Mexicali Tops Navojoa 5-3

3 IN THE FIFTH AND 2 MORE IN THE SIXTH WINS IT FOR AGUILAS

Fernando Flores

The Mayos jumped on top of the Aguilas,scoring 3 runs in the top of the 4th. Javon Rosa singled with one out. After the second out, Marc Flores walked. Christian Zazueta singled to load the bases. Alan Sanchez singled to drive in Rosa and Fernando Flores doubled to score Marc Flores and Zazueta for the 3-0 lead.

Melky Mesa was hit by a pitch, challenged by the Mayos to no avail, to lead off the bottom of the 5th for Mexicali. A single by Ramon Rios got Mesa to second. With one out, Juan Perez doubled to drive in Mesa. Jason Bourgeois hit a sac fly to score Rios and Yuniesky Betancourt singled to plate Perez as the Aguilas tied the game at 3.

Xorge Carrillo reached safely on a fielding error by the Mayos shortstop. With two outs, Rios singled. Ricky Alvarez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ricardo Serrano followed with a single to score Carrillo and Rios as the Aguilas took the 5-3 lead. When Jake Sanchez set the Mayos down in order in the 9th, Mexicali had the win.

Ricardo Serrano

Alex Delgado (1-0) got the win and Sanchez earned his 8th save of the season. Jaime Lugo (1-1) took the loss for Navojoa.

Mexicali Jumps Out to 8-0 Lead and Beat Hermosillo 8-3

RICARDO SERRANO 2 FOR 4 WITH HOME RUN AND 4 RBIs

Although the Naranjeros out hit the Aguilas 11 to 10, they committed 4 errors and were just 2 for 16 with runners in scoring position. That is a .125 average in those situations and teams will not win games without clutch hitting. Mexicali, on the other hand, scored 4 times in the 2nd and added 4 more runs in the 4th to coast to the 8-3 win.

Staring with the 3rd inning, the Naranjeros had at least 1 runner on base in every inning but, with the exception of a 3 run 5th inning, they couldn't get the timely hits needed to bring runners home.

Ricardo Serrano Home Run

The Aguilas though scored their runs in bunches. Mexicali scored 4 runs in the 2nd inning all with 2 outs. Singles by David Harris and Xorge Carrillo set the stage for a Ricardo Serrano home run to right for 3 runs and Juan Perez scored on a fielding error later in the inning.

Mexicali would add 4 runs in the 4th on a walk, 3 consecutive singles, a force out, a wild pitch and 2 more singles to take the 8-0 lead. The Aguilas got 5 of their 10 hits in the game in that 4th inning barrage.

Estadio Sonora in Hermosillo was packed with 16,000 fans, there to witness the home opener for the Naranjeros. They left disappointed with the loss.

Sergio Mitre (1-0) pitched 5 innings for Mexicali giving up the 3 runs on 6 hits in getting the win. Scott Copeland (0-1) allowed 6 runs on 5 hits over 3 innings of work to take the loss.

Sergio Mitre

Aguilas Top Naranjeros 3-0 in LMP Debut

JAVIER SOLANO DOMINANT IN OPENING GAME

Javier Solano

Javier Solano took the mound for the opening game of the Aguilas season in front of 17,000 fans at Estadio B-Air in Mexicali and put on quite a pitching exhibition.

Solano got the Naranjero's lead off batter to fly out to center and then struck out the next 8 batters to set the LMP record for consecutive strike outs. He would go on to strike out 12 of the first 18 batters he faced He gave up 2 hits, a double to Eric Young Jr. in the 4th and a single to Roberto Ramos in the 5th. Three Mayo relievers continued to overpower the Naranjeros, striking out 2 and holding Hermosillo scoreless over the final 3 innings. Jake Sanchez earned his first save of the year.

Mexicali scored a run on back-to-back doubles by Ricardo Serrano and Juan Perez in the 3rd inning to take a 1-0 lead.

Xorge Carrillo hit a lead off solo home run for the Aguilas in the 5th to increase to lead to 2-0. One out later, Juan Perez singled to left, went to third on a Daniel Castro single to right center and scored on a sac fly by Chuck Taylor for the 3-0 lead and eventually the game.

CJ Retherford, Xorge Carrillo and Juan Perez were all 2 for 4 for the Aguilas while Ricky Alvarez went 2 for 3.

Roberto Ramos and Jorge Flores were both 1 for 3 for the Naranjeros.

These two teams meet again on Sunday the 14th of October in Hermosillo.

Leones de Yucatan Weekly Update - April 3rd 2017

LEONES IN GOOD FORM TO BEGIN THE SEASON

Leones Started Off Strong

The Leones have started off the 2017 season of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol in fine fashion. Having swept the Tigres de Quintana Roo in Merida, the Leones find themselves alone atop the Division Zona Sur with a 3-0 record.

With an offensive display that produced 29 runs and 45 hits in the 3 games, it’s hard to imagine the hitters continuing at such an explosive rate. The pitching staff was equally as impressive during the series with the Tigres, giving up 6 runs and 22 hits in the 3 game set. Are the Leones this good or are the Tigres that bad? Only time will tell.

The boys from Merida have a .398 team batting average (2nd in the league), led the LMB in hits but fall behind the Pericos de Puebla in most other categories. It should be noted that the Pericos played the Bravos de Leon, a reincarnation of the Broncos de Reynosa, who finished 24-88 in 2016...last in the Zona Norte while the Tigres finished 68-45 in Zona Sur.

2nd in the LMB in Batting Average

Our pitchers rank 3rd in the LMB in ERA, 4th in hits allowed, 4th on walks allowed and tied for 3rd in the WHIP category. For those of you not aware of the term WHIP, it is a statistic for

Walks+Hits per Inning Pitched. The Leones pitching staff, which includes starters and relievers allow 1.11 hits and walks per inning. A number this low bodes well for the season, if sustainable.

Aguilar's Gold Glove

On Sunday, the final game of the 3 game set with the Tigres, the Leones showed off their individual fielding prowess from the 2016 season as they presented league Gold Glove Awards to Kevin Flores, Jose Aguilar and Ricardo Serrano

Based on what I have seen so far, I will stand by my prediction of the Leones finishing with a 75-36 record, champions of the Zona Sur and a good chance to bring the Serie del Rey trophy home to Merida.  

Leones Best Tigres 2-1

EVEN ZONA SUR CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES AT 3 GAMES APIECE

Large Leones Crowd

Marco Quevedo tossed 5 innings of 3 hit ball, allowing 1 run as the Leones de Yucatan topped the Tigres de Quintana Roo 2-1 in game 6 of the Zona Sur Championship Series. Adam Reifer pitched the 9th to preserve the win for Quevedo and record the save. 4 relievers kept the Tigres in check in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings on 2 hits and no runs.

Corey Wimberly led off he bottom of the 1st for Yucatan with a double to right and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jose Aguilar. Ricardo Serrano drew a base on balls and ball four was a wild pitch thrown by Tigres starter Carlos Bustamante that allowed Wimberly to score from third and gave the Leones an early 1-0 lead.

Yucatan continued to play small ball in the 2nd inning. Jaime Pedroza singled to lead off the inning and Kevin Flores sacrificed him to second. With two outs, Corey Wimberly singled to left to score Pedroza as the Leones stretched their lead to 2-0. The Tigres reliever, Wilmer Rios, ended the inning when he kicked a ball hit back to him towards a charging second baseman for a 1-4-3 ground out.

Jorge Vazquez led off the top of the 5th for the Tigres with a long solo home run to left to narrow the Leones lead to 2-1. That was the only "bad" pitch thrown by Quevedo in an otherwise masterful outing.

Jaime Pedroza was 2 for 3 with a run scored, Corey Wimberly 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored and Jose Aguilar 2 for 3 for the Leones.

Leones Score 2nd Run

Carlos Gastelum went 2 for 3 and Jorge Vazquez 2 for 3 with the home run for the Tigres.

The Leones have won 3 consecutive games to tie the series at 3 games apiece after falling behind when the Tigres took the first 3 games. Game 7 will be played on Sunday in Merida with the winner taking on the winner of the Zona Norte Championship series between the Acereros de Monclova and the Toros de Tijuana.

