Campeche Shuts Out The Leones 5-0

TAKE GAME 4 AND EVEN SERIES AT 2-2

Evan Maclane / Leones Facebook

The #3, 4 and 5 hitters for the Piratas went a combined 8 for 12 at the plate with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored as Campeche topped the Leones 5-0. The Piratas exploded for 5 runs in the fifth and their pitchers did the rest.

The bottom of the 5th started with a base on balls to Paul Leon who went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Adan Velazquez reached base on an error by the Leones second baseman that got Leon to third. A single by Alfredo Silverio scored Leon. Ronny Paulino singled to drive in Velazquez and CJ Retherford followed with a double to plate Silverio. Paulino and Retherford scored on a single by Roberto Lopez to give Campeche the 5-0 lead and would prove to be all the scoring in the game.

Evan Maclane, the winning pitcher, and 2 relievers held the Leones scoreless on 3 hits while striking out 5.

Alejandro Astorga/ Leones Facebook

Alejandro Astorga worked 4 1/3 innings for the Leones giving up 1 run on 5 hits but walked 4 and struck out just 1.

With the series now tied at 2 games each, the 5th game of the Zona Sur series will be played in Campeche on Sunday he 23rd of August with the winner taking a 3-2 lead back to Merida for game 6 on Tuesday, the 25th.

IN OTHER LMB PLAYOFF ACTION

Quintana Roo 6, Oaxaca 4

The Tigres de Quintana Roo evened their Zona Sur playoff series with the Guerreros de Oaxaca at two games apiece with the help of a 4 run 8th inning, good pitching and 3 Oaxaca errors in the 6-4 win.

Quintana Roo starter, Carlos Bustamante and 4 relief pitchers held the Guerreros to 4 runs on 7 hits while striking out 8.

Mike Jacobs led off the bottom of the 2nd inning with a solo home run to give Oaxaca an early 1-0 lead.

Jose Felix answered the Oaxaca home run with one of his own in the top of the 3rd to knot the score at one all.

After loading the bases in the bottom of the 7th, the Guerreros scored a run to retake the lead on a single by Erick Rodriguez but the Tigres pitchers were able to pitch out of the jam without further damage.

Alfredo Amezaga led off the 8th with a solo shot to right center for the Tigres and Quintana Roo broke the game open with 3 more runs in the inning with the help of 2 walks and 3 Guerreros errors for a 5-2 lead.

Both teams would score in the 8th and 9th innings but the Tigres prevailed in the game 6-4.

Jose Felix and Amezaga homered for the Tigres.

Alejandro Gonzalez was 2 for 4  with a home run and Mike Jacobs added a home run on a 1 for 2 night at the plate for Oaxaca.

Jesus Castillo got the win in relief with Ramon Ramirez notching his second save of the playoffs. Jose Ascanio was charged with a blown save and the loss for the Guerreros.

Jose Ascanio / Guerreros Facebook

The win ensures that the divisional playoffs will return to Cancun for game 6 and game 7 (if necessary) beginning on Tuesday the 25th of August.

Monclova 5, Saltillo 2

The Acereros de Monclova rode the bat of Francisco Cordoba, who went 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs, to a 3 games to 1 lead over the Saraperos de Saltillo in the Zona Norte divisional playoffs on Saturday.

Monclova scored 5 runs in the first 3 innings and let their pitching staff do the rest. The Acereros staff scattered 11 Saltillo hits and struck out 6.

Raul Barron picked up the win in relief, because starter Anthony Capra failed to complete 5 innings, and Juan Noriega notched his second save. Jorge Ibarra gave up 5 runs on 3 hits in 2 1/3 innings for the loss. Ibarra was charged with 1 earned run as the Saraperos defense committed 2 errors behind him.

Cordoba had a 2 run home run in the 2nd for Monclova.

Ramon Ortiz was 2 for 5 with an RBI for Saltillo.

Monclova has an opportunity to take the Zona Norte playoffs in game 6. in Saltillo, on Sunday the 23rd f August.

Tijuana 5, Mexico 1

Jason Urquidez
LMB.com

Jason Urquidez, the Toros starter, held the Diablos to just 1 hit and 1 run over 6 innings to get the win, 5-1, and even the Zona Norte divisional playoff series at 2 games each.

The Toros pitching staff held the 2014 LMB Champions, and winners of 73 regular season games in 2015, to just 3 hits while walking 5 and striking out 6.

The Diablos drew 2 walks in the second inning and scored their only run on a single by Jesus Lopez that drove in Cyle Hankerd. Mexico would not threaten again.

Lew Ford doubled and scored on a single by Jose Chavez in the 5th, Miguel Olivo doubled and scored on a sac fly by Carlos Valencia to take the lead in the 6th and the Toros scored 3 times in the 7th to seal the win.

Arturo Lopez pitched 6 innings for the Diablos and gave up 2 runs on 7 hits to take the loss.

Eduardo Arredondo was 3 for 3 with a run scored and Lew Ford 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored for the Toros.

Jesus Lopez went 2 for 4 with the lone RBI for the Diablos and pinch hitter Samar Leyva had the other hit for Mexico.

The win on Saturday ensures the playoffs ill return to Mexico City on Tuesday the 25th of August with the winner of game 5 on Sunday will hold a 3-2 edge in games. 

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.

