Licey will not be in the postseason, but it will be a great pleasure if he manages to prevent the Eagles from finishing in first place and Tuesday’s game can be a factor.
Narciso Crook came into the game with 24 exhausted bats, only three shots (single) for a poor .125 and an RBI. But the 25-year-old outfield, who had not played since December 19, broke the guinea pig dance with three runs at home and leading in all eight blue runs in the 8-3 victory.
Crook, originally from Nagua and taken in the ninth round of the 2015 rookie shootout, had just appeared in 12 games. According to journalist Tuto Tavárez, this is the ninth time a batsman has hit a trio of homers in a Lidom game.
It was the 12th victory for the cats against 17 losses. The master back sets his mark at 16-14, less than half a game for the Bulls (16-13), who close their calendar on Wednesday. The team that finishes on the first position will face the fourth place in one of the series of the semifinals.
In Quisqueya Juan Marichal Park, the victory went to Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-0) and the defeat of Marcos Diplán (3-1).
Yermín Mercedes had two shots and scored three times, and Michael de León scored 4-2 for Licey. For the Eagles, Rangel Ravelo had two hits in five bats and Jon Kemmer in four.
races
The guinea pigs took control of the match in the first half. With two outings, the Cuban Rangel Ravelo made it simple in the center and doubled in the middle of Isaías Tejeda’s field.
The yellow lead increased in the second, when Jon Kemmer hit the right, Juan Carlos Pérez and Francisco Peña went and the blue catcher Roberto Peña committed a passing ball that gave rise to the third runner.
But the blues was repeated at the end of the second. Yermín Mercedes opened the half with a tubey on the right, Whynton Bernard rolled that pitcher Ángel Rondón did not manage and Narciso Crook hit a three-lap round.
Santiago’s men equalized the collapse in the fourth half, combining the shots of Peña and Melky Cabrera with a base by Ramón Torres to congest the bases and a shot by Ravelo that the receiver Ramón Peña failed to enter the race.
However, the cats regained their advantage in the sixth, with a dose similar to the third. Mercedes received four bad shots from Marcos Diplán and then Crook blew the goal for the second time with 5-3.
In the eighth, the hosts inflated the advantage. Mercedes opened the scoring with a shot to the left, Wynton Bernard hit home from the same area and Crook sent his third homer of the night.