Mazatlan Drops Jalisco 10-8

5 HOME RUNS IN THE GAME NOT A LOT OF EFFECTIVE PITCHING

Konner Wade

The game started as if the pitchers were throwing batting practice. Jalisco gave up 3 runs in the top of the 1st and the Venados let in 4 runs in the bottom of the 2nd.

The Venados scored 3 more runs in the 4th, another in the 7th and topped of their run scoring with a 4 run 8th inning.

Jalisco had taken the early 4-3 lead but after the Venados took the 6-4 lead in the 4th, they were playing catch up the rest of the game and never quite made it and the Venados took the 10-8 win.

Sherman Johnson led off the game with a solo home run. A double by Brian Hernandez and an Alex Liddi gave Mazatlan a 2-0 lead. Kenny Wilson singled to drive in Liddi for the 3-0 lead after 1/2 of an inning.

Stephen Cardullo began the bottom of the 2nd for Jalisco to cut the lead to 3-1. Kevin Medrano singled and one out later Julian Ornelas homered to right to tie the game at 3. With two outs, Amadeo Zazueta singled and stole second. Zazueta scored on a single by Agustin Murillo.

Mazatlan scored 3 runs in the 4th with the big blow a 2 run home run to right center off of the bat of Liddi as the Vendos took a 6-4 lead.

Alex Liddi

Quincy Latimore singled to score Wilson in the top of the 7th as Mazatlan increased their lead to 7-4.

The Charros'  Enrique Osorio homered in the bottom half of the 7th to score Manny Rodriguez get Jalisco closer at 7-6.

Mazatlan scored 3 runs in the top of the 8th for the 10-6 lead . Jalisco scored 2 of their own runs in the bottom of the inning but Mazatlan had the 10-8 win.

Konner Wade (4-0) got the win despite giving up the 4 early runs. Brandon Brennan earned his 1st save of the season. Marco Tovar (0-1) took the loss for the Charros

Charros In Slugfest Win Over Naranjeros

15 HITS, 11 RUNS AND ART CHARLES POWER JALISCO

Art Charles' 4th HR of the Year

The Charros and Naranjeros combined to use 14 pitchers in the game. Those pitchers gave up 33 hits, 5 walks, threw 2 wild pitchers, hit a batter and tossed 3 home run balls in the Jalisco 11-8 win.

Although the game was no pitchers duel, by any stretch of the imagination, it produced in the fans the full spectrum of emotions from jubilation to apprehension to frustration and elation.

Jalisco sent 13 batters to the plate in the bottom of the 1st inning. 5 singles, 3 doubles, a wild pitch and a home run resulted in 9 runs and a seemingly insurmountable 9-0 lead for the home team. There was jubilation in the stands.

Amador Scores in the 1st

Apprehension arrived in the 3rd and 4th innings as the Naranjeros scored twice in the 3rd when Jorge Flores led off with a home run and then 3 consecutive singles produced the second run and cut the lead to 9-2. We, as fans, have watched this scenario too many times with the Charros pitching. Starter, Marco Tovar seemed to have lost his stuff in the 3rd.

Tovar sandwiched 2 walks around a single to load the bases with 1 out in the top of the 4th. The frustration came, as in several other games, when the Jalisco manager, Homar Rojas, failed to put the last 2 innings together and pull Tovar before it was too late. Tovar had proved to be ineffective in the 3rd and continued that ineffectiveness in the 4th. In this case Rojas' decision resulted in a grand slam home run by Eric Young Jr. that reduced the Charros lead to 9-6. An RBI single by Jose Amador later in the inning made it a 9-7 Charros lead.

Marco Tovar, Charros Starter

Apprenhension came back to haunt the fans in the top of the 9th. Closer, Aaron Kurcz, gave up 2 singles and a walk and then another single that drove in a run as Hermosillo pulled to within 3 runs at 11-8. Young singled again to reload the bases before Kurcz got Efren Navarro to pop up to third to end the game and bring elation to the 9,002 fans at Estadio de Charros.

Ramon Delgado (1-0) was the lucky winner in the roulette of Charros pitchers while Edgar Torres (0-2) lasted just 1/3 of an inning for the Naranjeros in absorbing the loss.

It's on to Navojoa for the 11-9 Charros for a 3 game weekend series with the Mayos.

IN OTHER LMP ACTION

Obregon, 3, Navojoa 2

After the Mayos had tied the score 2 all in the top of the 8th, Carlos Valencia hit a 2 out double to left to score Matt Juengel with the go ahead run and Carlos Fisher (2-0) set the Mayos down in the 9th for the 3-2 Yaquis win. Alejandro Barraza (0-1) took the loss. Valencia was 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs for Obregon while Jesus Castillo went 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs for Navojoa.

Mexicali 6, Los Mochis 5

The Aguilas goa a grand slam home run from CJ Retherford (his 5th hr of the year) in a 5 run 8th inning and survived a 3 run bottom of the 9th by the Caneros to win in Los Mochis 6-5. Retherford was 1 for 4 on the night but that 1 hit provided the margin of victory for Mexicali. The Aguilas committed 3 errors on the game and the Caneros had only 1 RBI and 2 earned runs in the loss. Francisco Rodriguez (3-0) got the win in relief. Andres Avila was charges with a blown save resulting in a loss for Santiage Gutierrez (2-1).

Culiacan 3, Mazatlan 1

Edgar Gonzalez (2-1) worked 6 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits, walking 2 and striking out 3 to earn the victory and Javy Guerra notched his 2nd save of the season as the Tomateros beat the Venados 3-1. Starter Felipe Gonzalez (0-2) was charged with the loss. 17,834 fans watched the home team win yet again over Mazatlán. Ronnier Mustelier was 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and Joey Meneses 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs for Culiacan. Cyle Hankerd went 0 for 2 but his sac fly produced the only Vanados run.

Caneros Take Series From Charros With 5-1 Win

AGUSTIN MURILLO'S HR ONLY BRIGHT SPOT IN LOSS

The Caneros de Los Mochis took the 3 game series with the Charros, 2 games to 1, with the 5-1 win on Thursday.

Poor starting pitching was a problem again for Jalisco as Marco Tovar gave up 3 runs on 6 hits in 3 innings on the mound.

