez struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up two hits. Domingo Tapia struck out two in a perfect inning. Ramon Ramirez pitched a scoreless inning despite giving up a hit and two walks. He struck out one. Wily Peralta pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and striking out one. Yerry De Los Santos struck out all three men he faced.
Opposition stars: Victor Robles was 3-for-5 with a home run, a walk, and two RBIs. John Nogowski was 3-for-6 with three RBIs. Deivy Grullon was 2-for-4. Wilmer Difo was 2-for-5 with a double, a walk, and two runs. Juan Lagares was 2-for-6.
The game: Robles homered leading off the game to put Aguilas up 1-0. The Gigantes took the lead with two in the bottom of the first. Siri doubled and a pair of walks loaded the bases. Juan Francisco then delivered a two-run single to make it 2-1 Gigantes.
It went to 4-1 in the second. Siri walked and scored on an error which sent Ronald Guzman all the way to third. A wild pitch scored Guzman. Aguilas got back into it in the third. Edmundo Sosa doubled and scored on a two-out single-plus-error by Lagares. Melky Cabrera then delivered an RBI single to make it 4-3. Aguilas tied it in the fourth. Difo doubled, went to third on Grullon's single, and scored on a double play.
The Gigantes took the lead back in the fifth. With one out Peguero and Urena singled and a hit batsman loaded the bases. Curz and Siri each had an RBI single to make it 6-4 Gigantes. Each team scored once in the seventh, bringing the score to 7-5.
Aguilas went back in front in the eighth. Singles by Rodriguez, Difo, and Grullon loaded the bases. With one out Robles had an RBI single and Nogowski had a two-run single, making the score 8-6 Aguilas. The first two Gigantes were retired in the ninth, but Gilberto Celestino singled, Ronald Guzman walked, and Avelino delivered a game-tying single to send the game to extra innings.
There was no scoring in the tenth or eleventh. In the twelfth we started the "man on second" rule. It did Aguilas no good, as all three of their batters struck out. An intentional walk started the bottom of the inning. A bunt/fielder's choice loaded the bases. Peguero then hit a sacrifice fly to end the game.
WP: De Los Santos (1-0). LP: Jose Adames (0-1). S: None.
Notes: Avelino is batting .556. Siri is batting .462. Peguero is batting .364. Celestino and Webster Rivas are each batting .333. Guzman is batting .308. Urena is batting .300.
The teams combined to use twenty-one pitchers. Aguilas used twelve and the Gigantes used nine. I still don't know for sure if there's a three-batter minimum, but there may be, because the only pitcher to face fewer than three batters did so to end the inning.
The Gigantes have gone to extra innings in each of the last three games. I don't know what the major league record is, but three seems like it has to be pretty close.
The Gigantes again had a ton of scoring chances, going 5-for-18 with men in scoring position. They stranded 18.
Record: The Gigantes are 2-1, tied for second with the Tigres del Licey. The Toros del Este are in first place, but due to rainouts have only played one game. They are, of course, 1-0.
Next game: The Gigantes are at Escogido tonight.