Charros Drop Opener to Tomateros de Culiacan 3-1

Ben Kozlowski started the game for the Charros last night and pitched a pretty good 5 2/3 innings. The Tomateros de Culiacan won the game 3-1 but Kozlowski did not figure in the decision. The Tomateros exhibited some good pitching of their own although their starter, Marco Camarena, also got a no decision.

The game was scoreless through 5 innings. In the top of the 6th, Leo Heras singled to lead off. Manny Rodriguez followed with an RBI double and the Charros took the early lead 1-0. The way Kozlowski was pitching that looked as if it might be enough.

The first two batters for the Tomateros in the bottom of the 6th, JC Linares and Nick Buss went down quietly. With two outs, Kozlowski tossed a mistake to Jorge Vazquez that he hit out of the park to right. The score was tied at 1. Juan Navarrete, the Charros manager, yanked Kozlowski for reliever Alan Guerrero. Guerrero gave up a single to Arturo Rodriguez and a double to Ronnier Mustelier. Sergio Gastelum then got the third consecutive hit off of Guerrero, a single that scored Rodriguez and Mustelier. That would be all the scoring in the game as Culiacan won by the final score of 3-1.

The Charros squandered opportunities in each of the last three innings. They had Gabriel Gutierrez on first in the top of the 7th. Jesus Lopez hit a grounder to second that hit Gutierrez for an out. The Charros would not score.

In the top of the 8th, Leo Heras was caught stealing second after a lead off single. Again, the Charros would not score.

After putting runners on 1st and 2nd in the top of the 9th, pinch hitter Jesus Cota hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

Leo Heras went 3 for 4 on the night with a double and a run scored. Gabriel Gutierrez was 2 for 4 while Manny Rodriguez went 1 for 3 with the lone Charros RBI.

Alan Guerrero took the loss for Jalisco while reliever Manny Barreda got the win for Culiacan and Ricardo Gomez picked up his third save of the young season.