But there were other problems too. The relief pitchers walked three Caneros (2 of which scored), threw a wild pitch that led to a run and hit a batter.

The Charros hitters struck out 10 times and were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position. They were also caught stealing twice.

Jalisco Manager Homar Rojas

Homar Rojas, the Jalisco manager, had Michael Choice and Cacao Valdez, arguably the slowest runners on the offense, try to steal second (each time with 1 out) and behind just 3-0. In the 4th inning, Choice was caught stealing and Art Charles followed with a double. Instead of at least runners at second and third with 1 out, the Charros were left with a runner at second and 2 outs. Rojas tried it again in the 5th inning with the same result.

Choice Caught Stealing

The Charros fell to 3-5 on the year. They have been shut out twice and held to 1 run in two other games.

Los Mochis loaded the bases with 1 out in the top of the 1st and scored their first run on a sac fly to right by Emmanuel Avila. Leandro Castro then doubled to drive in Juan Carlos Gamboa for the 2-0 Caneros lead.

Cacao Valdez Out at Second

Gamboa added to the Caneros lead in the 2nd inning with a single to left that scored Sergio Garcia, who had doubled earlier. Los Mochis led 3-0.

JC Linares and Leandro Castro both walked in the top of the 7th and moved up a base on a wild pitch by Jalisco reliever Victor Gonzalez. Ramon Orantes singled to drive in Linares and Castro scored when Gilberto Galaviz reached on a fielding error by the Charro's shortstop. The Caneros lead was now 5-0.

Agustin Murillo's sole home run leading off the bottom of the 7th was the lone run scored by Jalisco and cut the lead to 5-1.

Julian Arballo on the Mound

Julian Arballo (2-0) pitched 5 innings for the Caneros striking out 6 and holding the Charros to 5 hits in the win. Jon Sintes struck out 2 in the 9th to pick up his 2nd save of the year.

Tovar (0-2) lasted 3 innings. He threw 60 pitches in those 3 innings giving up 3 runs and 6 hits in taking the loss.

The Tomateros arrive in Guadalajara today to begin a 3 game weekend series against Jalisco.

IN OTHER LMP ACTION

Culiacan 6, Mexicali 5

Sebastian Elizalde hit a walk off single in the bottom of the 9th inning to drive in Jose Orozco as the Tomateros beat the Aguilas 6-5. CJ Retherford hit 2 home runs and drove in 3 for Mexicali but it wasn't enough. Joey Meneses homered for Culiacan. Derrick Loop (1-1) picked up the win in relief while Adrian Garza (0-1) took the loss.

The 2nd of Retherford's HRs

Mazatlán 3, Hermosillo 1

The Venados scored twice in the first inning and held on to beat the Naranjeros 3-1, Hermosillo had pulled to within a run on a sac fly by Eric Young Jr. in the 3rd but Cyle Hankerd homered in the bottom of the inning to put Mazatlán up 3-1. Jesus Sanchez (1-1) allowed 1 run on 4 hits in 5 1/3 innings to get the win and Benino Pruneda walked 2 and struck out 2 in the 9th to record his 1st save of the year. Tim Melville (0-1) took the loss.

Obregon 11, Navojoa 8

No pitching contest here as the Yaquis scored 11 runs on 10 hits and the Mayos 8 runs on 13 hits. Sergio Contreras was 2 for 4 with 5 RBIs and Justin Greene 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs for the Yaquis. Jesus Castillo went 1 for 3 with a 3 run home run and 4 RBIs, Humberto Sosa 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs and Randy Arozarena 4 for 5 for the Mayos. Arturo Lopez (2-0) got the win and Zack Dodson (0-1) took the loss. 

Yaquis Shut Down Charros 2-0

CHARROS HAVE SCORED 1 RUN IN 27 INNINGS

Marco Tovar

After yesterdays post about the Charro's poor pitching, last night's starter, Marco Tovar was very good. He worked 5 innings, struck out 3, walked 1 and gave up an unearned run in taking the loss. Pretty impressive. Unfortunately the Yaquis starter, Blake Beavan was a tad better. Beavan shutdown the Jalisco offense for 5 2/3 innings, striking out 4 and limiting the Charros to 3 hits.

Speaking of the offense, after scoring 18 runs in the opening day game, the Charros have been shutout twice and held to 1 run in the other loss. That's 1 run in 27 innings of play. During that 3 game span the Charros are 3 for 19 with runners in scoring position (a .157 batting average).

Homar Rojas shook up the lineup last night in hopes of producing more runs. Edson Garcia went from #9 in the order to leadoff. Lastings Milledge, the leadoff hitter for the first 3 games, dropped to seventh in the order. Rojas also swapped the #4 and 5 hitters with Cacao Valdez hitting cleanup and Art Charles fifth.

Obregon opened the scoring in the bottom of the 5th inning. With one out, Carlos Valencia singled and was save at second on a fielding error by Manny Rodriguez. Jose Felix then doubled to score Valencia for the 1-0 lead.

The Jalisco relievers continued to pitch well until the bottom of the 8th when Christian Villanueva hit a lead off first pitch home run to left for the final 2-0 margin of victory.

Villanueva Home Run

Marco Tovar was saddled with the loss for Jalisco. Blake Beavan picked up the win for his effort and Ryan Kelly notched his 1st save of the year.

One more game in Obregon before the Charros return home to face the Caneros for three games beginning on Tuesday the 18th of October.

IN OTHER LMP ACTION

Mexicali 6, Mazatlán 2

The Aguilas scored 4 times in the second inning and went on to beat the Venados 6-2. The big blow of the inning was a 3 run triple off the bat of Chris Roberson. Roberson was 2 for 4 on the night with 4 RBIs. Paul Leon went 2 for 4 with a home run for Mazatlán. Efren Delgado got the win for the Aguilas and Felipe Gonzalez took the loss.

Hermosillo 7, Navojoa 4

Neither starter in the game was very effective with the Mayo's Jorge Castillo allowing 5 runs on 5 hits while striking out 6 and being charged with the loss. The Naranjeros starter, Pablo Ortega, did not figure in the final decision and reliever Jose Samayoa picked up the win. Paul Sewald got his 3rd save of the year in just the 4th game of the season.