Leones Open Zona Sur Series With 7-1 Win Over Piratas

Watch the highlight video here.

Yucatan jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after 2 innings and Yoanner Negrin, with the help of 4 relief pitchers, did the rest as the Leones beat the Piratas 7-1 in the first game of a best of seven series.


Yoanner Negrin on the mound
Leones facebook

Corey Wimberly lead off the bottom of the 1st with a single and went to third on a single by Jaime Pedroza, who took second on the throw to third. Wimberly scored on a ground out and Pedroza scored on a single by Jesus Valdez. Hector Gimenez followed with a single to drive in Valdez, who had stolen second. Ricardo Serrano got Gimenez home with a single and the Leones led 4-0 after one inning.

Wimberly scores / Leones facebook

Israel Nunez started the 2nd for Yucatan with a bunt single down the third base line. Corey Wimberly and Jose Aguilar were both hit by pitches. The Leones had the bases loaded with one out. Jesus Valdez tripled to clear the bases and the Leones were up 7-0.

The Piratas remained scoreless until Paul Leon tripled with one out in the top of the 9th and scored on a ground ball out by Jason Alondo for the only Campeche run of the game.

Negrin worked 5 2/3 innings, scattering 6 hits and walking 2 while striking out 5 to get the win for Yucatan. Francisco Campos was roughed up for 7 runs on 7 hits in just 1 1/3 innings for the Piratas, to take the loss.

Jesus Valdez was 2 for 4 for the Leones with 4 RBIs while Jose Aguilar went 1 for 4 with an RBI and Hector Gimenez was 1 for 3 with and RBI.

The Piratas' Adan Velazquez was the bright spot in the Campeche lineup going 2 for 4 while Jasson Alondo drove in the teams only run.

These two teams meet again today, Wednesday the 19th of August, to continue the best of seven series. Thursday is a travel day and the series will pick up again on Friday the 21st of August in Campeche.
IN OTHER LMB PLAYOFF ACTION

Mexico 5, Tijuana 2

Watch a highlight video here.

Diablos Celebrate

Ivan Terrazas was 2 for 3 on the night and hit a 3 run home run in the bottom of the 5th for the Diablos as they took game 1 of the Zona Norte series with Tijuana by a 5-2 score. Sergio Gastelum scored a run on a 2 for 4 night at the late.

The Toros used 2 walks and a single by Luis Suarez to score Dustin Martin with their 1st run and a solo home run by Carlos Valencia in the 7th for their 2 runs. Suarez was 2 for 4 and Valencia 1 for 4 for the game.

Marcos Duarte got the win and Juan Sandoval earned the save for the Diablos. Fabio Castro started for the Toros and gave up 3 runs on 3 hits while walking 4 in 4 2/3 innings to take the loss.


Monclova 10, Saltillo 3

Watch a highlight video here.

The Saraperos pitching staff finished 14th in ERA in the league this year, giving up just over 5 runs a game. The Acereros made Saltillo pay for another poor showing, topping the Saraperos 10-3. Monclova leads the Zona Norte series 1-0

Josh Lowey wasn't as sharp as he has been but he scattered 7 hits over 6 innings to get the win. Lowey's only bad pitch of the night resulted in a 2 run home run by Refugio Cervantes in the top of the 1st inning to give the Saraperos their only lead of the game.

Francisco Cordoba blasted a 3 run home run for Monclova in the bottom of the 2nd as theAcereros took the lead and didn't look back, scoring in the 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th for the 10-3 win.

Josh Lowey / LMB Website

Lowey got the win and Edgmer Escalona worked 5 1/3 innings giving up 7 runs to be saddled with the loss.

Francisco Cordoba, Jose Ruiz and Antonio Lamas homered for Monclova with Cordoba going 2 for 3 with 3 RBIS and 2 runs scored. Ruiz was 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs and Lamas 1 for 5 with 2 RBIs.

Refugio Cervantes was 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs while Justin Greene was 3 for 4 with a run scored for Saltillo.

Oaxaca 8, Quintana Roo 0

Watch a highlight video here.

The Guerreros used 11 hits to score 8 runs as Oaxaca took the 1st game of their Zona Sur playoff series with the Tigres 8-0.

Sergio Valenzuela / Guerreros Facebook

Sergio Valenzuela gave up just 4 hits to the Tigres in his 6 2/3 innings on the mound to pick up the win. 3 relievers worked the final 2 1/3 innings holding the Tigres hitless. Ramon Ortiz lasted just 4 innings in the loss, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits.

Erick Rodriguez, the Guerreros catcher, was 3 for 4 on the night with an RBI and 2 runs scored while Alan Sanchez was 1 for 5 with 2 RBIs and Ronny Cedeno went 2 for 4 with an RBI



Video highlights courtesy of the LMB and ITV

Puebla Eliminated by Campeche in 3-2 Loss

PIRATAS TO FACE LEONES de YUCATAN ON TUESDAY

Watch the LMB highlights of the game here, courtesy of ITV and the LMB.

CJ Retherford scored from third on a single by Fernando Flores in the bottom of the 5th inning to break a 2-2 tie and the Piratas de Campeche went on to win the Zona Sur elimination game and keep their hopes of an LMB Championship alive.

The Piratas opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st when Adan Velazquez singled to left and scored on a double by Alfredo Silverio for the quick 1-0 Campeche lead.

