Tag Archives: winter baseball

Keeping Track

Gigantes Recap: Game Two

ESCOGICO 9, GIGANTES 6 AT GIGANTES (12 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Abiatal Avalina was 3-for-4 with two walks and three runs.  Jose Siri was 3-for-6 with two runs.  Ronald Guzman was 2-for-6 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Rogelio Armenteros struck out five in three shutout innings, giving up no hits and one walk.  Randy Rosario pitched a perfect inning.  Montana DuRapau retired all four men he faced, striking out two.  Ramon Ramirez pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one.  Yunior Marte pitched a scoreless inning despite allowing three walks.

Opposition stars:  Jim Haley was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Josh Lowey pitched three innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits and a walk.  Tai Tiedemann struck out four in two innings, giving up an unearned run on no hits and no walks.

The game:  The Gigantes struck first.  In the first inning Siri singled, Avelino walked, a ground out moved them to second and third, and Kelvin Gutierrez delivered a two-run single.  The lead went to 3-0 in the third when Avalina singled and scored from first on Guzman's double.

Escogido got on the board in the fourth when Wander Franco walked, went to third on a wild pitch-plus-error, and scored on another wild pitch.  Each team scored once in the fifth.  For Escogido, doubles by Otto Lopez and Jimmy Paredes plated the run.  For the Gigantes Siri singled, stole second, and scored on an Avalina single, making the score 4-2.

It went to 5-2 in the seventh when Avalina walked, went to third on Guzman's single, and scored on an error.  In the eighth, however, Escogido scored three times to tie it.  Ivan Castillo doubled and Franco singled, putting men on first and third.  A ground out scored a run and Haley's single again put men on first and third.  A hit batsman loaded the bases and Julio Y. Rodriguez hit a two-run single, knotting the score at 5-5.

There was no score in the ninth.  There was no score in the tenth.  There was no score in the eleventh.  So, in the twelfth, we used the "start with a man on second" rule.  For Escogido, a strikeout and a walk put men on first and second.  Haley doubled home the go-ahead run, a sacrifice fly brought home another, a walk and a hit batsman filled the bases, and Tres Barrera's two-run single made it 9-5 Escogido.  The Gigantes scored one on an error, but did not bring the tying run up to bat.

WP:  Tiedemann (1-0).  LP:  Ryan Kussmaul (0-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Gigantes batters walked nine men and hit five.

The Gigantes again had a ton of at-bats with men in scoring position and could not cash them in.  They went 2-for-22 with men in scoring position, stranding twelve.  Escogido was 6-for-20 with men in scoring position, stranding eleven.

The Gigantes used twelve pitchers, six of them for less than an inning.  I couldn't tell if they have a three-batter minimum rule, as each pitcher who faced fewer than three batters did so to end an inning.

The Gigantes have opened with two extra-inning games.  I don't suppose that's a record or anything, but it does seem at least somewhat unusual.

Record:  The Gigantes are 1-1, tied for second place with three other teams, a half game behind the Toros del Este.

Next game:  The Gigantes host Aguilas tonight.

Keeping Track

Gigantes Recap: Game One

The Dominican League started play last night.  As with the Mexican League, we've chosen a team at random to follow.  Our team will be the Gigantes del Cibao.

GIGANTES 8, AGUILAS 5 AT AGUILAS (10 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Juan Francisco was 3-for-6 with three doubles and four RBIs.  Kelvin Gutierrez was 2-for-4 with two walks and two runs.  Carlos Peguero was 2-for-4 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Chris Ellis struck out three in three shutout innings of relief, giving up only a walk.  Rayman Guduan pitched a perfect inning.  Ramon Ramirez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit.

Opposition stars:  Robel Garcia was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk.  Rangel Ravelo was 1-for-4 with a home run.

The game:  In the first inning walks to Jose Siri, Ronald Guzman, and Gutierrez loaded the bases with one out.  Francisco then delivered a two-run double to put the Gigantes up 2-0.  Aguilas got on the board in the second on a Garcia homer, making it 2-1.

