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.

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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.

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

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.  

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

IN OTHER LMB ACTION

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.

IN OTHER LMB ACTION

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.

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.

IN OTHER LMB ACTION

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 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/

Corey Wimberly - Leones Center Fielder

Corey Wimberly has traveled a long and winding path from his boyhood days in Florida to roaming the outfield for the Leones de Yucatan.

Leones 2015/peninsuladeportiva.com

Born in Jacksonville in 1983, the now 5'8" 170 pound Wimberly attended Ribault High School from 1999 through 2002 and became one of three players from that school to have been drafted by the Major Leagues. Upon completion of his playing days at Ribault, Wimberly was signed to play the infield and outfield for the Alcorn State Braves.

College Career
Corey played for two seasons, 2004-05, at Alcorn. Always known for his speed on the base paths, his statistics while there are most impressive. In 2004 he hit .420 with 8 doubles, 4 triples and 40 stolen bases. 2005 was an even better year for Corey. He raised his batting average to .462, stroked 10 doubles with 3 triples and stole 42 bases. The Colorado Rockies took note and drafted Wimberly in the 6th round of the draft in 2005.

Minor League Career
The Rockies immediately sent Wimberly to the Casper Rockies of the Pioneer League, a Rookie League. In Casper, Corey hit .381 with 10 doubles and 36 stolen bases in 67 games.
Wimberly played in the Rockies organization from 2005-09 before being let go and signed by the Oakland Athletics. In 2010 with the AAA Sacramento River Cats of the pacific Coast League he hit .284 with 14 doubles, 7 triples and 3 home runs while driving in 57 in 135 games. Wimberly had several more stints at the AAA level, Indianapolis of the International League (Pirates), the Buffalo Bisons of the International League (Mets) and the Gwinnett Braves of the International League (Braves). In all, Corey has played for 7 Major League organizations in his career.

Mexican and Venezuelan Leagues
Wimberly began his international playing career for the Yaquis de Obregon of the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico in 2009. His debut was pretty inauspicious as he appeared in just 7 games for the Yaquis and hit just .240 2ith 2 stolen bases. 2010 found him playing for the Tomateros de Culiacan where he hit .266 with 5 doubles, a home run and 4 stolen bases in 24 games.
In 2011, Wimberly played for the Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League where he hit .231 with 6 doubles and 8 stolen bases. Corey did not play international ball again until he signed with the Yaquis for the 2014 winter season. Obregon.

Yaquis/Noticiascajeme.com

He hit .289 with 8 doubles and 17 stolen bases for
2015 will be his first experience in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol having signed to play for the Leones.

In 11 years in the minor leagues, including the 2015 season with the Leones, Corey has played in 840 games and compiled a .290 battin average with 902 hits, 111 doubles, 30 triples, 12 home runs and 258 RBIs. Wimberly has stolen 318 bases while being caught stealing 100 times.

Mets / puckettspond.com

Interesting factoid about Corey Wimberly
While a member of the AAA Indianapolis Indians of the International League in 2011, Corey was called on to pitch one time. He gave up 3 hits and an earned run in one inning on the mound and was not involved in the decision.

Monclova Pitching Shuts Down Leones 5-3

The Acereros del Norte Monclova's starting pitcher, Jose Oyervidez (3-1), gave up 2 runs on 5 hits over 6 innings and the offense pounded out 15 hits on the way to the Acereros 5-3 win.

Jose Oyervidez courtesy Leones Facebook

Carlos Penuelas got things started for Monclova in the top of the 2nd inning with a single. Flavio Romero followed with a single of his own and Hector Garanzuay singled to score Penuelas and Romero scored when the throw to third got by Willy Aybar to give the Acereros an early 2-0 lead.

Monclova added to their lead in the top of the 3rd. Jose Ruiz led off the inning with a solo home run to right center for a 3-0 lead. Jose Amador and Travis Garcia followed with singles and Amador scored on a single by Francisco Cordoba. Carlos Penuelas drove in the third run of the inning, and the 5-0 Acereros lead, with a single.

Luis Garcia courtesy Leones Facebook

Luis Garcia led off the bottom of the 4th inning for Yucatan by singling to left. Garcia would come around to score in front of a Willy Aybar home run to right that cut the Monclova lead to 5-2.