Roberto Lopez, the Campeche 1st baseman, launched a lead off home run to left off of the Pericos starter, Hector Galvan, in the bottom of the 2nd inning to increase the Piratas lead to 2-0.

Puebla got a run back in the top of the 3rd inning on a solo home run by Miguel Tejada off of Evan Maclane, the Piratas starting pitcher.

Rolando Acosta drew a two out walk in the top of the 4th for Puebla and went to second on a sharply hit single to left by Mario Santana. Acosta scored when Roman Pena singled and when the Piratas failed to score in their half of the inning the score was tied at 2 all.

The Piratas took the lead in the 5th and 5 Campeche relief pitchers shut down the Pericos hitters on 1 hit over the final 3 1/3 innings, walking 1 and striking out 5. Evan Maclane got the win and Fernando Nieve recorded the save.

Edwin Salas took the loss for the Pericos, giving up 1 run on 1 hit while walking 2 and striking out 1 in his 1 1/3 innings on the mound.

Roberto Lopez was 1 for 1 with a home run and 2 walks for the Piratas while Fernando Flores added an RBI.

Miguel Tejada was 1 for 3 with a home run and an RBI while Mario Santana went 2 for 3 and Brent Clevlen was 2 for 4. Roman Pena drove in the other Pericos run.

The Piratas must get ready quickly as they travel to Merida on Tuesday to take on the Zona Sur champion Leones de Yucatan in a best of seven series to continue the LMB playoffs. The Guerreros de Oaxaca will be in Cancun to face the Tigres de Quintana Roo in the other Zona Sur series.

The Toros de Tijuana will face the Diablos Rojos del Mexico, in Mexico City and the Saraperos de Saltillo play the Acereros de Monclova, in Monclova for the Zona Norte playoffs.

Let The games Begin!

TOROS SMOTHER VAQUEROS 10-3

Watch a short LMB video here.

Barry Enright scattered 7 hits, walked none and struck out 3 in the 10-3 win over the Vaqueros in the Zona Norte elimination game of the LMB playoffs. Enright gave up a two run home run to Sergio Garcia with two outs in the 7th inning before being replaced in the 8th.

Eduardo Arredondo

Eduardo Arredondo drew a lead off walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Maxwell Leon and scored on a single to center by Oscar Robles to give the Toros the early 1-0 lead after 1 inning.

Laguna tied the score in the top of the 3rd on a single by Sergio Garcia, who stole second, and a run scoring double to left center by Mario Vega.

The Toros answered quickly in their half of the 3rd. Jose Chavez waited out a lead off base on balls and moved to second on a single by Eduardo Arredondo. Maxwell Leon placed a bunt down the third base line and when the Vaqueros third baseman threw wildly to 1st, Chavez scored and Arredondo went to third. Oscar Robles then singled to right to score Arredondo, his 2nd RBI of the night, and the 3-1 Tijuana lead.

The Toros Crowd Enjoys The Game

After Miguel Olivo singled with 2 outs in the bottom of the 6th and stole second, Luis Suarez singled to drive in Olivo and increase the Toros lead to 4-1. Suarez took second on a throwing error by the Laguna right fielder. Jose Chavez walked and Eduardo Arredondo singled to score Suarez for the 5-1 lead.

The Vaqueros got the 2 run home run by Sergio Garcia in the 7th to bring Laguna to within 2 runs at 5-3.

Lew Ford led off the bottom of the 7th for Tijuana with a triple and scored one out later on a single to center by Carlos Valencia. Toros 6, Vaqueros 3.

Toros Score Again

Tony Pena Jr., the LMB leader in saves with 25, was brought in to pitch the 8th inning for the Vaqueros and gave up 4 runs. Eduardo Arredondo singled and scored on a double by Maxwell Leon. Leon would score in front of a home run by Lew Ford. Dustin Martin singled to center, Carlos Valencia singled and Martin scored on a single by Miguel Olivo to bring the score to the final 10-3.

Eduardo Arredondo was 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored, Lew Ford 2 for 5 with the home run and 2 RBIs and Miguel Olivo 3 for 5 with an RBI for the Toros. Oscar Robles added 2 RBIs on a 2 for 5 night at the plate.

Sergio Garcia went 2 for 3 with the home run, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored for Laguna.

Barry Enright got the win while the Vaqueros starter, Danny Gutierrez, took the loss.

The Toros now travel to Mexico City to take on the #1 seed Diablos Rojos del Mexico in a seven game series beginning on Tuesday the 18th of August.

IN THE OTHER LMB PLAYOFF ACTION

The elimination game between the Piratas de Campeche and the Pericos de Puebla was rained out and will be played today at 1 PM.

Leones' Road To The 2015 Playoffs

Since winning the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Championship in 2006, the Leones struggled in the playoffs from 2007 through 2010. The team lost in the finals in 2007, lost the Zona Sur Championship round in 2008 and lost in he 1st round in 2009 and 2010.

The Leones did not qualify for the league playoffs from 2011 - 2014. At the end of the 2013 season the ownership decided changes had to be made. They fired their manager, Daniel Fernandez and hired Matias Carrillo. After a losing season in 2014, Carrillo was let go and a former Leones player with little managerial experience, Wilfredo Romero, was hired for the 2015 season. Romero was a player on the 2006 LMB Championship team.