Los Mochis 7, Culiacan 6 (10 innings)

The Caneros got a walk off home run from Sergio Garcia with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to beat the Tomateros 7-6. Culiacan had tied the game in the 7th inning on an RBI double by Sebastian Elizalde and a sac fly from Joey Meneses. Derrick Loop was the losing pitcher while the Canero's Jon Sintes earned the win pitching the 9th and 10th innins for Los Mochis

Venados Sweep Charros With 6-2 Win In Game 3

JALISCO DROPS 4TH STRAIGHT GAME

The Charros fell behind early to Mazatlán and couldn't catch up as they lost the series to the Venados. Jalisco was outscored by Mazatlán 17-7 in the series.

Jesus Sanchez (2-1), the Mazatlán starter, threw 6 innings of shutout ball, holding the Charros to just 3 hits while striking out 3.

Charros Starter Marco Tovar

Marc Tovar (2-2) pitched well for 5 1/3 innings before his game fell apart in the 6th inning when the Venados scored 3 runs to take a 6-0 lead.

Mazatla scored in the bottom of the 1st inning when Cyle Hankerd hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored Jeremias Pineda for the 1-0 lead. Pineda had reached third on a wild pitch by Tovar.

Hankerd drove in 2 more in the bottom of the 3rd inning, doubling to right to score Pineda and Jose Ruiz to give Mazatlán a 3-0 lead.

The Venados broke the game open in the 6th inning. Hankerd led of with a single. Olmo Rosario singled to left and Albino Contreras laid down a bunt single that loaded the bases. Jose Felix grounded into a 6-4 fielders choice that scored Hankerd. Jesus Fabela doubled to score Rosario. After Ivan Zavala replaced Tovar on the mound for the Charros, Paul Leon hit a sac fly to right for the third run of the inning and a 6-0 Mazatlán lead.

Arredondo Sac Fly Scores Lopez

Jalisco rallied for 2 runs in the top of the 8th. Jesus Lopez led off the inning being hit by a pitch. Alejandro Ortiz walked and Fernando Valenzuela drew a base on balls to load the bases with no outs. Eduardo Arredondo  hit a sac fly to center to score Lopez and the Charros were on the board. Manny Rodriguez followed with a single to right that scored Ortiz but when Leo Heras and Japhet Amador hit ground ball outs the inning was over and the final score was 6-2 Venados.

Cyle Hankerd was 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs, Jesus Fabela 2 for 3 with an RBI and Jose Ruiz 2 for 4 for the Venados.

Arredondo and Rodriguez had the RBIs for the Charros who were held to 4 hits on the evening.

IN OTHER LMP ACTION:

Hermosillo 7, Los Mochis 6

The Naranjeros scored 7 runs in the 8th inning to turn a 5-0 deficit into a 7-5 lead and held on to top the Caneros 7-6. Hermosillo had 11 hits, all singles, in the win while Los Mochis got home runs from Juan Carlos Gamboa and Sergio Garcia in the loss. Derek Eitel (1-2) picked up the win in relief with Juan Urquidez notching his 2nd save of the year. Andres Avila (0-2) lasted just 1/3 of an inning in the 8th giving up 3 runs on 2 hits to take the loss. Gamboa was 3 for 4 with the home run, Saul Soto 2 for 5 with an RBI and Emmanuel Avila 1 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored for the Caneros. Jose Amador went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored, Carlos Gastelum 2 for 4 with an RBI and JC Linares 2 for 4 for Hermosillo.

Navojoa 3, Mexicali 1

The Mayos scored twice in the 1st inning and held off the Aguilas 3-1. Eddie Gamboa (2-0) pitched 8 innings, allowing 5 hits and a run while striking out 6 and Carlos Bustamante recorded his 4th save of the year. Marco Duarte (0-2) gave up all 3 Mayo runs and walked 5 in the loss for Mexicali. Diego Madero was 2 for 4 with an RBI and Alan Sanchez drove in a run on a 1 for 3 night at the plate for the Mayos. CJ Retherford went 2 for 3 and Walter Ibarra 3 for 4 in the Aguilas loss.

Aguilas Get Walk Off Triple To Top Charros 5-4

JALISCO'S 3RD EXTRA INNING CONTEST IN LAST 4 GAMES

Manager Juan Navarrete

The Charros lost this game on two decisions made by the coaching staff. After Jalisco took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 6th inning, manager Juan Navarrete made the decision to pull starter Marco Tovar. To this point Tovar had given up 1 run and gotten the 1st out of the inning before giving up a single. Reliever Manuel Flores came in and gave up a 1st pitch 2 run home run that tied the game. The second mistake occurred in the top of the 9th inning. With one out and runners on first and second, Leo Heras doubled, scoring the runner on second but the third base coach made the decision to send the runner who had been on first, home. The relay throw nailed the runner and although the Charros had regained the lead, the Aguilas would score in the bottom of the 9th.

Marquis Smith walked with one out in the top of the second for the Charros and went to second when Alejandro Ortiz hit a slow roller to short for a single. Amadeo Zazueta followed with a single to center to score Smith that gave Jalisco a 1-0 lead.

Zazueta RBI Single

The Aguilas tied the score in their half of the 2nd inning when CJ Retherford drew a walk and scored on a triple to the alley in left center by Luis Juarez.

Jalisco retook the lead in the 4th inning on a double to left by Alex Liddi and an RBI single by Amadeo Zazueta. The Charros led 2-1.

The Mexicali reliever, Jose Lopez, hit Marquis Smith with one out in the top of the 6th. Alejandro Ortiz doubled to center with Smith stopping at third. Zazueta was intentionally walked to load the bases. Pinch hitter Christian Presichi hit a ground ball to third that scored Smith to give the Charros a 3-1 lead.

Marco Tovar

Marco Tovar, the Charros starter, got the first batter in the bottom of the 6th, CJ Retherford, to fly out to left and then gave up a single to Chris Roberson. Manuel Flores was brought in to face Luis Juarez who hit the first pitch he saw from Flores for a 2 run home run that tied the game at 3 all.