Each team scored one in the third.  For the Gigantes, Peguero and Wilin Rosario singled and a sacrifice fly scored the run.  For Aguilas, Wilmer Difo walked, went to second on a ground out, and scored on an error, leaving the score 3-2.

There was more scoring in the fourth.  For the Gigantes, singles by Jason Krizan and Guzman put men on first and third.  A force out scored a run.  Francisco doubled, putting men on second and third, and a wild pitch brought home a second run.  For Aguilas, Ravelo homered.  It was 5-3 Gigantes through four.

The bullpens then settled in.  The Gigantes loaded the bases with one out in the eighth but did not score.  It cost them, because Aguilas tied it in the bottom of the inning.  Walks to Difo and Victor Robles put men on first and second with one out.  Melky Cabrera singled home a run and Juan Ligares singled home another, making the score 5-5.

Neither team scored in the ninth, so we went to the tenth.  No "start with a man on second" rule here, at least not in the tenth inning.  The Gigantes didn't need it.  Guzman walked, Gutierrez singled, and Francisco hit a two-run double.  Webster Rivas had an RBI single to make it 8-5 Gigantes.  Aguilas got a two-out single in the bottom of the inning but did not bring the tying run up to bat.

WP:  Guduan (1-0).  LP:  Junior Fernandez (0-1).  S:  Ramirez.

Notes:  Lots of big-leaguers are playing for Aguilas, including Melky Cabrera, Victor Robles, Juan Lagares, Rangel Ravelo, Wilmer Difo, Luis Castillo (not the former Twin), Buddy Boshers, and Neftali Feliz.

The Gigantes stranded 15 men and were 3-for-20 with men in scoring position.  Twenty at-bats with men in scoring position is a ton of at-bats.  Aguilas had only five at-bats with men in scoring position, going 2-for-5.

Richelson Pena started for the Gigantes.  He pitched four innings, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk and striking out one.

Record:  The Gigantes are 1-0, tied for first place with the Tigres del Licey.

Next game:  The Gigantes host Escogido tonight.

Keeping Track

Mazatlan Recap: Game Nineteen

GUASAVE 3, MAZATLAN 1 IN GUASAVE

Batting star:  Carlos Munoz was 3-for-4 with a double.

Pitching star:  Irwin Delgado pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Fernando Miranda pitched 5.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits and no walks and striking out three.  Jesse Castillo was 1-for-3 with a home run (his second) and a walk.  Yosshel Hurtado retired all four men he faced, striking out one.  Rafael Cordova pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Geno Encina struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

The game:  In the second, Yadir Drake and Emmanuel Avila singled and Keven Lamas walked, loading the bases.  Samar Leyva singled home one run and a sacrifice fly brought in another.  A double play ended the inning, but Guasave had a 2-0 lead.  Castillo homered in the third to make it 3-0.

Mazatlan got on the board in the sixth.  Hector Mora singled, stole second, went to third on a ground out, and scored on a Munoz single to cut the lead to 3-1.  That's where it would stay, though.  Mazatlan got only a pair of singles after that and did not advance a man past first base.

WP:  Miranda (2-1).  LP:  Delgado (0-1).  S:  Encina (3).

Notes:  Jose Augusto Figueroa was 1-for-3 and is batting .500.  Munoz raised his average to .333.

Delgado has an ERA of 3.00.  Jeff Ibarra pitched a third of an inning without giving up a run and has an ERA of 2.08.  Hurtado's ERA is 1.69.

Each team stranded four runners and was 1-for-5 with men in scoring position.  Each team also struck out six batters.

Record:  Mazatlan is 7-12, tied for seventh place, ten games behind Obregon.

Keeping Track

Mazatlan Recap: Game Eighteen

MAZATLAN 7, GUASAVE 6 IN GUASAVE

Batting stars:  Anthony Giansanti was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.  Ricardo Valenzuela was 1-for-2 with a three-run homer (his second), two walks, and two runs.  Isaac Paredes was 1-for-2 with two walks.