Fernandez' team had missed the 2013 playoff by 5 games, finishing 6th of 8 teams in the Zona Sur. Things did not go well in 2014 as the team finished 8 games out of the playoffs and 7th out of 8 teams. Carrillo was fired and Romero hired in October of 2014.

Typical Merida Crowd/Leones facebook

In 2015, Romero and the Leones have turned things around. The team finished the regular season in 1st place in the Zona Sur of the LMB, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Tigres de Quintana Roo. Yucatan's record of 66-46 is a twenty game improvement over 2014.

The Leones change in their record from 2014 to 2015 was dramatic. In 2014, Yucatan finished 10th in the league in batting average, 14th in hits, 8th in doubles, 13th in home runs and 15th in RBIs. Conversely in 2015, the team is 6th in batting average (at .291), 3rd in hits (1105), 3rd in doubles (211), 3rd in triples (18) and 4th in RBIs (562). They also finished 4th in steals with 77, pointing to a speedier team that is more aggressive on the base paths.

At the same time the pitching improved dramatically. In 2014 the Leones pitchers were 14th in wins, 9th in ERA, 13th in strikeouts and 12th in WHIP (Walks plus Hits / Innings Pitched) The pitching staff in 2015 is 2nd in wins (66), 1st in ERA (3.77), 1st in shutouts (14), 5th in walks allowed (358) and 1st in WHIP (1.34).

Marco Quevedo
team leader in Wins
ERA and WHIP

Good players can make a manager look good but the turn around in just one year can and does justify accolades for Romero. If the Diablos Rojos del Mexico, under Miguel Ojeda, had not finished with 73 victories, the most in league history, Romero would have been a shoo-in for Manager of the Year in the LMB.

Jose Aguilar

The Leones are loaded with talent. Second baseman Jaime Pedroza hit .305 on the year playing the second half. Hector Gimenez, from Venezuela, hit .301 with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs. Jose Aguilar had 8 home runs and 57 RBIs while batting .299.

The two biggest stars for the Leones though, were Corey "El Flow" Wimberly and Jesus "Cacao" Valdez. Wimberly, from the US, led the league in runs scored with 97, hit .340, stole 34 bases and had 15 assists from his centerfield position. He also led the league in being hit by a pitch 24 times.

Corey Wimberly

Jesus Valdez
BA .363 leads
the league

Valdez, hailing from the Dominican Republic led the league in batting average, hitting .363 on the year with 7 home runs and 98 RBIs. Had Japhet Amador not had a monster year at the plate, hitting 41 home runs and driving in 117 runs, Valdez would have been a serious contender for the LMB Most Valuable Player.

As it is, Wimberly and Valdez finished in a tie, based on fan voting, for the Leones MVP.

The pitching improved for 2015 but as any fan will tell you, pitching wins games but hitting fills the seats!

One fact that is all telling about a team's success is attendance. From 2011 through 2014 the attendance at Estadio de Beisbol Kukulkan Alamo had steadily fallen until just 225,404 (4,600/game) crossed through the turnstiles in 2014. The winning in 2015 brought the fans back in droves. 528,351 fans, or 8,755 per game, passed through the gates to watch the Leones.

The playoffs begin on Sunday with the Piratas de Campeche and the Pericos de Puebla in a one game playoff to determine who will play the Leones in a 7 game series beginning on Tuesday the 18 of August. The Guerreros de Oaxaca travel to Cancun to take on the Tigres de Quintana Roo in the other playoff of the Zona Sur. As long as the Leones keep on winning the road to the 2015 Division Championship will go through Merida.  

Tigres Beat Leones 6-0 In Season Finale

The Leones captured the Zona Sur Championship on Thursday night and rested their regulars for the final game of the year, a 6-0 loss to the Tigres. It was apparent that both pitchers and back up fielders were rusty to say the least. Jonathan Castellanos (7-7) and 7 relief pitchers walked 6 Tigres. The fielders committed 3 errors and could only manage 5 hits off of Wilmer Rios (4-1) and 5 Tigre relievers.

Quintana Roo opened the scoring in the top of the 3rd inning. Hiram Martinez singled to left. The next batter bunted the ball back to Castellanos who threw wildly to first for an error, allowing Martinez to score from first for the 1-0 Tigres lead.

Large Crowd For Final Game

Things fell apart for the Leones pitchers in the top of the 6th. Angel Erro drew a lead off walk and went to third on a double by Alfredo Amezaga. Esteban Quiroz was intentionally walked to load the bases. After a pitching change, Raul Sanchez waited out the bases loaded walk to bring home Erro. Jose Felix followed with a single to drive in Amezaga. After another pitching change for the Leones, Eduardo Mendivil walked to plate Quiroz. The bases remained loaded with 1 out. After a fly ball to short left produced the second out, Manuel Rodriguez, the Leones reliever, uncorked a wild pitch that scored Sanchez with the 4th run of the inning and a 5-0 Tigres lead.

In the top of the 9th, Angel Erro worked a 2 out base on balls. Alfredo Amezaga singled to right but the right fielder misplayed the short hop and Erro scored the sixth and final run for the Tigres.

Leones Turn 2 /Leones Facebook

Yucatan now awaits the result of the playoff between the Pericos de Puebla and the Piratas de Campeche in Campeche. The Tigres will meet the Guerreros de Oaxaca in the series of the #2 and #3 seeds in the Zona Sur.