IN OTHER LMB PLAYOFF ACTION

Tijuana 8, Monclova 4

Watch video highlights HERE.

The Toros de Tijuana exploded for 6 runs in the top of the 9th inning off of Acereros relieve Juan Noriega, who gave up 6 runs on 5 hits in 2/3 of an inning, to even the Zona Norte Championship series at 3 games apiece and forcing a game seven in Monclova on Sunday the 6th of September. The Toros scored all 6 runs with 2 outs in the inning.

Jose Oyervides, the Acereros starter, had held the Toros to 2 runs on 6 hits before being replaced on the mound in the 6th. Dennys Reyez was the beneficiary of the Toros outburst, picking up the win with 1 inning of relief.

Olivos 3 Run Single In The 9th

The big blow of the game was a bases loaded single to left that cleared the bases. The hard hit ball got by the left fielder and went to the wall and Olivo, who never slowed, raced home with the sixth run of the inning.

Mario Mendoza gave up a hit in the bottom of the 9th but struck out 2 batters including Francisco Cordoba to end the game preserve the win for Reyes.

Miguel Olivo was 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored, Lew Ford 2 for 5 wit an RBI and Luis Suarez 2 for 2 with an RBI for the Toros.

Olmo Rosario was 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs, Jose Ruiz 2 for 4 with an RBI, Carlos Penuelos 2 for 3 with an RBI and Hernando Arredondo 2 for 5 for Monclova in the loss.

Yucatan Tops Quintana Roo 4-3 in 11 Innings

TIGRES LEAD SERIES 3 GAMES TO 2

Watch video highlights HERE.

Starter Yoanner Negrin
Leones Facebook

In a game that would never be confused with a pitchers duel, the Leones came out on top 4-3 in 11 innings. The teams combined for 19 hits while the pitchers issued 15 walks and hit 3 batters. The Leones tied the score in the top of the 9th inning with the help of 2 fielding errors by the Tigres right fielder.

In the bottom of the 1st, Sergio Contreras was hit by a pitch and stole second. Jorge Cantu drove him in with a single to right giving the Tigres an early 1-0 lead.

It took until the top of the 6th for the Leones to score but they took a 2-1 lead in the inning. Ricardo Serrano and Hector Gimenez drew walks and Luis Garcia singled to load the bases with one out. Jaime Pedroza struck out but Kevin Flores singled to center to score Serrano and Gimenez.

Francisco Peguero doubled and Alfredo Amezaga drew a walk in the Tigres half of the 6th. Esteban Quiroz singled to center to score Pequero to tie the score at 2 all. Corey Wimberly threw out Amezaga at third to prevent further Tigre scoring.

Eugenio Velez launched a solo home run to right in the bottom of the 8th inning for the 3-2 Quintana Roo lead.

Jose Aguilar led off the top of the 9th for the Leones and reached safely on a fielding error by the Tigres right fielder. Two outs later, Hector Gimenez was intentionally walked. Humberto Cota followed with a fly ball to right that was misplayed for the second error of the inning scoring Aguilar with the tying run.

Ricardo Serrano singled to lead off the 11th for Yucatan. Jesus Valdez walked and both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Hector Gimenez. With two outs, Jaime Pedroza was intentionally walked to load the bases. After falling behind in the count 1-2, Kevin Flores drew a base on balls to force in Serrano with the eventual game winning run as the Leones went up 4-3.

Adam Reifer got the win, pitching 3 innings of relief, allowing 2 hits but no runs. Daniel Cabrera took the loss for the Tigres. The two teams combined for 15 walks in the game. The Leones walked 6 and the Tigres pitchers walked 9 (2 intentionally) and the two teams hit 3 batters.

Kevin Flores was 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs for Yucatan, Jesus Valdez 2 for 5 and Ricardo Serrano 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Eugenio Velez went 2 for 5 with a home run, Esteban Quiroz 1 for 4 with an RBI and Jorge Cantu 1 for 6 with an RBI for the Tigres.

The series returns to Merida for game 6 of the Zona Sur Championship series on Saturday.

IN OTHER LMB PLAYOFF ACTION

Monclova 7, Tijuana 2

Watch video highlights HERE.

The Acereros scored 5 times in the 7th inning to break a 2-2 tie and went on to win game 5 of the Zona Norte Championship series with the Toros de Tijuana 7-2.

Monclova scored all 5 runs with 2 outs.

Olmo Rosario doubled, Brett Harper was intentionally walked and Jose Aguilar doubled to right to score Rosario. Jose Ruiz was intentionally walked to load the bases. Hernando Arredondo waited out a base on balls to plate Harper. Toros reliever Jesus Garcia then threw a wild pitch to bring home Amador. Francisco Cordoba singled to score Ruiz. Eder Salcedo doubled to center to score Arredondo and the Acereros led 7-2.

Josh Lowey picked up the win, going 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. Hugo Castellanos took the loss allowing 5 runs on 2 hits without recording n out.

Antonio Lamas

Antonio Lamas was 2 for 3 with a home run, Jose Amador 1 for 3 with an RBI and Hernando Arredondo 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an RBI and a run scored for Monclova.

Eduardo Arredondo led off the game for the Toros with a home run going 1 for 3 at the plate. Jose Chavez was 2 for 2 with a run scored and Lew Ford 1 for 4 with an RBI for Tijuana.

Game 6 of the series will be played in Monclova on Saturday

Yucatan Takes Divisional Playoff Series From Campche 6-1

5 RUNS IN 3 INNINGS LIFT LEONES

The Leones de Yucatan dispatched the #4 seed Piratas de Campeche 6-1 to take the Zona Sur divisional series 4 games to 3 and advance to the Championship round. Jonathan Castellanos pitched 7 innings of 5 hit ball, allowing 1 run while striking out 7 Piratas to get the win. RolandoValdez lasted just 2 innings and gave up 4 runs on 5 hits in the loss.

Valdez' 2 run home run in the 1st
Leones Facebook

Jesus Valdez gave the Leones an early 2-0 lead when Ricardo Serrano singled with 2 outs and Valdez sent a pitch by Ricardo Valdez over the left field fence for a 2 run home run.

Carlos Colmenares drew a 2 out walk from Leones starter, Jonathan Castellanos, in the top of the 3rd and scored on a triple by Adan Velazquez to cut the lead to 2-1 Leones.

Israel Nunez led off the bottom of the 3rd with a single. Corey Wimberly was hit by a pitch and Jose Aguilar singled to load the bases with no outs. Ricardo Serrano hit into a 1-2-3 double play that caught Nunez at home. The Piratas decided to intentionally walk Jesus Valdez to reload the bases for Hector Gimenez. Gimenez made them pay for that decision by hitting a single that, with the help of a throwing error by the right fielder, cleared the bases and left Gimenez on second base. Yucatan took a 5-1 lead.

After a walk to Jaime Pedroza was erased on a double play grounder by Kevin Flores in the 6th inning, Israel Nunez doubled and scored on a single by Corey Wimberly. Wimberly was thrown out at second trying to advance on the throw but the Leones had a 6-1 lead and the pitching staff made the lead stand up over the remaining 3 innings

Jesus Valdez was 1 for 2 with a home run, 2 walks, 2 RBIs and a run scored, Israel Nunez 2 for 3 with a run scored, Ricardo Serrano 2 for 5, Kevin Flores 2 for 4 and Corey Wimberly 1 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored for Yucatan.

Adan Velazquez was 2 for 4 with the lone RBI for the Piratas.

Jonathan Castellanos/Leones Facebook

The Divisional Championship will begin on Friday the 28th of August with the Leones taking on the #2 seed Tigres de Quintana Roo, who beat the Guerreros de Oaxaca 6-3 in the other Zona Sur contest.

If the Leones should win that series, the LMB Championship series would be played in Merida.

IN OTHER LMB PLAYOFF ACTION

Tijuana 7, Mexico 6

Watch video highlights HERE.