Manny Rodriguez hit a one out single to center in the top of the 9th and after Cacao Valdez walked, Rodriguez scored on a double by Leo Heras. Pinch runner Edson Garcia was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first on the hit. Jalisco was once again back on top 4-3.

Brian Broderick, in to pitch the 9th, gave up a single to Wellington Dotel, got the next two batters out but gave up a run scoring single to CJ Retherford. Pinch runner Jon Del Campo was picked off second for the third out but the score was tied and the game was headed for extra innings.

The Aguilas Xorge Carrillo singled with one out in the bottom of the 10th and scored when Missael German tripled to left center to give Mexicali the walk off 5-4 win.

Francisco Gil (1-0) picked up the win in relief. Brian Broderick (0-1) was charged with his 1st blown save of the year and took the loss.

The Charros fell to 8-5 on the year while the Aguilas improved to 10-3 and sit atop  the LMP standings.

IN OTHER LMP ACTION:

Los Mochis 6, Ciudad de Obregon 5

Avila HR / Andrey Fuentes

The Caneros scored 5 times in the first 4 innings and withstood a 3 run rally by the Yaquis in the 9th inning to beat Obregon 6-5. Emmanuel Avila was 2 for 5 with a 3 run home run and Gilberto Galaviz went 3 for 3 with a run scored for Los Mochis. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2 for 4 with a walk and a home run, Christian Villanueva 2 for 5 and Iker Franco 2 for 4 for Obregon in the loss. Roy Merritt (1-0) got the win for the Caneros as Andres Avila picked up his 5th save of the year. Irwin Delgado gave up 5 runs on 7 hits in 3 1/3 innings to take the loss for the Yaquis.

Mazatlán 5, Culiacan 2

The Venados scored 3 runs in the 3rd inning on their way to a 5-2 win over the Tomateos. Culiacan, last years LMP Champions, fell to 3-10 on the year while the Venados moved to 5-8. Esteban Quiroz was 3 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored and Heber Gomez 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs for Mazatlán. Jorge Cantu went 1 for 5 with 2 RBIs for the Tomateros. Alejandro Soto (1-0) worked 5 2/3 innings giving up 2 runs on 6 hits for the win with Steven Hensley notching his 4th save. Marco Camarena (1-1) gave up all 5 Venado runs on 8 hits in 4 2/3 innings and was charged with the loss.

Hermosillo 6, Navojoa 2

The Naranjeros scored 5 runs in the first 2 innings and went on to a 6-2 victory over the Mayos in Navojoa. Jerry Owens and Jose Amador homered for Hermosillo and Carlos Gastelum was 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs. Diego Madero was 2 for 4 with his 3rd triple of the year for the Mayos. Alejandro Gonzalez went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and Jesus Castillo  2 for 4 with a run scored for Navojoa. Nate Reed (1-1) scattered 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings giving up both Mayos runs to get the win. Danny Gutierrez (0-2) lasted just 1 1/3 innings allowing 5 runs on6 hits to take the loss for the Mayos.

Charros Crush Tomateros 10-1

AMADOR AND VALENZUELA HOMER IN THE WIN

Marco Tovar

On a perfect day for baseball in Guadalajara, the Charros were almost perfect in defeating the Tomateros de Culiacan 10-1 behind a strong outing by starter Marco Tovar (2-0). Tovar worked 6 innings, giving up the lone run on 6 hits while striking out 2.

The Charros had built a 2-0 lead when Nick Buss singled to start the top of the 4th for Culiacan. Sergio Gastelum followed with a double to left center with Buss stopping at third. Ryan Lollis hit a ground ball to second that scored Buss as the Tomateros cut the Charros lead to 2-1.

Jalisco responded quickly and resoundingly in their half of the 4th inning. Edson Garcia drew a lead off walk and went to third on a single by Gabriel Gutierrez. Jesus Lopez dropped a squeeze bunt down the first base line that catcher Ali Solis couldn't handle, Garcia scored and all runners were safe. Eduardo Arredondo laid down a bunt for a single and the bases were loaded. With one out, Jesus Valdez hit a long fly ball to left center that scored Gutierrez for the 4-1 lead. With one swing of the bat, Japhet Amador made it a 7-1 game with a long 3 run home run to left.

Pinch hitter, Fernando Valenzuela Jr. hit a solo home run to right to increase the Charros lead to 8-1.

Eduardo Arredondo singled in the bottom of the 8th and went to second on a throwing error by the Tomatero shortstop. Manny Rodriguez than lofted a fly ball into right center that fell between the two Tomatero outfielders for a single. Alejandro Ortiz singled to drive in Arredondo. Following a walk to Japhet Amador that loaded the bases, Alex Liddi hit a sac fly to right that scored Ortiz for the 10-1 lead and the win.

Felipe Arredondo (0-1) gave up 7 runs on 9 hits to take the loss for the Tomateros who fell to 1-6 on the year while the Charros improved to 6-1.

IN OTHER LMP ACTION

Mexicali 5, Los Mochis 3

The Aguilas scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th to overcome a 3-2 deficit and beat the Caneros 5-3. Andres Avila (0-1) was charged with a blown save and the loss. Francisco Rodriguez (1-0) picked up the win in relief and Adam Reifer notched his 3rd save of the year. Chris Roberson was 3 for 4 and Gil Velazquez went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs for Mexicali. Yunesky Betancourt homered for the Aquilas. Saul Soto homered for the Caneros and Roldolfo Amador was 2 for 4 in a losing effort.

Hermoillo 7, Mazatlán 3 (13 innings)

The Naranjeros snapped a 6 game losing streak with a wild 13 inning win in Mazatlán. Hermosillo scored 4 runs in the top of the 13th to defeat the Venados 7-3. Mazatlan had tied the game in the bottom of the 9th. The Naranjeros used 8 pitchers in the win while the Venados called on 7 pitchers. Ronnie Shaban was charged with a blown save for Hermosillo while Nickolas Sarianides (1-0) picked up the win. Jesus Sanchez (1-1) took the loss. Adan Munoz had a home run and 2 RBIs, Jose Amador went 3 for 4 with an RBI with Sebastion Elizalde and Carlos Gastelum both driving in runs for the Naranjeros. Heber Gomez was 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Venados.