The Zona Norte will see the Toros de Tijuana take on the Vaqueros de Laguna to determine who faces the #1 seed 73-39 Diablos de Mexico. The Acereros de Monclova will face the #2 seed Saraperos de Satillo in the other series.

Watch a short LMB video of the game here.

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Monclova 5, Tamaulipas 4 (1st game 8 innings)
Brett Harper singled and Jose Ruiz walked with 1 out Jose Amador walked to load the bases and Hector Garanzuay pulled off a squeeze but to score pinch runner Abraham Ramos as the Acereros topped the Broncos 5-4 in the1st game of a double header. Nick Van Stratten was 4 for 4 with 3 RBIs in he loss.
here.
Monclova 5, Tamaulipas 0 (2nd game)
The Acereros used a 3 run 4th inning to sweep the Broncos with a 5-0 win in the nightcap. Juan Savin (2-3) picked up the win while Wilfredo Ramirez (0-1) took the loss. Brett Harper was 1 for 1 with a home run for Monclova. The Broncos managed just 2 hits off of the 3 Acereros pitchers.

Monterrey 4, Laguna 1 (1st Game)
Marco Tovar (10-3) pitched 6 2/3 innings of 2 hit ball and held the Vaqueros to one run to get the 4-1 win. Felipe Arredondo (8-10) took the loss in the 1st game of a double header. Chris Rberson was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs for the Sultanes and Francisco Mendez went 1 for 3 with a home run for the Vaqueros.

Watch  short LMB video

Monterrey 4, Laguna 2 (2nd game)
Edgar Gonzalez (4-12) held the Vaqueros to 5 hits and 2 runs as the Sultanes took the nightcap of a twin bill 4-2. Jaime Espinoza (1-2) took the loss. Heber Gomez was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs for Monterrey.

Watch a short LMB video here.

Oaxaca 4, Puebla 3
Ruddy Acosta (8-6) pitched 7 innings to get the 4-3 win for the Guerreros over the Percos. Mauricio Lara (5-9) took the loss. Yancarlo Angulo and Mario Vanenzuela both homered for Oaxaca. Sandy Madera went 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs for Puebla.

Watch a short LMB video of the game Here.

Aguascalientes 14, Saltillo 7
Carlos Rodriguez was 2 for 3 with a home run and 3 RBIs, Jesus Castillo 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored and Julian Casro 3 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored as the Rieleros throttled the Saraperos 14-7. Jonathan Aceves had 2 home runs on a 2 for 4 night at the plate for Saltillo and Christian Zazueta added a home run.

Veracruz 2, Tabasco 0
The Aguilas scored single runs in the 7th and 8th innings and Rudy Gonzalez (1-4) held the Olmecas to 1 hit over 5 innings in the 2-0 win. Ricardo Gomez notched his 19th save of the year. Antonio Guzman (1-2) took the loss.

Campeche 6, Ciudad del Carmen 4
The Piratas got a go ahead 2 run home run from CJ Retherford in the top of the 7th inning to break a 4-4 tie and defeated the Delfines 6-4. Jorge Rivera (2-2) picked up the win in relief and Fernando Nieve recorded his 10th save of the season. Erubiel Gonzalez (3-2) suffered the loss.

Mexico 9, Tijuana 4
Samar Leyva had a home run on a 2 for 2 night at the plate with 2 RBIs and Jesus Fabela added a home run as the Diablos beat the Toros 9-4. Miguel Oivo had a home run for Tijuana. David Reyes (10-6) got the win and Alejandro Martinez (4-6) took the loss. The Diablos finished the year at 73-39, the most wins in a single season in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol

Watch a short LMB video of the game Here.

ALL VIDEOS COURTESY OF ITV

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.

Delfines Take 3rd Game Of Series With The Leones 4-2

Ciudad del Carmen never trailed in their 4-2 win over the Leones in Merida. Adrian Guzman scattered 9 hits and gave up 2 runs in 5 2/3 innings to give his team a chance to put the game away. Ecubiel Gonzalez (3-1) got the win in relief and Josh Lueke notched his 24th save.

Henry Gonzalez got things rolling for the Delfines in the top of the 1st inning, getting hit by a pitch, stealing 2nd, moving to third on a fly ball to right and scoring on a single by Francisco Lugo. Delfines 1, Leones 0.

Yucatan answered in the bottom of the 5th. Corey Wimberly reached on a throwing error by the del Carmen shortstop and stopped at third on a double by Jaime Pedroza. Wimberly scored on a sac fly to right by Jesus Valdez to tie the score at 1.

The Delfines scored their second run, in the top of the 6th, without the benefit of a hit. Gilberto Meija led off the inning by drawing a base on balls. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Freddy Guzman, stole third and scored on a sac fly by Henry Rodriguez. The Delfines led 2-1.

Hector Gimenez hit a solo home run to left in the bottom of the 6th for the Leones to tie the game at 2 apiece.

Francisco Moreno hit a one out single in the top of the 8th inning for del Carmen and scored in front of a home run by Gilberto Mejia for the final 4-2 win by the Delfines.

Hector Navarro (4-3) took the loss for Yucatan.

The Tigres de Quintana Roo beat the Piratas de Campeche to move within 1 1/2 games of the Leones with 2 games to play. The final two games of the season for Yucatan are with the Tigres in Merida. The Leones need to win one of the two games to become the champions of the Zona Sur of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.