The upstart Toros de Tijuana (54-53 on the season and 16 1/2 games behind the 73-39 Diablos) won their biggest game of the year on Wednesday, eliminating the Diablos Rojos del Mexico in game 7 of the Zona Norte divisional playoffs.

The Toros scored 5 runs in the 3rd, for a 7-2 lead inning and held on to beat the Diablos 7-6.

Barry Enright (3-0) pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits while striking out 5 and allowing 4 home runs in getting the win for the Toros. The Tijuana used 4 relief pitchers for 2 innings before turning the game over to Mario Mendoza for the final 1 2/3 innings. Mendoza shut down the Diablos bats on no hits and no runs to get the save.

David Reyes lasted 2 1/3 innings, gave up 6 runs on 4 hits and walked 3 in the loss.

Dustin Martin HR in the 1st
Toros Facebook

Dustin Martin was 1 for 4 with a 2 run home run in the 1st for the Toros and Luis Suarez went 2 for 4 with a grand slam home run in the 3rd. Lew Ford was 3 for 5 with an RBI and 2 runs scored while Oscar Robles was 3 for 5 for Tijuana.

Jesus Fabela and Japhet Amador had home runs for the Diablos and Ivan Terrazas belted 2 more for Mexico on a 2 for 4 night at the plate with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Japhet Amador was 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Diablos. Terraza and Cyle Hankerd combined for 24 RBIs in the series but that wasn't enough to overcome the Toros.

The Toros will take on the Acereros de Monclova, who won 11-3 over the Saraperos in their Zona Norte divisional playoff in a series that begins on Friday the 28th of August.

Monclova 11, Saltillo 3

Watch video high lights HERE.

The Acereros jumped in front of the Saraperos d Saltillo 9-0 after 4 innings and added 2 more runs in the 6th inning to top the Saraperos 11-3 in the Zona Norte divisional playoffs in front of 6,180 hometown fans. Monclova took the best of seven series 4 games to 3.

Juan Pena picked up the win, pitching 5 innings, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 1 while Michael Nix worked 3 1/3 innings and gave up 6 runs on 4 hits in the loss.

Monclova scored the 3 runs in the 2nd inning on 2 walks, a hit batter, a single and a sac fly by Carlos Penuelas for the 3-0 lead and the pitching staff did the rest.

Jose Ruiz was 2 for 3 with a 3 run home run, Hector Garanzuay 2 for 4 with an RBI, Brett Harper 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored and Eder Salcedo 1 for 2 with 2 RBIs for Monclova.

Jon Del Campo was 2 for 4 wit a 2 run home run in the 9th inning while Ramon Ortiz went 3 for 4 with a run scored for the Saraperos.

Monclova will take on the Toros de Tijuana in the Zona Norte Championship round of the playoffs beginning Friday the 28th of August in Monclova.

Quintana Roo 6, Oaxaca 3

Watch video high lights HERE.

The Tigres put away the Guerreros de Oaxaca 6-3 in game 7 of their Zona Sur divisional playoffs to earn the right to play the Leones de Yucatan, in Merida, for the Zona Sur Championship beginning Friday the 28th of August.

Arturo Barradas picked up the win in relief of Tigre starter Carlos Bustamante, pitching 2 1/3 shutout innings and Ramon Ramirez notched his 3rd save of the playoffs. Rodolfo Aguilar took the loss, giving up 2 runs on 1 hit in 1/3 of an inning.

Carlos Gastelum was 3 for 4 with an RBI, Francisco Peguero 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs, Jorge Cantu 3 for 4 with an RBI and Greg Golson 3 for 5 with an RBI for the Tigres.

Mike Jacobs went 2 for4 with an RBI and a run scored, Ronny Cedeno 1 for 4 with an RBI and Jaime Brena 1 for 3 with an RBI in the loss for Oaxaca.

Yucatan Smothers Campeche 9-2

Opening ceremonies in Campeche
Leones Facebook

The Leones pounded out 14 hits, including 5 home runs in their 9-2 win over the Piratas de Campeche in game 3 of their Zona Sur divisional playoffs. Ricardo Serrano had 2 home runs on the night.

Jesus Valdez hit a solo home run to left to lead off the top of the 2nd for the Leones. Luis Garcia drew a one out walk but was erased on a 4-6 fielders choice. Kevin Flores followed with a 2 run home run to left center that scored Ricardo Serrano and put the Leones up 3-0. Israel Nunez hit a 3-2 fastball over the wall in left for the third home run of the inning and a 4-0 Yucatan lead.

Corey Wimberly led off the top of the 5th with a single and moved to second on a two strike sacrifice bunt by Jaime Pedroza that caught the Piratas defense napping. Wimberly scored on a single by Jose Aguilar to increase the Leones lead to 5-0.

Ricardo Serrano hit the first of his two home runs leading off the 6th inning to give Yucatan a 6-0 lead.

The Piratas scored in their half of the 6th. Fernando Flores led off the inning with a walk and went to third, one out later, on a ground rule double to right center by Carlos Colmenares. Oscar Verdugo replaced starter Jonathan Castellanos for the Leones. Adan Velazquez reached safely on a throwing error by the Yucatan shortstop as Flores scored the first Piratas run of the game. One out later, Verdugo threw a wild pitch that allowed Colmenares to score. Ronny Paulino hit a grounder to third for the final out of the inning but Campeche had scored twice and the score was 6-2 Leones.

Yucatan scored a run without benefit of a hit in the top of the 8th. Israel Nunez drew a lead off walk, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on consecutive wild pitches by the Piratas reliever Ivan Salas. Leones 7, Piratas 2.

Jesus Valdez singled to lead off the 9th for Yucatan and came around to score on Ricardo Serrano's  second home run of the game for a 9-2 Leones lead.

With one out in the Piratas half of the 9th and a man on first, closer Adam Reifer made three attempts to pick off the runner at first. Why, with a 9-2 lead, would Leones manager Wilfredo Romero order three pick off attempts? The third throw went wide and the runner advanced to third. No harm was done as the next to Pirata hitters made outs but the logic of the situation eludes me.

Jonathan Castellanos
Leones Facebook

Jonathan Castellanos allowed 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 6 in 5 1/3 innings to pick up the win for Yucatan. Rolabdo Valdez gave up 3 home runs and 5 earned runs in 4 innings to take the loss for the Piratas.

Jesus Valdez went 3 for 4 with a home run, Ricardo Serrano 2 for 3 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs, Kevin Flores 1 for 5 with a home run and Israel Nunez 1 for 3 with a home run for the Leones.

Yucatan holds a 2-1 lead in the divisional series which continues on Saturday in Campeche.

IN OTHER LMB PLAYOFF ACTION

Saltillo 3, Monclova 1
The Saraperos de Saltillo scored all of their runs in the bottom of the 3rd and held on to top the Acereros de Monclova 3-1 and take game 3 of their Zona Norte divisional series.

Michael Nix allowed 2 hits and 1 run while walking 3 and striking out 4 Acereros in 5 complete innings on the hill. Robert Suarez recorded the save, striking out 3 in 1 1/3 innings of work. Juan Pena gave up 3 runs on 7 hits in the loss.

Christian Zazueta was 1 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs while Jonathan Aceves and Jose Lopez were 2 for 3 for Saltillo. Manny Rodriguez went 2 for 4 for Saltillo.

Antonio Lamas, Jose Amador and Eder Salcedo each had a hit for Monclova and Olmo Rosario scored their only run.

Game 4 will be played in Saltillo on Saturday with the Acereros holding a 2-1 lead in the best of seven series.

Quintana Roo 5, Oaxaca 3
The Tigres got 6 solid innings of work from starter Daniel Cabrera, who got the win, and Quintana Roo won game 3 of their Zona Sur series with the Guerreros by a 5-3 score.

Daniel Cabrera / Tigres Facebook

Ramon Ramirez picked up the save. Ruddy Acosta gave up 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 4 1/3 for the loss. The defense behind Acosta was deplorable as the Guerreros committed 4 errors in the game.