Pitching star:  Roberto Espinosa pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Emmanuel Avila was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Miguel Guzman was 2-for-4 with a triple and three runs.  Yadir Drake was 2-for-5 with three RBIs.  Yosshel Hurtado pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.  Manuel Chavez pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

The game:  Guasave scored in more innings, but Mazatlan had the big innings.  In the first, Guzman hit a one-out triple and scored on a sacrifice fly.  In the third, Jose Herberto Felix singled, Leo German walked, and Marco Jaime singled, loading the bases with none out.  Guzman then hit into a double play, scoring a run but taking Guasave out of the inning.  It was 2-0 through three.

Mazatlan took the lead in the fourth.  Carlos Munoz singled and Paredes walked.  A double play made it two out with a man on third, but Ramon Rios walked and Valenzuela hit a three-run homer to make it 3-2.

Mazatlan had another big inning in the sixth.  Paredes walked and Ricky Alvarez singled.  A bunt put men on second and third with one out and an intentional walk loaded the bases.  Jose Luna then hit a two-run double, and with two out Giansanti hit a two-run single, making the score 7-2.

Guasave did not give up.  With two out in the bottom of the sixth, Drake and Avila singled and Alejandro Ortiz walked, loading the bases.  Samar Leyva walked to make it 7-3, but that was all Guasave got.  In the seventh, a hit batsman and two walks loaded the bases with one out and Drake delivered a two-run single, cutting the margin to 7-5.  In the ninth Guzman singled and went to third on a Jesse Castillo double.  A ground out made it 7-6.  A wild pitch moved the tying run to third.  A hit batsman put the winning run on base.  But the next two batters struck out, and Mazatlan held on to win.

WP:  Edgar Torres (1-1).  LP:  Thomas Dorminy (1-1).  S:  Ryan Newell (3).

Notes:  Jose Augusto Figueroa was 0-for-1 and is batting .529.  Jose Luna was 1-for-3 and is batting .333.  Giansanti is batting .309.  Munoz was 0-for-3 and is batting .308.

Torres pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks and striking out none.  Espinosa lowered his ERA to 1.74.

Guasave pitchers struck out ten.  Mazatlan pitchers struck out only two--the last two batters of the game.

Guasave stranded ten and was 2-for-11 with men in scoring position.

Record:  Mazatlan is 7-11, in seventh place, nine games behind Obregon.

Next game:  Mazatlan is again at Guasave tonight.

Keeping Track

Mazatlan Recap: Games Sixteen and Seventeen

MAZATLAN 4, MEXICALI 3 IN MAZATLAN (11 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Ramon Rios was 3-for-4 with a double.  Jose Augusto Figueroa was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.  Francisco Hernandez was 2-for-5.  Ricky Alvarez was 1-for-5 with a two-run homer, his second.

Pitching stars:  Carlos Morales pitched six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and one walk and striking out three.  Alejandro Soto pitched a scoreless inning, walking one.  Ivan Zavala pitched a scoreless inning, walking one.  Roberto Espinosa pitched two perfect innings and struck out one.

Opposition stars:  Javier Solano pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and no walks and striking out five.  Luis Juarez was 2-for-5.  Eric Aguilera was 1-for-3 with a home run (his third) and a walk.  Thomas Malgarejo pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

The game:  In the first inning Rios hit a one-out double and Alvarez hit a two-out two-run homer, putting Mazatlan up 2-0.  Mexicali got on the board in the third when Xorge Carrillo walked, went to third on a Fabricio Macias double, and scored on a ground out.  Aguilera homered leading off the fifth to tie it 2-2.

There was no more scoring until the eleventh.  One-out singles by Daniel Castro and Juarez put men on first and third, and a wild pitch put Mexicali up 3-2.  In the bottom of the inning Carlos Munoz drew a one-out walk.  With two out, Ricardo Valenzuela singled and Chris Roberson walked, loading the bases.  Figueroa then delivered a two-run single to win the game for Mazatlan.

WP:  Ryan Newell (1-1).  LP:  Edgar Gomez (0-2).  S:  None.

Notes:  Figueroa is batting .500.  Munoz was 0-for-4 and is batting .310.