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Mexico 9, Aguascalientes 1
Japhet Amador drove in his league leading 116th and 117th runs on a 2 for 3 night as Mexico topped Aguascalients 9-1. Ramon Urias was 3 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored and Ivan Terrazas went 3 for 3 for the Diablos. Saul Soto went 2 for 3 for the Rieleros. Mexico won their 72nd game of the year to solidify their best record in the LMB.

Veracruz 2, Puebla 0
Manuel Flores (8-6) tossed 8 innings of 3 hit ball for the win against the Pericos and Juan Perez picked up his 2nd save of the year. Andres Meza (6-6) took the loss. Juan Moreno was 2 for 3 with an RBI for the Aguilas.

Laguna 9, Tamaluipas 2
The Vaqueros got home runs from Oswaldo Morejon, Juan Miranda and Jose Orozco to top the Broncos 9-2. Salvador Valdez (6-7) went six innings for the win and Oswaldo Pacheco (0-3) took the loss.

Quintana Roo 6, Campeche 4
The Tigres scored 3 times in the bottom of the 8th to come from a 4-3 deficit to a 6-4 win over the Piratas. Esteban Quiroz hit a bases clearing 3 run double and 3 RBIs on the night. The Piratas got home runs from Adan Valazquez, CJ Retherford and Fernando Flores for their 4 runs.

Monterrey 7, Monclova 5
Felix Perez went 1 for 4 with a 2 run home run and Edgar Quintero had a home run in 3 at bats as the Sultanes beat the Acereros 7-5. Hernando Arredondo hit a pinch hit 2 run home run for Monclova in the loss.

Oaxaca 3, Tabasco 1  (10 innings)
Yancarlo Angulo hit a solo home run in the top of the 10th, Mario Valenzuela doubled and pinch runner Alejandro Gonzalez scored on a single by Mike Jacobs as the Guerreros topped the Olmecas 3-1 in 10 innings. Manny Corpas (6-3) got the win and Rodolfo Aguirre (6-5) took the loss.

Saltillo 6, Tijuana 5
Christian Zazueta went 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs for the saraperos in their 6-5 victory over the Toros. iguel Olivo was 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs for Tijuana. Luis De La O (1-2) picked up the win in relief and Robert Suarez notched his 23rd save. Jose Manuel Lopez (3-4) took the loss.

Delfines Shut Out Again By Leones, 4-0

25 CONSECUTIVE INNINGS WITHOUT A RUN FOR THE DELFINES

Following the marathon 14 inning 1-0 win over the Delfines on Monday, Yoanner Negrin (4-1) and four relief pitchers shut out the Delfines 4-0 on Tuesday. The Delfines have not scored in 25 consecutive innings since scoring a run in the bottom of the 7th inning against the Olmecas de Tabasco on Sunday.

Yoanner Negrin / Leones Facebook

Jesus Valdez got things going for the Leones in the bottom of the 4th inning with a solo home run to left that put Yucatan on top 1-0.

With one out in the bottom of the 5th, Kevin Flores singled and took third when the Delfines first baseman booted a ground ball hit by Corey Wimberly. Wimberly then stole second. Flores and Wimberly scored on a single to left by Jose Aguilar to make the score 3-0 Leones.

Yucatan scored their final run in the bottom of the 8th inning as Jesus Valdez led off with a single, moved to second on a 5-3 ground out by Luis Garcia and scored on a single to right by Ricardo Serrano.

Jesus Valdez HR / Leones facebook

The Leones pitchers held the Delfines to 6 hits and no runs while striking out 10.

Tiago Da Silva (2-6) gave up 9 hits and 3 runs while pitching 6 innings in a losing effort.

The Tigres de Quintana Roo split a double header with the Piratas de Campeche and fell 2 1/2 games behind the Leones in the race for 1st place in the Zona Sur division of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.

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Quintana Roo 5, Campeche 1 (1st Game)
The Tigres won the opening game of a double header with the Piratas behind Jorge Cantu's 2 home runs, including a grand slam in the 3rd inning, and 5 RBIs. Adrian Ramirez (6-5) got the win while Francisco Campos (6-10) took the loss.

Campeche 5, Quintana Roo 1 (2nd Game)
The Piratas scored 3 times in the 1st inning, 2 on a home run by Alfredo Silverio, and went on to beat the Tigres 5-1 in the night cap of the double header. Evan Maclane (2-2) picked up the win and Pablo Ortega (12-7) took the loss.

Mexico 18, Aguascalientes 4
The Diablos scored 18 runs, 17 in the last 4 innings, to pound the Rieleros 18-4. Ramon Urias went 2 for 4 with 5 RBIs and Emmanuel Avila was 2 for 5 with 4 RBIs for Mexico. Cesar Del Angel was 1 for 1 with a pinch hit 3 run home run in the 9th for the Rieleros.

Puebla 8, Veracruz 0
In a game delayed by rain several times, the Puebla starter, Edwin Salas (6-4) and Jaime Lugo shut out the Aguilas on 4 hits in the 8-0 win. Miguel Tejada was 3 for 4 with an RBI and Cesar Tapia went 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs for the Pericos.