After singling to lead off the 4th for the Tigres, Esteban Quiroz would score on a single by Sergio Contreras. Following a sacrifice bunt by Francisco Peguero and an intentional walk to Alfredo Amezaga, Jose Felix singled to drive in Jorge Cantu, Contreras and Amezaga. A throwing error by the Guerrereos center fielder allowed the third run to score and Felix wound up on third. The 4-1 lead would be enough for the Tigres.

Sergio Contreras was 2 for 4, Esteban Quiroz 2 for 5 and Jose Felix 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs for Quintana Roo.

Yancarlo Angulo was 2 for 4 with 2 doubles, an RBI and a run scored for Oaxaca.

The series continues on Saturday, in Oaxaca, with the Guerreros holding a 2-1 lead in the series

Tijuana 11, Mexico 4
the Toros scored 5 runs in the 1st inning and added 6 more runs in the 8th to gore the Diablos 11-4. The Toros victory brought them from down 2 games to none to 2-1 in the Zona Norte divisional series with the best team in the LMB.

Barry Enright improved to 2-0 in the playoffs, holding the Diablos to 3 runs on 5 hits over 6 1/3 innings and the Toros used four relievers to shut done the Diablos over the remaining 2 2/3 frames. The Diablos starter, David Reyes lasted just 2/3 of an inning and gave up 5 runs on 4 hits in taking the loss.

Eduardo Arredondo went 3 for 5 with a home run to lead off the game for Tijuana while teammate Luis Suarez was 3 for 4 with a double and a triple, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Lew Ford and Enrique were both 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs for the Toros.

Ivan Terrazas continued his hot hitting for the Diablos, going 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs to raise his  playoff batting average to .727. 

Piratas Take Game 2 With Leones 3-1

EVEN SERIES AT 1-1

The Piratas de Campeche scored twice in the 1st inning and used excellent pitching to defeat the Leones de Yucatan 3-1 in the second game of the Zona Sur divisional playoffs.

Jorge Castillo / Leones Facebook

Jorge Castillo, who earned the win, and 3 relievers allowed the Leones 5 hits and 1 run over 7 1/3 innings before turning the game over to their closer Fernando Nieve. Nieve picked up his second save of the playoffs, shutting down the Leones over the final 1 2/3 innings

Marco Quevedo, the Leones starter, gave up 4 hits and 2 runs, walked 1 and struck out 4 in the loss.

Marco Quevedo / Leones Facebook

Carlos Colmenares drew a lead off walk to start the game for Campeche. A pick off attempt by Quevedo went wide of first and Colmenares wound up on third base. Ronny Paulino singled to drive in Colmenares and Paulino scored on a double by CJ Retherford. The Piratas had the early 2-0 lead.

Both pitching staffs were in control until the 7th inning. Fernando Flores doubled to left with two outs in the top of the 7th and scored on a single to left by Paul Leon to stretch the Piratas lead 3-0.

Yucatan got a run back in their half of the 7th. Jesus Valdez and Hector Gimenez both walked. Luis Garcia hit a ground ball to third that forced Valdez for the first out. Ricardo Serrano doubled to right to score Gimenez to cut the lead to 3-1 but the Leones would score no more as the Piratas won by that final score.

Both teams travel to Campeche today and will continue the best of seven series on Friday the 21st of August.

IN OTHER LMB PLAYOFF ACTION

Mexico 10, Tijuana 5

Cyle Hankerd after 1 of 2
home runs on the night
diablos Facebook

Cyle Hankerd powered the Diablos to victory on Wednesday, going 2 for 3 at the plate with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. He also had a walk and scored 2 runs. Ivan Terrazas, the star on the first game of this series, continued his hot hitting with a 3 for 4 night to raise his average for the playoffs to .714. Terrazas drove in a run and scored twice in the Diablos 10-5 win over the Toros.

Steven Hensley picked up the win in relief for Mexico while Logan Duran, the Tijuana starter, gave up 6 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings on the mound to take the loss. The Toros pitchers walked 5 batters and 3 of them scored.

Enrique Trujillo was 3 for 3 at the plate for Tijuana with a run scored. Dustin Martin was 2 for 5 and Miguel Olivo went 1 for 4 with a solo home run.

The Diablos take a 2-0 lead into the travel day and will continue the series in Tijuana on Friday.

Monclova 1, Saltillo 0

Jose Oyervides allowed just 1 hit, walked 1 and struck out 9 Saraperos over 8 innings to get the win for the Acereros. Angel Ramirez pitched to one batter in the top of the 9th and Juan Noriega got the final 2 outs to record the save.

The Acereros are 2-0 in the divisional playoff series with Saltillo. The series now shifts to Saltillo for 3 games (if necessary) beginning on Friday the 21st of August.

The Saltillo pitchers matched the Monclova pitchers pitch for pitch except for the 4th inning. Olmo Rosario drew a one out walk for the Acereros and Brett Harper followed with a single. Jose Amador drew a base on balls to load the bases with one out. Jose Ruiz hit a grounder to first that scored Rosario with the only run of the game and the Monclova win.

Oaxaca 7, Quintana Roo 2

The Tigres dropped to 0-2 in the Zona Sur playoffs against the Guerreros with the 7-2 loss at home. Oaxaca took both games in Cancun, outscoring the Tigres 15-2 in the process. The Tigres are the #2 seed and the Guerreros the #3 seed in the Sur playoffs.

The series now moves to Oaxaca where the Guerreros have a chance to take the series in front of the home crowd.

Irwin Delgado
Guerreros Facebook

Irwin Delgado picked up the win for Oaxaca, going 5 innings, allowing 4 hits and a run while striking out 5 Tigres. Manny Corpas pitched his way into a save situation in the 9th before getting credit for the save. Pablo Ortega was roughed up for 5 runs on 6 hits in 3 2/3 innings to take the loss.

Yancarlo Angulo was 2 for 5 with a home run and 3 RBIs while Alan Sanchez went 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs and Jaime Brena was 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs for the Guerreros.

Alan Sanchez
Guerreros Fcebook

Greg Goson and Alfredo Almezaga were 2 for 4 and Carlos Gastelum 2 for 5 with a run scored for the Tigres. Eugenio Velez and Jorge Vasquez drove in the runs for Quintana Roo.

Yucatan Beats Quintana Roo 5-2

CHAMPIONS OF THE ZONA SUR DIVISION OF THE LMB

Marco Quevdo / Leones Facebook

Marco Quevedo (8-3) pitched a masterful game in a must win situation, going 6 innings in the 5-2 win and holding the Tigres to 2 runs while waiting for the Leones bats to come alive. Adam Reifer worked a 1-2-3 top of the 9th inning to earn his 21st save. Daniel Cabrera (6-2) took the loss for the Tigres.

With the win, the Leones are the Champions of the Zona Sur of the LMB and the #1 seed in the divisional playoffs. They will take on the winner of the playoff between the #4 and #5 seeds. As of today those teams would be the Piratas de Campeche and the Pericos de Puebla.

The Tigres put a scare into the Leones home town crowd by scoring 2 runs in the top of the 1st. Carlos Gastelum singled with one out and went to third on a single by Eugenio Velez. Gastelum scored on a sac fly and Velez took second. Jorge Vazquez then singled to score Velez for the early lead.

Josa Aguilar Drives in 2 / Leones Facebook

Ricardo Serrano singled to open the bottom of the 5th for Yucatan. One out later Israel Nunez singled to right and Serrano went to third on an error by the Tigres' right fielder. Corey Wimberly singled to score Serrano with Nunez stopping at second. Jaime Pedroza drew a walk to load the bases. With the runners breaking, Jose Aguilar hit a slow roller to second that resulted in a force out but Nunez and Wimberly both scored. The Leones had taken a 3-2 lead.

Yucatan scored a run in the 6th on a single by Ricardo Serrano and a two out single by Kevin Flores to give the Leones a 4-2 lead.

Corey Wimberly led off the bottom of the 7th inning with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jaime Pedroza and scored the final run of the contest on a single by Jose Aguilar.

Leones are Zona Sur Champions / Leones facebook

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Puebla 5, Oaxaca 4
The Pericos scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to top the Guerreros 5-4. Francisco Cruceta (5-1) pitched 2 innings of no hit ball to pick up the win. Jose Ascanio (3-5 was charged with his 4th blown save of the year while suffering the loss.