Zavala's ERA is 2.25.  Espinosa has an ERA of 1.04.

If we must have the "start with a runner on second" rule, the way the Mexican League does it, starting that rule in the twelfth inning, makes more sense to me.  Give them a couple of extra innings to try to settle it with real baseball before using a gimmick to get the game over.

Mexicali was 0-for-7 with men in scoring position.

MEXICALI 11, MAZATLAN 5 IN MAZATLAN (10 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Jose Augusto Figueroa was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Carlos Munoz was 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Fernando Burgueno pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out one.  Adolfo Ramirez pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Xorge Carrillo was 4-for-6 with a double and two RBIs.  Javier Salazar was 3-for-6.  Eric Aguilera was 2-for-3 with a double, three walks, four runs, and two RBIs.  Alex Mejia was 2-for-6 with a double and three RBIs.  Greg Mahle pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Roque Gutierrez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two walks.

The game:  Munoz homered with two out in the first to give Mazatlan a 1-0 lead.  Mexicali responded in the third, scoring three times.  Daniel Castro and Luis Juarez opened the inning with walks, Aguilera delivered a two-run double, and Carrillo had a two-out RBI single, making it 3-1.

Mazatlan came back to tie it in the sixth.  Figueroa had a one-out single.  With two down, Hector Mora singled and Francisco Hernandez walked, loading the bases.  Walks to Ramon Rios and Munoz forced in two runs, making the score 3-3.

Mexicali went back in front in the eighth.  Aguilera singled, went to third on two wild pitches, and scored on a Mejia single to make it 4-3.  They added an insurance run in the ninth when Aguilera walked, Miguel Choice singled, and Carrillo had an RBI single.  But Mazatlan came back to tie it again in the bottom of the ninth.  Munoz singled, Isaac Paredes walked, Ricardo Valenzuela had an RBI single, and a passed ball tied it 5-5.

But Mexicali put it away in the tenth.  A single, an error, and a walk, loaded the bases.  A sacrifice fly brought home the go-ahead run, Jose Manuel Orozco tripled home two, a walk and a sacrifice fly made it 9-5, and back-to-back doubles by Carrillo and Mejia made it 11-5.  Mazatlan loaded the bases in the bottom of the tenth on two walks and a hit batsman, but could not come back.

WP:  Jake Sanchez (1-0).  LP:  Ryan Newell (1-2).  S:  None.

Notes:  Figueroa is batting .563.  Jose Luna was 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter and is batting .333.  Munoz is batting .323.

Burgueno has an ERA of 2.70.  Roberto Espinosa gave up a run in two-thirds of an inning to make his ERA 1.93.

Mazatlan has been using Newell as a closer, but he's just not getting it done.  In this game he gave up four runs (two-earned) in a third of an inning to raise his ERA to 10.29.

There were eighteen walks and three hit batsmen in the game.  Mazatlan pitchers walked seven and Mexicali pitchers walked eleven.  You'd think eleven walks and nine hits would produce more than five runs, but Mazatlan stranded sixteen and went 1-for-13 with men in scoring position.  Mexicali, on the other hand, went 7-for-15 with men in scoring position.

Record:  Mazatlan is 6-11, tied for seventh, nine games behind Obregon.

Next game:  Mazatlan goes to Guasave (6-11) Tuesday night.

Keeping Track

Mazatlan Recap: Game Fifteen

MEXICALI 3, MAZATLAN 1 IN MAZATLAN

Batting stars:  Edson Garcia was 2-for-3 with a double.  Carlos Munoz was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Marco Antonio Duarte pitched five innings, giving up one run on five hits and three walks and striking out four.  Ivan Zavala struck out two in a perfect inning.  Alejandro Soto pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Miguel Pena pitched six innings, giving up one run on five hits and three walks and striking out none.  Luis Juarez was 2-for-3 with a home run (his second) and a walk.  Eric Aguilera was 2-for-4 with a double.  Fabricio Macias was 2-for-4.  Edgar Gomez pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.  Greg Mahle pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Jake Sanchez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

The game:  It was scoreless until the fourth.  Ricardo Valenzuela walked, went to second on a ground out, and scored on Chris Roberson's single to put Mazatlan up 1-0.