Monterrey 7, Monclova 3
Felix Perez went 3 for 4 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored in the Sultames 7-3 win over the Acereros. Antonio Lamas was 2 for 5 with a triple for Monclova. Freddy Garcia (4-3) went 8 innings for the Sultanes for the win. Anthony Capra (3-3) gave up 5 runs, walked 4 and gave up a home run in 2 1/3 innings to take the loss.

Laguna 4, Tamaulipas 1
Danny Gutierrez (4-2) worked 8 innings, allowing 1 run while walking 2 and striking out 8 in the Vaqueros 4-1 win over he Broncos. Julio Muniz (1-2) took the loss. Francisco Mendez was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI for Laguna while Rosario Irazoqut went 3 for 4 with a run scored for Tamaulipas.

Tabasco 2, Oaxaca 0
Cesar Valdez (11-6) threw a complete game, 3 hit shut out for the 2-0 win in front of the home crowd. Valdez struck out 12 Guerreros in the win. Alejandro Soto (7-6) took the loss. Luis Durango went 3 for 4 with a run scored for the Olmecas while Max Ramirez and Ricky Alvarez drove in the runs for Tabasco.

Tijuana 4, Saltillo 3
Dustin Martin was 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs including a go ahead solo home run in the bottom of the 8th as the Toros beat the Saraperos 4-3. Tijuana used 7 pitchers with Jose Lopez (3-3) picking up the win and Mario Mendoza recording his 6th save. Johan Yan (2-6) was charged with his 4th blown save of the year and suffered the loss.

Walk Off Single Gives Yucatan 1-0 Win In 14 Innings

JESUS VALDEZ COMES THROUGH WITH BASES LOADED SINGLE

Valdez Singles in the 14th / Leones Facebook

The Leones and Delfines used a total of 16 pitchers in a 14 inning game on Monday. 9 del Carmen hurlers gave up 14 hits to Yucatan but kept them scoreless until the bottom, of the 14th. 7 Leones pitchers allowed just 3 hits by the Delfines.

del Carmen's first scoring opportunity came in the top of the 6th when David Urias and Gilberto Mejia singled with one out but the Leones pitcher, Alejandro Astorga got Francisco Lugo to ground into a 6U-3 double play to end the inning.

Yucatan was held hitless until the bottom of the 6th inning when singles by Israel Nunez and Jose Aguilar put runners on the corners with one out. Aguilar was caught trying to steal second base. Jaime Pedroza was hit by a pitch and Jose Valdez walked to load the bases nut Hector Gimenez struck out to end the threat.

The Leones had scoring chances in the 9th, 10th and 11th innings but were unable to capitalize on the opportunities and the game remained scoreless.

Corey Wimberly was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the 12th for Yucatan. Jaime Pedroza was intentionally walked and Jesus Valdez worked an 8 pitch at bat into a walk to load the bases with one out. After a pop up by Hector Gimenez for the second out, Albino Contreras lined out to the second baseman to end the inning.

The Delfines used 2 walks to put runners at first and third with one out in the top of the 14th. When Francisco Lugo was hit by a pitch to load the bases he started towards the mound and the Leones catcher, Carlos Mendivil pushed Lugo away from the pitcher and towards first base. The exchange became heated and the home plate umpire ejected both Lugo and Mendivil from the game. The Delfines were unable to score when Henry Rodriguez struck out and Alex Valdez popped u to third to end the threat.

Corey Wimberly tripled to lead off the bottom of the 14th for the Leones. Jose Aguilar was hit by a pitch and Roman Rivera was intentionally walked to load the bases for Jesus Valdez, a .363 hitter. Valdez delivered a single to left to score Wimberly with the winning run.

Wimberly scores / Leones Facebook

Manuel Rodriguez (4-0) picked up the win in relief and Roman Rivera (4-1) was charged with the loss.

The win puts the Leones up by 2 games over the idle Tigres in the Zona Sur with 5 games left to play.

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Aguascalientes 8, Mexico 7
The Diablos, owners of the best record in the LMB, dropped their 3rd straight game, 8-7, to the Rieleros. Manny Delcarmen (6-3) gave up 2 runs in the 8th inning and was charged with a blown ave and the loss. Waldis Joaquin (4-3) got the win. Jesus Castillo was 2 for 5 with a home run and 3 RBIs for the Rieleros.

Veracruz 2, Puebla 1
Jose Pina (7-9) gave up 1 run on 6 hits in 6 innings while striking out 6 to get the 2-1 win over the Pericos. Ricardo Gomes notched his 18th save. Hector Galvan (7-7) took the loss. Juan Moreno was 2 for 3 and drove in both runs for the Aguilas.

Monclova 12, Monterrey 5
Jose Amador was 2 for 5 with a home run and 2 RBIs for the Acereros in the 12-5 win over the Sultanes. Eder Salcedo added 3 RBIs while going 2 for 5 and Brett Harper had 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Chris Roberson was 2 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBIs for Monterrey. With the loss the Sultanes were officially eliminated from the Zona Norte race.

Tamaulipas 13, Laguna 3
The Broncos pounded out 20 hits in their 13-3 win over the Vaqueros. Nick Van Stratten was 4 for 6 with a home run and a double driving in 3 runs and Rodolfo Amador went 3 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBIs for Tamaulipas.