Monclova 10, Tamaulipas 7 (10 innings)
Back to back doubles by Hector Garanzuay and Antonio Lamas and a two out single by Olmo Rosario in the top of the 10th inning gave the Acereros  the 10-7 win in Reynosa. Juan Noriega (1-2) got the win in relief and Luis Daniel suffered the loss.

Aguascalientes 17, Saltillo 2
he Rieleros scored 10 runs in the bottom of the 7th to overpower the Saraperos 17-2. Carlos Rodriguez, Eliezer Ortiz and Saul Soto all homered for the Rieleros in the win. Despite the win, the Rieleros were eliminate from he Zona Norte playoff picture.

Ciudad del Carmen 3, Campeche 2
Henry Rodriguez hit a two out walk off single in the 9th to score Horacio Vasquez as the Delfines kept their playoff hopes alive with the 3-2 win at home. Josh Lueke (7-5) benefited as he picked up the win in relief.

Tabasco 10, Veracruz 2
The Olmecas jumped out to 5-0 lead after 2 innings and coasted to the final 10-2 win over the Aguilas. Max Ramirez was 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs and Pedro Diaz added a home run for Tabasco. Angel Araiza (3-5) threw a complete game for the win.

Laguna 8, Monterrey 1
The Vaqueros scored 3 runs in the 2nd and 3 more in the 8th to hand the Sultanes their 62nd loss of the year while reaching .500 for the season. Laguna secured the 5th spot in the Zona Norte playoffs with the win. Ivan Zavala (7-7) got the win while Ramon Garcia (1-3) took the loss.

Tijuana 9, Mexico 5
The Toros built a 6-1 lead after 4 innings and withstood a late rally to defeat the Diablos 9-5. The Toros are currently in 4th place in the Zona Norte with 1 game to play. Oscar Robles was 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs for Tijuana and Luis Suarez added a home run in the win. Walter Silva (6-6) picked up the win while Arturo Lopez (8-4) took the loss.

Yucatan Sweeps Puebla With 8-2 Victory

TIGRES LOSS TO OAXACA DROPS THEM 1 1/2 GAMES BACK

The Leones used good pitching and timely hitting to best to Pericos 8-2 and sweep the series from the Pericos in Puebla.

Jesus Rodriguez (6-2) pitched 6 scoreless innings to get the victory as the Leones built an early 8-0 lead before the Pericos scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning.

Yucatan jumped out on top in the 1st as the leadoff batter, Edson Garcia, drew a walk and singles by Kevin Flores, Albino Contreras and Jesus Valdez put the Leones up 2-0 before the Pericos came to bat.

In the top of the 4th, Humberto Cota drew a 2 out walk and came around to score on a double to left by Edson Garcia. The Leones lead was now 3-0.

Jesus Valdez Scores for Yucatan

Jesus Valdez doubled with one out in the top of the 5th inning for Yucatan. Hector Gimenez drew a base on balls and Valdez scored on a ground rule double to left by Ricardo Serrano. After a pitching change, Puebla elected to walk Jesus Lugo intentionally to load the bases. Humberto Cota then waited out a walk to bring home Gimenez and the Leones had  5-0 lead.

3 consecutive singles in the top of the 9th inning led to a Yucatan score and when Humberto Cota walked, Hector Gimenez scored to up the score to 7-0. Kristian Delgado singled to drive in Ricardo Serrano with the final Leones run and an 8-0 lead.

Ivan Jimenez tripled to lead off the bottom of the 9th for the Pericos and scored on a single by Jesus Arredondo to break the shutout and narrow the gap to 8-0. Cesar Tapia doubled to left to score Arredondo for the final score of 8-2.

Mauricio Lara (5-8) gave up 5 runs on 8 hits with 3 walks to take the loss for Puebla.

Jesus Valdez went 5 for 5 with an RBI and 2 runs scored for Yucatan while teammate Ricardo Serrano was 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs.

Jesus Arredondo was 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Pericos.

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Oaxaca 10, Quintana Roo 8
The Guerreros withstood a 5 run rally by the Tigres in the top of the 9th and held on for a 10-8 win. Francisco Peguero hit his 3rd home run in 2 games for the Tigres, a grand slam in the 9th, but it wasn't enough. The Guerreros pounded out 15 hits and 2 home runs in the game. With the loss, the Tigres fell 1 1/2 games behind Yucatan for the top spot in Zona Sur.

Monterrey 5, Mexico 1
The Sultanes got 7 good innings from Marco Tovar (9-3) as Monterrey topped the Diablos 5-1. David Reyes (9-6) took the loss. Monterrey used home runs by Missael German and Felix Perez to overpower Mexico.

Aguascalientes 14, Monclova 4
The Rieleros  jumped out to an 11-0 lead and coasted to a 14-4 win over the Acereros. Julio DePaula (4-3) earned the win and Enrique Lechuga (4-8) took the loss. Saul Soto went 2 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBIs for the Rieleros.

Tijuana 12, Tamaulipas 0
Barry Enright (7-3) pitched 6 shut out innings to get the win in the Toros 12-0 victory over the Broncos. Omar Espinosa (4-8) took the loss. Carlos Valencia had a 3 run home run and Miguel Olivo was 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs for the Toros.

Tabasco 5, Ciudad del Carmen 2
The Olmecas snapped their 9 game losing streak with the 5-2 win over he Delfines. Tabasco scored 3 times in the top of the 9th to break a 2-2 tie and Luis Ayala shut down del Carmen in the bottom of the 9th to pick up his 17th save and give Rodolfo Aguirre (6-4) the win. Gaudencio Aguirre (5-3) took the loss. Said Gutierrez was 2 for 2 with a home run and 2 runs scored for the Olmecas.

Campeche 7, Veracruz 6
The Piratas went up 7-1 in the 5th and withstood the Aguilas comeback attempt to win 7-6. Rolando Valdez (4-0) got the win and Fernando Nieve notched his 9th save of the year. Fenando Flores was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs for Campeche while Jesus Espinosa was 2 for 3 with 2 home runs and 2 RBIs for the Aguilas.

Saltillo 3, Laguna 2
The Saraperos scored 3 times in the bottom of the 8th to beat the Vaqueros 3-2. Saltillo scored on a single by Manny Rodriguez, a double by Jon Del Campo and a wild pitch by Tony Pena Jr., the league leader in saves, who took the loss. Robert Suarez (5-0) picked up the win in relief.

Yucatan Shuts Out Puebla 9-0

3 PITCHERS HOLD PERICOS TO 3 HITS IN SHUTOUT

Jonathan Castellanos/Leones Facebook

Jonathan Castellanos (7-6) held he Pericos to 1 hit, walked one and struckout 5 in 7 strong innings for the Leones. Eder Llamas and Manuel Rodriguez finished out the shut out as the Leones powered their way to a 9-0 victory.

Corey Wimberly led off the game with a single and scored two outs later on a home run to left by Hector Gimenez that put the Leones up 2-0. That would prove to be enough for Castellanos but Yucatan would not stop there.

Corey Wimberly singles

Ricardo Serrano and Kevin Flores opened the Leones half of the 4th inning with singles. Serrano would score when Kristian Delgado reached safely as the Pericos shortstop misplayed his ground ball. Corey Wimberly then drew a base on balls to load the bases. Albino Contreras came through with a 2 out single to right that scored Flores and Delgado. Hector Gimenez drove home Wimberly with a single to center and the Leones had a comfortable 6-0 lead. Luis Garcia walked to load the bases. Ricardo Serrano walked to drive in Contreras and Kevin Flores waited out the third consecutive walk to force in Gimenez and the lead was 8-0 after four innings.

Edson Garcia hit a 2 out double to center in the 5th inning and scored the final run of the game for Yucatan when the Pericos shortstop botched a ground ball hit by Albino Contreras.

Andres Meza (6-5) lasted just 2/3 of an inning, giving up the home run. The Pericos committed 4 errors in the game and walked 5, not a formula for success in any league.