That was as good as it got, though.  Mexicali tied it in the next half-inning.  Macias singled, stole second, and scored on a pair of wild pitches to make it 1-1.  In the seventh, Javier Salazar walked and Juarez hit a two-run homer to make it 3-1 Mexicali.

And that was it.  Mazatlan got a man on in each of the last two innings, bringing the tying run to the plate, but each time a double play ended the inning.

WP:  Pena (1-0).  LP:  Roman Pena (0-2).  S:  Sanchez (2).

Notes:  Munoz raised his average to .333.

Duarte's ERA is 1.17.  Zavala's ERA is 2.57.

Mazatlan has now lost four consecutive games.

Record:  Mazatlan is 5-10, tied for seventh with Guasave.

Next game:  Mazatlan again hosts Mexicali (4-11) tonight.

Keeping Track

Mazatlan Recap: Game Fourteen

OBREGON 2, MAZATLAN 1 IN MAZATLAN (11 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Jose Augusto Figueroa was 3-for-5.  Anthony Giansanti was 2-for-4 with a double.  Edson Garcia was 2-for-5 with a double and a walk.  Ricardo Valenzuela was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Irwin Delgado struck out five in five innings, giving up one run on two hits and two walks.  Ivan Zavala retired all four men he faced, striking out one.  Roberto Espinosa pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk and striking out one.  Ryan Newell pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Dallas Martinez pitched six innings, giving up one run on eight hits and a walk and striking out three.  Paulo Orlando was 2-for-4.  Sebastian Valle was 1-for-4 with a home run (his third) and two RBIs.  Fernando Sanchez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and striking out one.  Felipe Gonzalez struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up three hits.  Miguel Aguilar pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and striking out one.

The game:  Alonso Gaitan led off the game with a double, went to third on a ground out, and scored on an error to put Obregon up 1-0.  Mazatlan tied it in the fourth on singles by Valenzuela, Carlos Munoz, and Figueroa.

And that's where it stayed until the eleventh inning.  Valle led off the inning with a home run, and that was that.  Obregon got men to first and second with two out in the bottom of the eleventh, but Garcia struck out to end the game.

WP:  Gonzalez (1-0).  LP:  Adolfo Ramirez (0-1).  S:  Aguilar (6).

Notes:  Figueroa is batting .571.  He also has all the vowels in his last name.  Italo Mota is batting .385.  Despite that, he was pinch-hit for by Jose Luna, who is batting .357.  Munoz is batting .320.  Giansanti is batting .300.

Delgado's ERA is 2.57.  Marco Antonio Rivas pitched two-thirds of an inning without giving up a run and has an ERA of 2.84.  Gabino Avalos hit the only batter he faced, but the man did not score, so his ERA remains zero.  Zavala's ERA is 3.00.  Espinosa has an ERA of 1.35.

Mazatlan stranded thirteen men and was 2-for-14 with men in scoring position.  Obregon stranded ten and was 1-for-13 with men in scoring position.

The plate umpire's name was Socrates Marin.  It seems like Socrates is a good name for an umpire to have.

Obregon has swept the series.

Record:  Mazatlan is 5-9, in seventh place, seven games behind Obregon.

Next game:  Mazatlan hosts tenth-place Mexicali (3-11).

Keeping Track

Mazatlan Recap: Game Thirteen

OBREGON 6, MAZATLAN 1 IN MAZATLAN

Batting stars:  None.

Pitching star:  Edgar Torres pitched seven innings, giving up one run on four hits and three walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Arturo Lopez pitched six innings, giving up one run on three hits and no walks and striking out three.  Carlos Sepulveda was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Juan Carlos Gamboa was 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs.  Roberto Lopez was 1-for-2 with two walks.

The game:  It was a pitchers' duel for eight innings.  Obregon scored first, in the second inning, on singles by Gamboa and Lopez and a sacrifice fly.  Mazatlan tied it in the fourth on singles by Ramon Rios and Carlos Munoz and a double play grounder.