Tabasco 3, Oaxaca 2
The Olmecas got a walk off, bases loaded single from Christian Quintero to beat the Guerreros 3-2. Erick Rodriguez was 1 for 3 with a home run for Oaxaca. Armando Rodriguez (4-3) got the win while Adalberto Flores (6-5) suffered the loss.

Tijuana 5, Saltillo 0
Fabio Castro (3-1) worked 7 innings allowing 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 2 to get the win in the 5-0 shutout of the Saraperos. Linder Castro (4-8) took the loss. Oscar Robles was 2 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBIs for the Toros. Adan Munoz went 2 for 3 and added an RBI>

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.






IN OTHER LMB ACTION

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/

Leones Top Pericos 9-4

MAINTAIN 1/2 GAME LEAD OVER TIGRES IN ZONA SUR

The Leones de Yucatan beat the Pericos de Puebla 9-4 on Friday night to improve to 61-44 on the year and maintain a 1/2 game lead over the Tigres de Quintana Roo. The Tigres mauled the Guerreros de Oaxaca 15-3.

Valdez Home Run

Yucatan fell behind in the 2nd inning when the Perico's Jesus Cota launched a 2 run homerun t right that scored Brent Clevlen for the early 2-0 lead.

Humberto Cota, the Leones catcher, started the Yucatan 3rd inning with a one out single and scored on a ground rule double to left by Albino Contreras. After Jaime Pedroza drew a walk to load the bases, the Pericos second baseman botched a ground ball by Jesus Valdez that cleared the bases and gave the Leones a 4-2 lead.


Valdez 3 run grounder / Leones Facebook

Puebla would score single runs in the 4th and 6th innings to tie the score at 4 all.

Corey Wimberly singled to drive in Humberto Cota in the top of the 7th for the Leones go ahead run. Wimberly then stole second and third to give him 33 steals on the year. Edson Garcia then singled to score Wimberly and Yucatan took a 6-4 lead.

Kevin Flores doubled with 2 outs in the Yucatan 8th inning and scored on a fielding error by the Pericos second baseman to put the Leones up 7-4.

Jesus Valdez and Hector Gimenez reached for Yucatan in the top of the 9th and both would score on a double by Ricardo Serrano for the final score of 9-4.

Corey Wimberly, Albino Contreras and Hector Gimenez were all 2 for 5 combining for 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored.

Jesus Cota went 1 for 3 with a homerun and 3 RBIs for Puebla.

Miguel Aguilar picked up the win for the Leones to improve to 2-0 while Carlos Teller (4-7) was saddled with the loss.

The Tigres de Quintana Roo are 60-44 having played one less game than the Leones. These two teams meet, in Merida, for the final two games of the season which could very well decide the championship of the Zona Sur in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (LMB).

IN OTHER LMB ACTION

Tigres 15, Oaxaca 3
The Tigres pounded out 16 hits on their war to the 15-3 victory over the Guerreros. Francisco Peguero went 2 for 4 with a home run, 6 RBIs and 3 runs scored for the Tigres. Alejandro Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a home run for Oaxca. Ramon Ortiz (7-0) got the win while Octavio Acosta (1-1) lasted just 2 innings in the loss.

Mexico 10, Monterrey 4
The score was 5-3 Diablos in the 7th when Japhet Amador connected for his league leading 41st home run and his 113th and 114th RBIs as the Diablos beat the Sultanes de Monterrey 10-4 for their 70th win of the year. Mexico leads the Zona Norte by 13 1/2 games with 8 games to play. Marco Duarte (12-5) got the win and Javier Solano (6-7) took the loss.

Monclova 10, Aguascalientes 8 (10 innings)
Francisco Cordoba singled with 2 outs in the top of the 10th to score Olmo Rosario and Abraham Ramos. Marcos Zavala shut down the Rieleros in the bottom of the 10th to pick up his 1st save. The Acereros tied the game in the 9th on a sac fly by Hernando Arredondo. Matt Nevarez (2-1) got the win while Esteban Haro took the loss.

Tijuana 4, Tamaulipas 3
The Toros 1B, Dustin Martin hit a 2 out 2 run home run in the top of the 7th inning to lead Tijuana to a 4-3 win over the Broncos. Walter Silva (5-6) got the win and Mario Mendoza picked up his 5th save. Marco Campoy (0-2) took the loss. With the loss, the Broncos de Tamaulipas were officially eliminated for the race in the Zona Norte.

Saltillo 5, Laguna 0
Michael Nix (10-4) threw 7 innings of 3 hit ball and two relievers worked the final 2 innings to give the Seraparos the 5-0 win. Salvador Valdez (5-7) suffered the loss. Refugio Cervantes, the Saltillo DH, was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs in the win.

Ciudad del Carmen 1, Tabasco 0
Adrian Guzman (3-0) and 4 relievers combined on a 4 hit shutout of the Olmecas. Josh Lueke picked up save number 22 for del Carmen. Francisco Lugo hit into a fielder's choice that scored Horacio Vasquez for the only run of the game.

Campeche 10, Veracruz 9
Fernando Flores hit a 1 out walk off sac fly to center tha scored CJ Retherford with the winning run for the Piratas in the exciting 10-9 victory over the Aguilas Rojos in Campeche. Retherford was 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored for the Piratas. Eliseo Aldazaba had a 3 for 5 night with a home run and 4 RBIs for Campeche. Humberto Sosa was 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored for Veracruz.