Ciudad de Obregon 5, Navojoa 0

Christian Villanueva hit a 2 run home run in the bottom of the 1st inning, his 4th of the year, to lead the Yaquis to a 5-0 whitewash of the Mayos. Victor Arano (2-0) picked up the win in relief while the Navojoa starter, Daniel Gutierrez (0-1), took the loss. Villanueva, Asael Sanchez, Iker Franco and Luis Urias were all 2 for 4 for the Yaquis. Jesus Castillo went 2 for 4 for the Mayos.

Tomateros Win LMP Championship 4 Games To 1

TOP CHARROS 4-3 IN GAME 5

With the exception of the first game, where the Tomateros de Culiacan used an offensive explosion, they used very good pitching to shut down the Charros' potent offense. Culiacan outscored the Charros in the series 28-17. It is often said that good pitching wins over good hitting in a seven game series. That adage holds true for this series.

Culiacan started the scoring in the bottom of the 3rd. Sergio Gastelum led off with a single to right, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ramiro Pena and scored when Rico Noel singled to center. Maxwell Leon followed with a single that moved Noel to third. Leon stole second and both runners scored when Eric Farris singled to right. The Tomateros led 3-0 after three innings.

Issmael Salas homered to left for the Tomateros in the bottom of the 4th to stretch the Culiacan lead to 4-0.

The Charros got on the board in the top of the 5th when Marquez Smith hit a solo home run to left to lead off the inning. The Culiacan lead was 4-1.

Jalisco scored again in the 6th. With one out, Eduardo Arredondo drew a base on balls and went to third on a single by Manny Rodriguez. Leo Heras grounded into a 4-6 fielder's choice to drive in Arredondo and narrow the Tomateros lead to 4-2.

CJ Retherford pinch hit for Amadeo Zazueta to lead off the 8th inning for the Charros and hit a long home run to deep center field to bring the Charros to within a run at 4-3.

Oscar Villarreal pitch a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the Tomateros to pick up the save and preserve the win for the Culiacan starter, Anthony Vasquez. Marco Tovar took the loss for the Charros.

The season was an exciting one for the fans of the Charros. They finished with the best record in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico and Manny Rodriguez stands a very good chance to be named the MVP of the league. Japhet Amador tied for the league lead in home runs and led the league in RBIs. Congratulations on a fine season! Todos Somos Charros!

The Tomateros de Culiacan move on now to the Caribbean Baseball World Series to be played in Puerto Rico.  Congratulations to the Tomateros and the fans of the Charros wish you well in the World Series.

Charros Score 5 Runs in 7th, Top Obregon 6-1

JALISCO TAKES 1 GAME TO NONE LEAD IN SEMIFINALS    

Marco Tovar

Marco Tovar pitched an outstanding game going 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one unearned run, scattering 7 hits but left with the score tied 1-1. Mario Mendoza got the win in relief of Tovar with the help of a 5 run Charros 7th. Manny Acosta worked the 9th for the Charros. Jose Pina took the loss for the Yaquis de Obregon.

There was playoff electricity in the air from the 12,005 people in attendence at the stadium as Marco Tovar set the Yaquis down in order and the Charros came to bat. The Charros would score in the bottom of the 1st. Manny Rodriguez was hit by a pitch. Leo Heras and Japhet Amador drew walks and Jon Weber singled to right to score Rodriguez for the early 1-0 Charros lead.                                                               

Manny Rodriguez Hit by Pitch

One of the strangest plays of the year happened in the bottom of the second. Gabriel Gutierrez was hit by a pitch with one out. Jesus Lopez singled with Gutierrez stopping at second. Eduardo Arredondo then hit a ball that he thought went off his foot that would have been a foul ball. No foul call was made by the home plate ump and the ball went to the pitcher who threw to the shortstop covering second to force out Lopez. The relay to first went wild but because Arredondo was hobbling at home and didn't run, the Yaquis retrieved the errant throw and got Arredondo at first to end the inning.

JC Linares drew a base on balls to lead off the 5th for Obregon. Two outs and a sacrifice bunt later,  Said Gutierrez reached safely on an error by the Charros CJ Retherford that scored Linares with the tying run. Corey Wimberly then doubled down the line in left. A fan in the seats along the wall grabbed the ball for a fan interference ground rule double. Tovar then got Jose Chaves to ground out to second to end the inning, but the score was tied at 1.

The Yaquis threatened in the 7th when Corey Wimberly and Jose Chaves singled with two outs. Mario Mendoza came on in relief of Tovar and struck out Yunesky Sanchez to end the inning.

Jesus Lopez reached for the Charros in the bottom of the 7th when the Yaquis left fielder dropped Lopez' fly ball. Lopez was not running on the fly ball and only reached first when he should easily have been on second. Eduardo Arredondo then hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice that cut down Lopez at second. Manny Rodriguez singled to put runners on first and second with one out. Japhet Amador singled to score Arredondo and Jon Weber followed with a single to right that scored Rodriguez and Heras. CJ Retherford waited out a walk to load the bases again for Jalisco and Marquez Smith came through with a two run single that plated Amador and Weber. The Charros had scored 5 runs and had a 6-1 lead. Mario Mendoza and Manny Acosta did the rest.    

Marquez Smith 2 Run Single

Playoff Baseball Returns to Guadalajara

CHARROS TOP VENADOS 4-1 TO TAKE GAME 1

The 2014 Liga de Mexicana del Pacifico regular season has come to an end and the Charros de Jalisco have finished as the top seed in their first year in the league. Jalisco started off the post season with a 4-1 win over the Venados de Mazatlan to go up 1 game to none in the best of seven series.

Marquez Smith got things going for the Charros in the bottom of the 3rd by drawing a lead off walk. Gabriel Gutierrez followed with a double to move Smith to third. Jesus Lopez then hit a sac fly to center that scored Smith and moved Gutierrez to third. Gutierrez scored when the Venados third baseman threw wild to first on a ground ball off the bat of Manny Rodriguez. The Charros led 2-0 and never looked back.

The Venados got a run back in the top of the 4th on a double by Ronnier Mustelier and a single by Olmo Rosario to cut the lead to 2-1 Charros.