Hector Gimenez at the plate

The Leones were powered by Hector Gimenez who went 2 for 5 on the night with a home run, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored while teammate Albino Contreras was 1 for 5 with 2 RBIs and Ricardo Serrano went 3 for 4 with an RBI.






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Quintana Roo 13, Oaxaca 3
The Tigres kept pace with the Leones in the race for the Division lead in Zona Sur with a 13-3 win over the Guerreros. Francisco Peguero was 5 for 6 with 2 home runs, 4 RBIs and 3 runs scored in the win. Jorge Cantu added 2 home runs of his own on a 4 for 4 night at the plate for the Tigres.

Monterrey 15, Mexico 6
The two teams combined for 30 hits and 21 runs in a contest that was certainly not a pitchers duel by any stretch of the imagination. Marcos Rivera (3-3) picked up the win and Arturo Lopez (8-3) took the loss. Asael Sanchez hit a home run, drove in 3 and scored 2 for the Sultanes and Heber Gomez went 3 for 5 with a home run and 3 RBIs in the win.

Monclova 7, Aguascalientes 3
Jose Oyervidez (8-5) pitched 5 2/3 innings to get the win for the Acereros while Fredy Quinteros (3-4) took the loss. Olmo Rosario, 4 for 4 on the night, had a home run and 3 RBIs while Jose Ruiz and Jose Amador added home runs and 5 RBIs for Monclova. Carlos Rodriguez went 2 for 3 with a home run and 2 RBIs for the Rieleros.

Laguna 10, Saltillo 6
Francisco Mendez hit a grand slam home run in the 8th inning to power the Vaqueros to a 10-6 win over the Saraperos. Justin Greene went 5 for 5 with 3 RBIs in the losing effort. Ivan Zavala (6-7) picked up the win while Santiago Gutierrez (8-6) suffered the loss.

Ciudad del Carmen 2, Tabasco 1
Jose Castillo had 1 of the 2 Olmeca hits on the night, a solo home run in the 2nd inning that gave Tabasco a short lived lead. Gilberto Mejia drove in both runs for the Delfines. Oscar Rivera (5-7) got the win while Josh Lueke notched his 23rd save of the season. The Olmecas have dropped 9 consecutive games.

Campeche 4, Veracruz 2
The Piratas won their 6th consecutive game with the 4-2 win over the Aguilas Rojos. Hector Velazquez (6-4) picked up the win and Alan Garcia (0-1) suffered the loss. Alfredo Silverio went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and Paul Leon added a home run for the Piratas. Jose Espinoza had a home run on a 1 for 2 night at the plate for Veracruz.

Tamaulipas 6, Tijuana 2
Frank Diaz went 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs for the Broncos in the 6-2 win over the Toros. Nicolas Heredia (6-3) picked up the win and Luis Daniel notced his 1st save. Alejandro Martinez (4-5) took the loss/

Yucatan Continues Hitting; Defeat Pericos 11-5

The Leones took 2 of 3 game from the Pericos de Puebla this weekend to improve to 14-12 on the season. Along the way they scored 31 runs on 46 hits to officially break out of their hitting doldrums. On Sunday afternoon Yucatan beat the Pericos 11-5.

Puebla started quickly, scoring a run in the bottom of the 1st on a lead off single by Brent Clevlen, a hot batter, a 4-6-3 double play that got Clevlen to third and a run scoring single by Sandy Madera that put the Pericos on top 1-0.

Yucatan answered in the top of the 3rd inning. Kevin Flores led off with a single and Israel Nunez was hit by a pitch. A Jose Aguilar single loaded the bases with no outs. Edson Garcia hit a sac fly to left to score Flores and the game was tied. One out later, Jesus Valdez singled to score Nunez. Luis Garcia followed with a single to drive in Aguilar and Willy Aybar singled to plate Valdez for the 4-1 Leones lead.

Kevin Flores tripled to lead off the 4th for Yucatan and scored on a single by Israel Nunez. Following a single by Edson Garcia, Jesus Valdez singled to score Nunez and the lead was 6-1.

Israel Nunez drove in Kevin Flores with a single in the top of the 5th inning to increase the Leones lead to 7-1.

The Pericos got a run back in their half of the 5th on a solo home run by Brent Clevlen, his 7th of the year. The lead was cut to 7-2.

Sandy Madera drew a lead off walk for Puebla in the bottom of the 6th inning and came around to score on Luke Scott's 7th home run of the year. Jon Del Campo drew a base on balls and went to third when Rolando Acosta singled. Del Campo scored on a 6-4 fielder's choice. The Pericos were back in the game, down by a 7-5 score.

The Leones stormed ahead with four runs in he top of the 7th. Luis Garcia doubled to center and went to third on a single by Willy Aybar. Ricardo Serrano singled to score Garcia and Kevin Flores doubled to score Aybar. Heberto Gonzalez was intentionally walked to load the bases. Edson Garcia waited out a seven pitch walk to force in Serrano. Hector Gimenez then hit a sac fly to drive in Flores with the fourth run of the inning and the final score of the game, Yucatan 11, Puebla 5.

The 6th through 9th batters for Yucatan went 10 for 19 with a double, a triple, 5 RBIs and 8 runs scored. Israel Nunez was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs, Kevin Flores 3 for 5 with an RBI and 4 runs scored, Ricardo Serrano 3 for 5 with an RBI and Willy Aybar 2 for 5 with an RBI. Jesus Valdez was 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs.

Brent Clevlen was 2 for 5 with a home run for the Pericos and Luke Scott went 1 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs.

Eder Llamas (2-1) picked up the win in relief for the Leones while Mauricio Lara (1-4) suffered the defeat.

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Saltillo 5, Monterrey 2
Saltillo scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th on a 2 run double by Christian Zazueta and a run scoring single by Genaro Andrade to beat the Sultanes 5-2. Zazueta was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs, Luis Terrero 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored and Andrade 2 for 3 with an RBI for the Saraperos. Felix Perez went 2 for 3 with a double, a home run and 2 RBIs for Monterrey. Robert Suarez (1-0) got the win in relief while Thomas Melgarejo (0-3) took the loss.

Oaxaca 6, Quintana Roo 4
Carlos Valencia hit a 2 run home run for the Tigres in the 1st but it wasn't enough as the Guerreros climbed back to take a 6-4 win in Cancun. Sergio Lizarraga (1-0) won in relief and Orangel Arenaz picked up save #2 on the season. Carlos Bustamante (1-1) took the loss. Alejandro Gonzalez was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and Yuniesky Betancourt 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs for Oaxaca. Valencia went 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs and Carlos Gastelum was 1 for 3 with an RBI for Quintana Roo.

Aguascalientes 7, Tamaulipas 6 (13 innings)
Saul Soto drove in his 40th run on a walk off single in the 11th inning to give the Rieleros their 9th straight win, and improve to 20-6 overall, with the 7-6 victory over the Broncos. Roy Corcoran (2-1) pitched the final 2 innings for the win and Francisco Rivera (0-2) was charged with the loss. Cole Garner was 3 for 5 for the Broncos while Eliezer Ortiz went 2 for 5 with an RBI and 2 runs scored for the Rieleros.

Mexico 4, Laguna 0
Japhet "El Gigante" Amador hit 2 home runs for Mexico to help the Diablos Rojos to a 4-0 win over the Vaqueros. Amador was 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs. JC Linares went 3 for 4 for Laguna. David Reyes (3-1) got the win as he and 3 relievers scattered 10 Vaquero hits on the way to the shutout. Juan Sandoval was credited with his 3rd save. Ivan Zavala (3-2) took the loss.

Campeche 7, Tabasco 4
Daryl Thompson (2-3) pitched 6 2/3 innings of 2 run ball to get the win for the Piratas with Ricardo Gomez recording his 6th save of the year. Jasiel Acosta (0-1) took the loss for Tabasco. Dave Sappelt was 2 for 4 with a home run and DH Ruben Mateo went 1 for 2 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs for Campeche. Jose Castillo went 2 for 5 with an RBI for the Olmecas.