It stayed 1-1 until the ninth, when the roof fell in.  With one out, consecutive walks to Paulo Orlando, Gamboa, and Lopez loaded the bases.  Moises Gutierrez singled home a run, Tirso Ornelas hit a two-run double, and Alonso Gaitan hit a two-run single, making the score 6-1.  Mazatlan went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.

WP:  Tomas Solis (1-0).  LP:  Ryan Newell (0-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Munoz was 1-for-4 and is batting .326.

Torres lowered his ERA to 2.75.  Roberto Espinosa struck out both men he faced to drop his ERA to 1.59.

Mazatlan left only two men on base and was 0-for-2 with men in scoring position.

Mazatlan turned four double plays.

Record:  Mazatlan is 5-8, in seventh place, six games behind Obregon.

Next game:  Mazatlan hosts Obregon again tonight.

Keeping Track

Mazatlan Recap: Game Twelve

OBREGON 4, MAZATLAN 3 IN MAZATLAN

Batting star:  Francisco Hernandez was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk.

Pitching star:  Roberto Espinosa pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Alonzo Harris was 3-for-3.  Sebastian Valle was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Paulo Orlando was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Jesus Camargo pitched 4.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits and four walks and striking out two.  Fabian Anguamea pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Mario Meza pitched a perfect inning and had one strikeout.  Miguel Aguilar pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

The game:  Harris led off the game with a single, went to third on a stolen base-plus-error, and scored on a ground out to give Obregon a 1-0 lead.  It stayed 1-0 until the fifth, when Italo Mota drew a two-out walk and scored from first on Hernandez' double, tying the score at 1-1.

It only stayed tied until the next half-inning.  In the top of the sixth, Valle drew a one-out walk.  Singles by Orlando and Juan Carlos Gamboa loaded the bases.  Roberto Lopez then unloaded them with a three-run double, putting Obregon up 4-1.  Obregon got back into the game in the seventh.  With two out, Mota singled, Hernandez doubled, and Chris Roberson delivered a two-run single, cutting the margin to 4-3.

But that was as good as it got for Mazatlan.  They did not get another baserunner after Roberson's hit, and 4-3 is where the score stayed.

WP:  Fernando Sanchez (2-0).  LP:  Francisco Rios (2-1).  S:  Aguilar (5).

Notes:  Jose Luna was 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter and is batting .385.  Mota was 1-for-1 with two walks and is batting .364.  Carlos Munoz was 1-for-4 and is batting .333.  Hernandez is batting .300.

Rios started for Mazatlan and pitched 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out four.

Gabino Avalos retired both men he faced and has an ERA of zero.  Espinosa's ERA is 1.80.

Obregon's name is "Yaquis de Obregon".  Whether it's Yankees or Yaquis, my teams can't seem to beat them.

Record:  Mazatlan is 5-7, tied for sixth place, five games behind Obregon.

Next game:  Mazatlan hosts Obregon again tonight.

 

Keeping Track

Mazatlan Recap: Games Ten and Eleven

CULIACAN 6, MAZATLAN 4 IN CULIACAN

Batting stars:  Anthony Giansanti was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and a walk.  Carlos Munoz was 2-for-3 with two walks.  Diego Madero was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Marco Antonio Duarte pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits.

Opposition stars:  Edgar Arredondo struck out eight in six innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks.  Hans Wilson was 3-for-3.  Sebastian Elizelde was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.  Michael Wing was 2-for-4 with a double.  Joey Meneses was 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.  Sasagi Sanchez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and striking out one.  Alberto Baldonado pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

The game:  Mazatlan left the bases loaded in the first.  It cost them, as Culiacan got on the board in the bottom of the first with two runs.  Jesus Fabela, Ramiro Pena, and Elizalde all singled to start the inning, plating one run, and a sacrifice fly made it 2-0 Culiacan.  Mazatlan tallied in the top of the second when Jose Luna was hit by a pitch and scored on a Francisco Hernandez triple, but Culiacan got the run right back in the bottom of the second on singles by Alan Sanchez and Wilson and an infield out.  It was 3-1 Culiacan through two.

