At the rate of 15 hits, four connected by Melky Cabrera, Águilas Cibaeñas defeated Leones del Escogido by 11 laps to nine. Victoria secures him in the second position of the Dominican winter ball, for the BHD-León cup, dedicated to Don José Manuel Fernández.
Quisqueya-Juan Marichal Stadium was the scene of the meeting, the first of the triple afternoon. Victoria puts the group of eagles with a record of 15-12.
The victory went to Darío Álvarez (W, 2-0) and lost to Enny Romero (0-2), who jumped from the mound in the first half, when the winners scored seven times, with the eighth save for Neftalí Feliz.
That’s how the teams lined up
Melky Cabrera (LF) started for the Eagles; Ramón Torres (SS); Rangel Ravelo (1B); Isaiah Tejeda (DH); Johan Cmargo (3B); Robel Garcia (2B); Juan C. Pérez (CF); Francisco Peña (C); Arismendy Alcántara (RF).
Lance: Yunesky Maya, followed by Daury Torres, Darío Álvarez, Luis Castillo, Junior Fernández, Michael Ynoa and Neftalí Feliz.
Iván Castillo (2B) started with the Lions; Franchy Lamb (LF); Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3B); Aderlin Rodriguez (1B); Gregory Polanco (DH); Brett Sullivan (C); Cesar Puello (RF) Jonathan Guzman (SS).
Lance: Enny Romero, followed by David Paulino, Ramón García; Jonathan Cheshire, Edward Paredes, Víctor Capellán and Jumbo Díaz.
Party races
A weak Lions of the Chosen One defense allowed the Eagles to score seven times in the same first half, causing the Reds to jump off the opening mound. Romero, after facing six fights and more than 25 pitches in a third of a half, five runs, three wins.
The bad episode for Ales started when Estevan Florial failed to handle well a “light” flight of Melky Cabrera that was double; an indecision by Vladimir Guerrero in a hit by Tejeda for “choosing the fielder”, Rangel Ravelo and an error by Guerrero himself.
Cabrera scored a single from Ravelo; Torres was towed by Camargo’s sacrifice flight; Ravelo for Garcia’s single; Tejada for singles by Peña; García twice for Alcántara; Peña and Alcántara for Cabrera’s single.
In the third, the Eagles scored another to extend the advantage to 8-0, when Pérez started the half with a double, a single by Peña and which took him to the anteroom where he scored a single by Alcántara.
At the bottom of the fifth half, an error by Ramón Torres complicated the half for Águilas and the Maya pitcher, for four undeserved rounds of five scored by the Lions and left the game without the option of victory.
In the episode they scored Florial, led by Castillo’s single; Guzmán for one of Cordero; Castillo on a sacrifice fly by Guerrero Jr. and Rodriguez homerun with Cordero in circulation, to get close to 8-5 on the scoreboard.
The Eagles added three touchdowns in the sixth to extend the lead to 11-5, when they scored on Ravelo, who scored on a pick; Camargo and García were towed by Francisco Peña’s double.
At the bottom of the eighth, the Lions scored four times to get closer to 11-9. A homerun by Miguel Gómez with Puello in circulation produced the first two halves, and Cordero and Castillo were led by Guerrero’s double.