Ciudad del Carmen 7, Veracruz 5 (10 innings)
Francisco Lugo hit a 3 run walkoff home run to cap a 4 run rally in the 10th inning to give the Delfines a 7-5 come from behind win over the Aguilas. Henry Rodriguez was 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs and Luga went 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs for del Carmen. Jeremias Pineda was 2 for 5 with an RBI and 2 runs scored for Veracruz. Josh Lueke (4-0) picked up the win. Jose Pina (2-4) was charged with a blown save and the loss for the Aguilas.

Monclova 7, Tijuana 6
The Toros scored 3 times in the top of the 9th but it was a case of "too little, too late" as the Acereros took home the 7-6 win. Francisco Cordoba homered and went 3 for 4 and Jose Amador was 1 for 4 with 3 RBIs for Monclova. Hector Hernandez was 3 for 5 with a home run and 3 RBIs for the Toros. Josh Lowey (5-1) got the win and Waldis Joaquin notched his 6th save. Monclova used 7 pitchers in the game. Walter Silva (1-2) was saddled with the loss. Jose Luis Garcia of the Toros made history, appearing in his 900th game, pitching in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol since 1993. Congratulations Jose.

Yucatan Scores Twice In The 9th To Beat Oaxaca 8-6

Jesus Valdez' 2 run home run in the top of the 9th inning was the big hit of the evening as the Leones de Yucatan defeated the Guerreros de Oaxaca 8-6. Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision as both teams had big innings in the 5th. Oaxaca used 8 pitchers in the game and the Leones sent 6 to the mound.

Oaxaca began the game scoring a run in the bottom of the 1st on singles by Alejandro Gonzalez and Jaime Brena. With one out, Mike Jacobs singled to score Gonzalez and the Guerreros had an early 1-0 lead.

Jesus Valdez drew a base on balls to lead off the Leones 2nd. Willy Aybar singled as did Kevin Flores to load the bases no outs. Ricardo Serrano ground into a 6-4 fielder's choice as Valdez scored. Aybar scored on a sac fly by Israel Nunez and Yucatan had taken a 2-1 lead.

Yucatan scored again in the 4th on a solo home run by Kevin Flores that increased the Leones lead to 3-1.

With one out in the top of the 5th inning, Luis Garcia drew a walk. One out later, Willy Aybar was hit by a pitch and Kevin Flores walked to load the bases. Ricardo Serrano doubled to right to clear the bases and stake the Leones to a 6-1 lead.

The lead didn't last long. Erick Rodriguez led off the Guerreros half of the 5th with a double and scored when Alejandro Gonzalez launched a long 2 run home run to right. Jaime Brena walked and one out later Mike Jacobs singled. Yunesky Sanchez singled to load the bases. Carlos Rivera singled to drive in Brena and Mario Valenzuela capped the scoring in the four run 4th with a single to plate Jacobs. Oaxaca had pulled to within a run at 6-5.

Oaxaca tied the game in the bottom of the 6th inning. Alejandro Gonzalez was hit by a pitch and went to third on a single by Jaime Brena. Yancarlo Angulo hit a ground ball to short to score Gonzalez and the score was tied at 6.

The Leones scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th inning on a single by Hector Gimenez and the home run to straight away center by Jesus Valdez. Yucatan had taken an 8-6 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th needing just three outs for the victory.

Anthony Ortega picked up his 2nd save of the year and preserved the win for Eder Llamas (1-1) by setting the Guerreros down in order, with two strikeouts, in the inning. Juan Ascanio (0-1) took the loss in relief after giving up the home run in the top half of the inning.

Jesus Valdez was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored, Ricardo Serrano 2 for 4 with 4 RBIs and Kevin Flores 2 for 3 with a home run, an RBI and 2 runs scored for the Leones.

Alejandro Gonzalez went 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored while Mike Jacobs was 3 for 5 with an RBI for the Guerreros.

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Aguascalientes 6, Monterrey 4
The Rieleros scored 5 runs in the 3rd and 1 in the 9th to beat the Sultanes 6-4. Monterrey scored 4 times in the third but they couldn't overtake the Rieleros. Ramon Ramirez (2-1) got the win and Roy Corcoran earned his 8th save. Marco Carrillo (0-3) took the loss. Danny Richar hit a grand slam and Leobardo Arauz homered for the Rieleros while Max Ramirez hit a 3 run Home run for the Sultanes.

Mexico 5, Monclova 1
Mario Duarte (2-1) pitched 6 innings of 4 hit ball and Jonathan Albaladejo earned his 1st save of the year as the Diablos beat the Acereros 5-1. Carlos Figueroa was 1 for 4 with a home run, Jesus Lopez 2 for 4 with an RBI and Ivan Terrazas 2 for 5 for Mexico. Carlos Penuelas was 2 for 3 and Travis Garcia was 1 for 3 with the lone RBI for Monclova.

Laguna 6, Tijuana 4
The Vaqueros scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th, including a solo home run by Angel Berroa to defeat the Toros 6-4. Florencio Bustillos (1-1) picked up the win and Johan Yan got his 1st save for Laguna. Jesus Garcia (1-1) took the loss. Berroa was 2 for 4 with an RBI and Diego Madero 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs for Laguna. Yunesky Betancourt was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs for Tijuana.

Veracruz 6, Campeche 5 (13 innings)
With Tony Abreu batting in the bottom of the 13th inning for the Aguilas, the Piratas second baseman threw the ball away on a double play attempt that would have ended the inning and Ruben Sosa scored the winning run as Veracruz topped Campeche 6-5. Issmael salas was 1 for 5 with 2 RBIs for the Aguilas while Ruben Mateo went 1 for 5 with 2 RBIs for the Piratas.

Puebla 6, Quintana Roo 5 (10 innings)
Francisco Cambuston uncorked a wild pitch that scored the Pericos Sandy Madero with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th for Puebla. Luke Scott had a 3 run home run in the bottom of the 8th for Puebla to tie the score at 5. Scott was 2 for 5 with 3 RBIs. Jorge Vazquez was 1 for 5 with a home run and 2 RBIs for the Tigres.

Tamaulipas 2, Saltillo 1 (12 innings)
Cole Garner singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th to score Travis Denker with the winning run in the Broncos 2-1 win over the Saraperos. Luis Daniel (2-1) picked up the win in relief and Rudy Gonzalez  (0-1) suffered the loss. Garner went 2 for 5 with the game winning RBI.

Ciudad del Carmen VS Tabasco Postponed due to rain

Leones Take A Pounding From The Guerreros 14-3

The Leones de Yucatan traveled to Oaxaca to take on the Guerreros and when the dust had cleared on an explosive night, Yucatan found itself on the losing end of a 14-3 score. Jon Leicester (3-2) gave up 7 runs in 5 innings and saw his ERA jump over 1 1/2 runs per game, to 3.76, in the loss. Marlon Arias (1-3) worked 5 1/3 innings in the win, holding the Leones to 1 run on 7 hits while striking out 5.

Marlon Arias / Guerreros facebook

Yucatan opened the scoring in the top of the 2nd on a solo home run to deep right center by Ricardo Serrano, his 2nd of the year, for a 1-0 Leones lead.

Jaime Brena singled to lead off the bottom of the 4th for the Guerreros and scored in front of a Mike Jacobs home run as Oaxaca took a 2-1 lead. Yunesky Sanchez followed with a single and scored on a double to left center by Carlos Rivera. The Guerreros upped their lead to 3-1.

Erick Rodriguez, Jaime Brena and Alejandro Sanchez all singled to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the 5th for Oaxaca. Mike Jacobs then doubled to clear the bases and put the Guerreros up 6-1.

Oaxaca scored three more runs in the bottom of the 6th inning. After Mario Valenzuela singled to lead off the inning, Tim Torres reached base safely on a fielding error by the Leones second baseman. Valenzuela scored on a sac fly to left by Erick Rodriguez. Jaime Brena singled and scored, with Torres, on a double by Alejandro Gonzalez. The lead was now 9-1 Guerreros.

Hector Gimenez singled for Yucatan in the top of the 8th inning and came around to score  on a Jesus Valdez home run to right center that cut the Oaxaca lead to 9-3.