It went to 4-1 in the fourth when Michael Wing doubled and scored on Wilson's single.  But Mazatlan came back in the seventh.  With one out, Munoz walked, Ricky Alvarez singled, and Giansanti hit a three-run homer to tie it 4-4.

That was as good as it got for Mazatlan, though.  Elizalde and Meneses opened the eighth with back-to-back home runs, putting Culiacan up 6-4, and that's how it ended.  Mazatlan got a two-out single in the ninth, but nothing more.

WP:  Sagasi Sanchez (1-0).  LP:  Roman Pena (0-1).  S:  Baldonado (1).

Notes:  Munoz was batting .333.  Ricardo Valenzuela was 1-for-5 and was batting .321.  Giansanti was batting .306.

Carlos Felix started for Mazatlan but lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and no walks and striking out one.

Duarte has an ERA of zero.  Roberto Espinoza retired both men he faced and has an ERA of 2.45.

"Hans Wilson" seems like an odd name for a Mexican ballplayer to have, but he apparently was born in Obregon.  I don't know anything else about him, so I don't know if there's an interesting story there or not.

Record:  Mazatlan was 4-6.

MAZATLAN 12, CULIACAN 6 IN CULIACAN

Batting stars:  Jose Luna was 3-for-5 with a double.  Chris Roberson was 2-for-4 with a double.  Ricardo Valenzuela was 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and three RBIs.  Carlos Munoz was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Ricky Alvarez was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Italo Mota was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer.

Pitching stars:  Marco Antonio Rivas pitched a perfect inning.  Adolfo Ramirez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Joey Meneses was 3-for-3 with a two-run homer (his second) and two walks.  Jesus Fabela was 3-for-5 with two runs.  Alfredo Hurtado was 2-for-2 with a double.  Antonio Lamas was 2-for-4.  Gonzalo Sanudo pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.  Omar Sainz retired all four men he faced, striking out one.  Daniel Rodriguez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

The game:  Randy Romero opened the game with a walk, went to second on a passed ball, and scored on Munoz' double.  Anthony Giansanti later contributed an RBI single to put Mazatlan up 2-0.  Culiacan came right back in the bottom of the first, though.  Fabela and Ramiro Pena singled, an error scored a run, a walk loaded the bases, a sacrifice fly tied the score, and a wild pitch put Culiacan up 3-2 after one.

The second was scoreless, but Mazatlan took control in the third.  Romero, Roberson, and Munoz all singled, tying the score.  The next two batters went out, but Valenzuela singled to put Mazatlan ahead.  A wild pitch scored a run, Luna had an RBI single, and Mota hit a three-run homer, making the score 9-3 Mazatlan.

Culiacan did not get back into the game.  They scored once in the fifth on an RBI single by Sebastian Elizalde, but Mazatlan got two in the seventh on Valenzuela's two-run homer, making the score 11-4.  Culiacan got those two back on Meneses' two-run homer, but that was as close as they would come.  Mazatlan added a run in the ninth on two singles and two ground outs.

WP:  Carlos Morales (1-0).  LP:  Jose Carlos Medina (0-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Jose Augusto Figueroa is 1-for-1 and is batting .500.  Luna is batting .417.  Munoz is batting .342.  Valenzuela is batting .333.  Giansanti is batting .308.  Mota is batting .300.

Morales was the starter for Mazatlan.  He pitched 5.2 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk and striking out four.

Gabino Avalos retired both men he faced and has an ERA of zero.

Medina started for Culiacan and pitched just two innings.  He allowed five runs on six hits and a walk and struck out two.

There were two wild pitches and two passed balls in the game.

Gonzalo Sanudo is an ex-Twin.  He was with them in the Gulf Coast League in 2011 and 2012, then was traded to Houston.  He was in the Astros organization through 2016, reaching AAA for two games in 2015.

Record:  Mazatlan is 5-6, in sixth place, four games behind Obregon.

Next game:  Mazatlan hosts Obregon Tuesday.