Jalisco scored in the bottom of the 6th on singles by Leo Heras and Japhet Amador and a single by Charros newcomer, Jon Weber, formerly of the Mayos de Navojoa, that scored Heras for the 3-1 Jalisco lead.

The Charros scored their final run on a lead off, solo home run by Marquez Smith in the bottom of the 7th for the final score of 4-1.

Starting pitcher for the Charros, Marco Tovar, picked up the win, going 6 innings while scattering 7 hits, walking 1 and striking out 3. Mario Mendoza notched the save by pitching a perfect 9th inning.

Gabriel Gutierrez was 3 for 3 with a double and a run scored. Marquez went 1 for 3 with the home run, an RBI and 2 runs scored while Jon Weber was 1 for 4 with an RBI

Caneros Stop Charros Win Streak At 8 In A Row

los Mochis snapped the longest winning streak of the year for the Charros with a 4-3 victory on Sunday.

The Caneros scored three runs in the bottom of the 1st off of Jalisco starter Marco Tovar. Greg Golson drew a lead off walk and went to third on a single to right by Antonio Lamas. Golson scored on a double by Luis Terrero and Lamas scored on a grounder to short with Terrero moving to third. Saul Soto hit a sac fly to right that scored Terrero for the 3-0 Caneros lead.

Eduardo Arredondo led off the 3rd for the Charros by waiting out a base on balls. Arredondo advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a ground rule double to right by Manny Rodriguez. Jalisco had cut the lead to 3-1.

The Charros tied the game in the 5th on a double by Eduardo Arredondo and Leo Heras' 9th home run of the year. The score was tied at 3 apiece.

David Kopp replaced Marco Tovar in the bottom of the 7th and gave up a two out, solo home run to Luis Terrero that gave the Caneros the 4-3 final margin of victory.

Leo Heras was 1 for 4 on the night with the home run and 2 RBIs while Manny Rodriguez went 2 for 4 with his 23rd double of the year and an RBI.

David Kopp took the loss to fall to 1-1 on the season while Carlos Fisher got the win for los Mochi to improve to 3-1 for the Caneros.

Venados Avoid Sweep Top Charros 3-2

The Venados de Mazatlan took game 3 of the series with the Charros, 3-2, to avoid a series sweep. Fredy Quintero got the win with 6 2/3 innings of strong pitching to improve to 1-2 on the year while allowing 5 hits and striking out 5. Marco Tovar (5-1) suffered his first loss of the season surrendering all three Venado runs on 10 hits in his 6 1/3 innings of work.

Jesus Cota singled to lead off the Charros half of the 3rd. Jesus Lopez and Israel Nunez followed with singles to load the bases for Jalisco. One out later, Manny Rodriguez hit a sac fly to center to score Cota and the Charros had the early 1-0 lead.

Daryle Ward doubled to lead of the bottom of the 4th for the Venados. Ricardo Alvarez singled on a bunt down the third base line and Mazatlan had runners at first and second with no outs. Doug Clark singled to score Ward. Heber Gomez bunted for a single to load the bases. Jose Figueroa hit a sac fly to center to score Clark and the Venados had taken the lead 2-1. Jose Fabela walked to load the bases with two outs. Marco Tovar, the Charros starter, then walked Gilberto Mejia to force in Gomez for the 3-1 Venado lead.

The Charros scored a run in the top of the 8th to cut the lead to 3-2. Leo Heras singled to lead off the inning and went to second on a wild throw to first on a pickoff attempt. Marguez Smith then singled to score Heras but Smith was thrown out at second trying to advance on the throw home. Jalisco loaded the bases with two outs but Israel Nunez popped out to short to end the inning.

Jalisco overall is now 28-19 in the Liga de Mexicana del Pacifico with a 7-5 record in the second half. The Venados climb to 21-25 overall and 5-7 in the second half standings.

Charros Top Aguilas 2-1 in Final game of Series

The Charros de Jalisco took the third game of the series with Mexicali 2-1 behind the excellent pitching of Marco Tovar and 4 relievers. Tovar is 5-0 on the season with a 2.64 ERA and Brian Broderick earned his 13th save of the year.

Marco Tovar had a one hitter through 4 1/3 innings before giving up a solo home run to Xorge Carrillo with one out in the bottom of the 5th. The Aguilas had a 1-0 lead in what was shaping up to be a pitchers duel.

The Charros took the lead for good in the top of the 6th on back-to-back doubles by Japhet Amador and Marquez Smith and, after Mario Meza replaced Marco Durarte on the mound for Mexicali, Gabriel Gutierrez singled to score Smith for the 2-1 lead and the eventual final score.

The Aguilas threatened in the bottom of the 8th, putting a man on first with two outs but Charros reliever, Brian Broderick came on to get Walter Ibarra to ground out to second to end the inning.

Broderick overcame a one out error by shortstop Jesus Lopez in the top of the 9th to get Josh Whitesell to hit into a double play to end the game and seal the win for Marco Tovar.

Marco Durarte pitched a very good ballgame but was saddled with the loss to fall to 0-3 on the year with a very respectable 2.47 ERA.

Marques Smith had a double and a single with an RBI and a run scored in his 4 trips to the plate. Japhet Amador was 1 for 3 with a double and a run scored while Gabriel Gutierrez went 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Charros Take Game 2 From Hermosillo 8-5

The Charros de Jalisco put themselves in an early 5-1 hole but clawed their way back to defeat the Naranjeros de Hermosillo 8-5 behind the excellent relief pitching of Carlos Vazquez, Mario Mendoza, Ivan Salas and closer Brian Broderick.

Marco Tovar picked up the win to go 4-0 on the year but a shakey 1st inning has forced his ERA up to 1.91 on the year. Vazquez, Mendoza and Salas were credited with holds and Broderick picked up his 9th save of the year.

The Charros scored a run in the top of the 1st on a single by Eduardo Arredondo, a walk to Manny Rodriguez, a single by Leo Heras to  load the bases and a double play ground ball by Japhet Amador that scored Arredondo. Jalisco had the early lead 1-0.