Tim Torres led off the Guerreros half of the 8th with a solo home run to give Oaxaca a 10-3 lead. Erick Rodrigues followed the home run with a double to right. Alex Sanchez drew a walk and Alejandro Gonzalez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Two batters later, pinch hitter Jose Martinez, worked the count full before hitting a grand slam over the 415' sign in center as Oaxaca took a 14-3 lead that wound up as the final score in the Guerreros win.

Mike Jacobs Home Run / Guerreros Facebook

Mike Jacobs was 2 for 5 with 5 RBIs, Martinez 1 for 1 with 4 RBIs and Alejandro Sanchez 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.

Ricardo Serrano and Jesus Valdez hit home runs for the Leones. Valdez went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs while Kevin Flores and Israel Nunez were both 2 for 4 for Yucatan.

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Quintana Roo 4, Puebla 2
The Pericos used a run scoring ground out by Miguel Tejada and a solo home run by Sandy madera to go up 2-0 in the 1st but the Tigres responded with a 2 run home run by Jesus Esopinoza and RBIs by Raul Sanchez and Jorge Cantu to top Puebla 4-2. Ivan Maldonado (2-1) was the winning pitcher and Fernando Rodriguez picked up his 6th save.

Aguascalientes 6, Monterrey 0
Lorenzo Barcelo (3-1) pitched a 5 hit complete game shutout for the Rieleros as they topped the Sultanes 6-0. Javier Solano (1-3) took the loss. Danny Richar was 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs, Saul Soto hit his league leading 9th home run of the year and Rene Reyes went 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Rieleros.

Monclova 8, Mexico 3
The Acereros scored 7 runs in the first two innings, including home runs by Jose Amador and Flavio Romero to beat the Diablos Rojos 8-3. Romero also tripled on a 2 for 4 night with 4 RBIs. Amador was 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs. Josh lowey (4-1) went 7 innings in the win and David Reyes (2-1) suffered the loss.

Veracruz 5, Campeche 3
5 Runs in the 1st was all the Aguilas needed to defeat the Piratas 5-3. Tony Abreu, Joel Galaragga, Humberto Sosa and Adelaido Martinez all drove in runs in the inning as the Aguilas sent 10 men to the plate. Ignacio Montano (2-1) picked up the win and Daryl Thompson (1-3) took the loss.

Tamaulipas 6, Saltillo 2
The Broncos scored 5 times in the bottom of the 7th to overcome the Saraperos 6-2. Rubem Agramon was 3 for 3 with an RBI and 2 runs scored and Cole Garner 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs for the Broncos, manny Rodriguez was 1 for 3 with and RBI for saltillo. Edwin Salas (1-4) took the loss while Luis Daniel (1-1) got the win in relief for the Broncos.

Ciudad del Carmen 3, Tabasco 2 (10 innings)
The Delfines scored in the top of the 10th on a solo home run by Humberto Cota and Josh Lueke (3-0) got the win after a blown save in the 9th forced the game into extra innings. Luis Ayala (1-1) suffered the loss for the Olmecas.

Laguna 3, Tijuana 2
Miguel Olivo doubled in the top of the 9th and scored on a single by Roman Pena but it wasn't enough as the Vaqueros held on to beat the Toros 3-2. Ivan Zavala (3-1) picked up the win and Tony Pena Jr. earned his 5th save of the year. Juan Miranda walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th to put the Vaqueros up 3-1.

Leones Take 2 of 3 from Monclova with 6-1 Win

Alejandro Astorga courtesy Leones Facebook

Alejandro Astorga (3-1) shut out the Acereros through 6 1/3 innings on 4 hits while striking out 4. Eder Llamas and Anthony Ortega struck out 2 and allowed 3 hits over the last 2 2/3 innings in the Leones 6-1 victory over Monclova. Sasagi Sanchez (1-2) took the loss for the Acereros.

Yucatan scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 5th. Luis Garcia led off with a single and moved to second on a single by Jesus Valdez. Willy Aybar doubled to deep left center to score both Garcia and Valdez. Ricardo Serrano doubled to center to drive in Aybar. Kevin Flores singled moving Serrano to third. Serrano scored on a sac fly by Israel Nunez. Two batters later, Ivan Araujo tripled to center to plate Flores and the Leones led 5-0.

Ayabar Scores courtesy Leones Facebook

Kevin Flores and Isreal Nunez singled to lead off the 7th inning for Yucatan. After a fly ball out to left, Ivan Araujo drew a walk to load the bases. Following a pitching change by the Acereros, relief pitcher Jose Gallego uncorked a wild pitch to score Flores to increase the Leones lead to 6-0.

Monclova scored in the top of the 9th inning. Olmo Rosario singled with one out and went to third on a double by Jose Ruiz. The Leones reliever, Anthony Ortega, threw a wild pitch that scored Rosario but Travis Garcia struck out to end the game with the score 6-1 Leones.

Willy Aybar was 1 for 4 with a 2 run double, Ivan Araujo 1 for 2 with a run scoring triple, Jesus Valdez 3 for 4 and Kevin Flores 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored for Yucatan.

Jose Ruiz went 2 for 4 for the Acereros who were held to 7 hits and struck out 6 times. Monclova did not score until the top of the 9th.

IN OTHER LMB ACTION:

Oaxaca 7, Mexico 3
The Guerreros built a 7-2 lead over the Diablos after 5 innings. the Diablos scored a run in the bottom of the 9th on a double and a single but it wasn't enough as Oaxaca held on to win 7-3. Alejandro Soto (2-1) went 6 innings for the win and Juan Pablo Oramas (1-1) took the loss.

Saltillo 12, Veracruz 4
The Saraperos scored 4 times in the 1st and 4 more in the 5th to put the game away over the Aguilas 12-4. Luis Borges was 3 for 5 with an RBI, Ramon Orantes 3 for 3 with a home run and 4 RBIs and Carlos Alvarez 3 for 5 with 4 RBIs for Saltillo. Jeremias Pineda went 2 for 3 with a home run, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored for Veracruz.

Campeche 4, Tamaulipas 1
Up 3-0 after 3 innings the Piratas went on to beat the Broncos 4-1. Jorge Castillo (2-1) picked up the win and Ricardo Gomez recorded his 5th save of the year for Campeche. Jesus Carrillo (0-2) took the loss. DH Ruben Mateo was 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs for the Piratas and Travis Denker went 2 for 4 with a home run for the Broncos.

Aguascalientes 2, Tabasco 1
Jesus Castillo, who went 2 for 4 on the night, homered in the 1st for the Rieleros and a run scoring single by Julian Castro in the 2nd, offset a 5th inning solo home run by the Olmeca's Jose Castaneda to win 2-1. Fredy Quintero (2-0) got the win  and Roy Corcoran his 7th save for the Rieleros. Leo Medrano (1-2) was saddled with the loss.

Ciudad del Carmen 7, Monterrey 4
The Delfines built a 7-1 lead after 6 innings and survived a 3 run rally in the 9th by the Sultanes to beat Monterrey 7-4. Henry Rodriguez was 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs and Carlos Morales 3 for 4 with an RBI for del Carmen. Heber Gomez went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs for the Sultanes. Sergio Mora (1-2) got the win and Alfredo Aceves (0-1) took the loss.

Puebla 7, Tijuana 3
The Pericos scored 3 times in the 4th to best the Toros 7-3. Jon Del Campos was 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs and Luke Scott 1 for 3 with a 2 run home run and 3 RBIs for Puebla. Roman Pena went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and Abel Martinez 2 for 2 with an RBI for Tijuana. Lauro Ramirez (1-1) got the win while Terance Marin (1-2) suffered the loss.

Quintana Roo 11, Laguna 3
5 runs in the 1st was enough for the Tigres to beat the Vaqueros but they didn't stop there on their way to an 11-3 win. Rafael Perez (2-1) was credited with the win while Yeiper Castillo (0-2) was the losing pitcher. The Tigres got 2 home runs and 4 RBIs from Carlos Valencia and a home run with3 RBIs from Jorge Cantu. Santiago Gonzalez went 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs for Laguna.