Hermosillo came right back in the bottom of the 1st. with 4 runs of their own. Jerry Owens led off with a double and went to third on a ground out by Carlos Gastelum. Yunesky Sanchez reached safely on an error by Japhet Amador at first. Luis Garcia singled to score Owens and Matt Padgett doubled to drive in Sanchez. Jonathan Aceves hit a sac fly to left to score Garcia and Sebastian Elizalde singled to plate Padgett for the Naranjeros 4-1 lead.

Luis Garcia hit a solo home run, his 3rd of the year, in the bottom of the 3rd to up the Naranjeros lead to 5-1.

Jalisco exploded for 5 runs in the top of the 7th. Jesus Cota led off with a walk. Gabriel Gutierrez singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Jesus Lopez walked to load the bases. Eduardo Arredondo singled to score Cota. Manny Rodriguez hit a sac fly to center to bring home Gutierrez and Leo Heras singled to plate Lopez. Japhet Amador singled to load the bases again for the Charros. Cory Vaughn was called out on strikes but Marquez Smith singled to score Arredondo and Heras and the Charros had taken the 6-5 lead.

The Charros scored the final two runs of the game in the top of the 8th. Gabriel Gutierrez was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Jesus Lopez' sacrifice bunt attempt went awry when the Hermosillo pitcher, Marcos Rivas, threw to second to cut down Gutierrez. Eduardo Arredondo followed with a walk. Edson Garcia came in to pinch run for Arredondo. Manny Rodriguez singled to score Lopez. Leo Heras walked to load the bases. The Naranjeros replaced Rivas with Juan Menchaca, who threw a wild pitch that scored Garcia and the Charros had the 8-5 lead and the win.

Broderick faced four batters in the 9th to get the save and preserve the win for Tovar.

Ecuardo Arredondo was 3 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Leo Heras went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Marquez Smith was 1 for 5 with 2 RBIs while Manny Rodriguez was 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs.

With the win, the Charros improve to 17-11 on the year while Hermosillo falls to 11-17. The Charros are the leaders of the Liga de Mexicana del Pacifico.

Jalisco has one game to play in Hermosillo before returning home to face the 14-14 Tomateros de Culican for 3 games beginning on Friday the 14th of November.

Charros Sweep Mazatlan with 16-0 Win

The Charros de Jalisco welcomed the Venados de Mazatlan to Zapopan on Tuesday for a three game series and "swept" them out of town on Thursday with a 16-0 victory. The shutout was the third win in a row and they held Mazatlan scoreless for 22 consecutive innings in the series.

Marco Tovar won the game for his third victory of the season. Tovar tossed 7 innings of 3 hit ball, walking 1 and striking out 3 and lowered his ERA to 1.67. Mario Mendoza  pitched a perfect 8th inning in relief and Luis Rodriguez worked the 9th, giving up a single before getting Olmo Rosario to strike out swinging to end the game. Alejandro Martinez took the loss for Mazatlan and dropped to 0-3 on the year.

The Charros scored 27 runs on 38 hits during the series. It was the second series sweep of the year for Jalisco and the 2nd time in 3 games that the Charros hit 4 home runs.

The game was a scoreless pitcher's duel until the bottom of the 3rd when Gabriel Gutierrez led off with a single. Jesus Lopez followed with a single and both runners scored on a home run by Manny Rodriguez. The next batter, Leo Heras, homered to right for the 4-0 lead and the rout was on.

Marquez Smith led off the 4th with a double and moved to third on a ground out to second by Jesus Cota. Smith would score on a Gabriel Gutierrez sac fly to increase the lead to 5-0.

Cory Vaughn reached on a fielder's choice in the 5th and scored in front of Marquez Smith's 5th home run of the year to increase the Charros lead to 7-0.

The Venados brought in Miguel Aguilar to pitch the 6th but he found the going just as rough as the first two hurlers. With one out, Jesus Lopez drew a walk and went to second on a single by Eduardo Arredondo. Manny Rodriguez singled to score Lopez. Aguilar then threw a wild pitch to advance the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Leo Heras followed with a single to score Arredondo and Rodriguez. Japhet Amador followed with a 2 run home run to bring the lead to 12-0 Charros.

The 7th inning saw Jalisco score four more times. With two outs, Eduardo Arredondo drew a walk. Edson Garcia, pinch hitting for Manny Rodriguez, tripled to center to score Arredondo. Amadeo Zazueta, hitting for Leo Heras, walked to put runners at 1st and 3rd with two outs. Japhet Amador hit his second home run of the night, and 8th of the year, and his 3rd, 4th and 5th RBIs of the game for the 16-0 lead and the final score.

Marquez Smith was 3 for 4 with a home run, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Jesus Lopez also went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Japhet Amador was 3 for 5 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs. Leo Heras was 2 for 4 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Manny Rodriguez, the leading hitter in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico was 2 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBIs. His average stands at .368 on the season. Eduardo Arredondo, the lead off hitter for the Charros, went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Tonight was a special offensive show for the Charros and the series was a display of power the league has not seen from Jalisco thus far. The offense was backed up by excellent pitching for three games with the effort by Tovar tonight the best by a Jalisco starting pitcher this season.

The win moves the Charros to 14-9 on the year while the Venados de Mazatlan fell to 12-10, a full game behind the Charros.

Charros Shutout los Mochis 1-0 to Take Game 1

Jalisco won their 2nd game in a row by defeating the Caneros de los Mochis 1-0 last night behind the superb pitching of Marco Tovar and three relievers. Tovar picked up the win, to go 2-0 on the year, while Adrian Ramirez and Ivan Salas recorded holds and Brian Broderick pitched the last 1 1/3 innings for his 6th save of the year.

The Charros bats were held in check all night by Caneros' starter Luis Niebla. Reliever Oscar Verdugo took the loss to drop to 2-1 on the season.

The Charros were held to just 4 hits for the game but the made the most of two of them. Oscar Verdugo started the 6th in relief of Niebla for the Caneros and gave up a lead off double to Gabriel Gutierrez. Jesus Lopez then beat out a sacrifice bunt to the catcher and the Charros had runners on first and third with no outs. Eduardo Arredondo hit a sac fly to right to score Gutierrez for the only run of the game and the 1-0 Charros victory.

Marco Tovar gave up all 6 Caneros hits but didn't allow a run and dropped his ERA to 2.25 on the year. Tovar walked one and struck out 6. The Charros' relievers did not allow a hit over their 3 innings of work.

Luis Niebla, for los Mochis, allowed just one hit over 5 innings and no runs while walking 1 and striking out 4. Niebla faced just 1 batter over the minimum during his time on the mound.

Back in the lead off spot for the Charros, Eduardo Arredondo went 2 for 3 with the game winning sac fly RBI, his 13th on the year. Both Gabriel Gutierrez and Jesus Lopez were 1 for 3 on the night.

Manny Rodriguez, though 0 for 4 in the game, is 2nd in batting in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico with a .351 average and Jesus Lopez is 9th at .317. Rodriguez is tied for 2nd with 27 hits and tied for the league lead with 9 doubles. Japhet Amador is 9th with 20 hits and Leo Heras is tied for 2nd in doubles with 6. Cory Vaughn is 2nd in the league with 2 triples while Marquez is tied for 2nd with 4 home runs. Eduardo Arredondo has 13 RBIs, good for 4th and Japhet Amador has 12 RBIs.

Marco Tovar's 2.25 ERA is good for 9th overall in the league and Ben Kozlowski is at 4.26. Brian Broderick's 6 saves place him 2nd in that category while Tovar's 18 Ks rank him in a tie for 3rd in the league.

The Charros de Jalisco have two games remaining with los Mochis before returning home to face the Venados de Mazatlan for three games beginning on Tuesday the 4th of November at 7PM at Panamerican Park in Zapopan.

Jalisco is 1/2 game behind Mazatlan with an 11-7 record while the Caneros fall to 8-10, 3 1/2 games off the lead.

Charros take Series From Tomateros With 6-5 Win

The Charros de Jalisco baseball team is interesting to say the least. Starter Marco Tovar gave up four hits in the bottom of the 1st, all of them solo home runs. The Charros did not make a pitching change until the 3rd inning after Tovar gave up 2 walks and a single to load the bases with no outs.

Four relief pitchers for the Charros held the Tomateros scoreless until the bottom of the 8th on two hits and one walk.

Jalisco started to climb out of the four run hole in the top of the 4th. Leo Heras led off with a walk and Manny Rodriguez doubled. With runners at 2nd and 3rd, Japhet Amador singled to score Heras with Rodriguez stopping at third. Marguez Smith then grounded out to third as Rodriguez scored. The Charros were on the board but were still down 4-2.

The Charros scored a run in the 5th when Jesus Lopez scored on an Eduardo Arredondo single to narrow the score to 4-3 Tomateros.

With one out in the top of the 6th, Cory Vaughn was hit by a pitch. After Gabriel Gutierrez flew out to center, Vaughn scored on a double by Jesus Lopez that tied the score at 4.

Jalisco scored two more runs in the 7th. Eduardo Arredondo and Leo Heras walked. Japhet Amador drove in Arredondo with a single. Cory Vaughn walked to load the bases and Gabriel Gutierrez waited out a walk to force in Heras with the second run of the inning and the 6-4 Charros lead.

The Tomateros tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the 8th. With one out, Arturo Rodriguez singled. Ronnier Mustelier also singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Rodriguez scored on a ground out to second off of the bat of pinch hitter Refugio Cervantes to make it a one run ball game, 6-5. Pinch hitter Oscar Robles then grounded out to first to end the inning.

Neither team would score in the 9th and the Charros won their fifth game against three losses.

Japhet Amador and Manny Rodriguez were both 2 for 5 with Amador driving in 2 runs and Rodriguez scoring 1. Jesus Lopez was 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Eduardo Arredondo went 1 for 4 with an RBI.

Carlos Vazguez got the win for the Charros while Brian Broderick picked up his third save of the year.

Charros Defeat Naranjeros de Hermosillo 3-2

The Charros de Jalisco improved their Liga de Mexicana del Pacifico record to 2-1 with a 3-2 win over Naranjeros de Hermosillo last night at the Stadium of Athletes in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.

Marco Tovar started, and picked up the win, for the Charros and went 5 complete shutout innings, giving up 5 hits and a walk while striking out 4.

Jalisco scored a run in the bottom of the second. Japhet Amador singled to lead off the inning. Marquez Smith singled and Amador stopped at second. Wilson Batista hit into a 6-4-3 double play with Amador advancing to third. Cory Vaughn followed with a single to left to score Amador and the Charros led 1-0.

Cory Vaughn singled to lead off the bottom of the 5th for Jalisco. Jose Felix then doubled to right and the Charros had runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Jose Lopez struck out but Eduardo Arrendondo laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Vaughn for the 2-0 Jalisco lead.

The Charros added another run in the 6th to increase their lead to 3-0. Manny Rodriguez singled to start things off. Japhet Amador singled and the Charros had runners at 1st and 3rd. Marquez Smith hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Rodriguez.

Hugo Castellanos started the 7th for the Charros. He got Yunesky Sanchez to ground out to first but he hit Jose Amador with a pitch. That was all for Castellanos. He was replaced by Carlos Vazguez. Vazquez walked Jesus Loya and was pulled for Alan Guerrero. Pinch hitter Adan Munoz greeted Guerrero with an RBI single and the Naranjeros were on the board. Jorge Flores then grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

The score would remain 3-1 Charros until the top of the 9th. Brian Broderick, on to close for the Charros, got Luis Garcia to fly out to right for the first out. Yunesky Sanchez and Jose Amador connected on back-to-back singles to put runners at 1st and 3rd with one out. Jesus Lopez singled to drive in Sanchez with Amador stopping at second. The Charros lead was cut to 3-2. Broderick then got Johnathan Aceves to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game and pick up the save.

Marco Tovar recorded his first win of the season for the Charros while David Pauley was saddled with the loss for the Naranjeros.

Marquez Smith was 1 for 2 with an RBI. Cory Vaughn, hitting .400 on the season, went 2 for 3. Jesus Lopez was 1 for 3 and is also hitting .400 on the year. Jose Felix, making his first start for the Charros, was 2 for 3 with 2 doubles.

The Charros used 6 pitchers in the game. They have used 6 pitchers in each of their first three games.