Before the Acereros came to bat in the top of the 7th, the Leones manager, Wilfredo Romero, was ejected from the game by the home plate umpire for arguing balls and strikes. Corey Wimberly hit a two out double to center and Jose Aguilar drew a base on balls. Hector Gimenez singled to center to plate Wimberly and the lead was down to 5-3 Monclova.

With two on and two outs in the top of the 9th inning, the Leones pitcher, Luis Vazquez left the game after injuring his leg. Manuel Rodriguez came in to face the dangerous Olmo Rosario but Rodriguez got Rosario to ground out to short to end the inning.

Juan Noriega, in to pitch the 9th for Monclova set the Leones down to preserve 5-3 win for Jose Oyervidez (3-1) and pick up his 3rd save of the year. Juan Delgadillo (1-2) gave up 10 hits and 5 runs in 2 1/3 innings to be charged with the loss.

Willy Aybar was 1 for 3 with a home run and 2 RBIs, Corey Wimberly 2 for 4 with a run scored and Hector Gimenez 2 for 4 with an RBI for Yucatan.

Jose Ruiz was 2 for 4 with a home run and an RBI while Carlos Penuelas went 2 for 3 with an RBI and Jose Amador was 3 for 5 for the Acereros.

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Mexico 10, Oaxaca 4
The six through nine hitters in the Diablos lineup went 6 for 14 with a home run, 7 RBIs and 5 runs scored and Mexico's pitchers held the Guerreros to 4 runs on 6 hits, including home runs by Jaime Brena and Alejandro Gonzalez.

Aguascalientes 13, Tabasco 5
The Rieleros scored 5 times in the 8th inning including Saul Soto's 2nd home run of the game to cruise past the Olmecas 13-5. Pedro Diaz went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs for Tabasco. Soto was 3 for 4 with 6 RBIs and Julian Castro went 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs and 4 runs scored for the Rieleros.

Saltillo 6, Veracruz 2
4 runs in the 3rd inning was enough for the Saraperos to top the Aguilas 6-2. Linder Castro (1-0) pitched 5 innings allowing 1 earned run on 4 hits, 1 a home run by Adelaido Martinez, to earn the victory while Oscar Verdugo (1-2) took the loss. Carlos Alvarez and Genaro Andrade homered for the Saraperos.

Campeche 1, Tamaulipas 0
The Piratas scored the only run of the game in the 3rd inning on a single by Dave Sappelt, a walk to Maxwell Leon and a Josh Fields RBI single to left. Hector Velazquez (2-0) tossed 8 innings of 2 hit ball while striking out 10 for the win. Ricardo Gomez recorded his 4th save. Francisco Felix (1-2) pitched well but walked 5 and took the loss for the Broncos.

Ciudad del Carmen 2, Monterrey 1
Carlos Ibarra went 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs for the Delfines while Jose Felix went 2 for 3 with the lone RBI for the Sultanes in the 2-1 loss. Sandy Rosario (3-0) got the win and Josh Lueke his 5th save. Thomas Melgarejo (0-2) was saddled with the loss for Monterrey.

Quintana Roo 3, Laguna 2
The Tigres jumped out to a 2 -0 lead in the bottom of the 1st and held on to beat the Vaqueros 3-2. Jorge Cantu homered for the Tigres and Jose Orozco hit a solo home run for Laguna. Pablo Ortega (4-0) worked 7 innings for the win and Francisco Rodriguez earned his 5th save of the year. Felipe Arredondo (1-1) took the loss despite 7 good innings on the mound.

Puebla 18, Tijuana 6
The Pericos scored 18 runs on 20 hits to maul the Toros 18-6. Luke Scott went 3 for 5 with 2 home runs, 1 a grand slam, and 6 RBIs for Puebla. Alberto Carreon added a homerun on a 3 for 5 night with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored and Jon Del Campo was 4 for 5 with 3 RBIs and 4 runs scored. CJ Retherford was 2 for 3 with a home run for the Toros and Emmanuel Valdez added a pinch hit solo home run.

Vaqueros Score 3 In 10th To Drop Leones 10-7

The Vaqueros de la Laguna scored a run in the 9th on a single by Diego Madero to tie the game and then hit a triple and 3 consecutive doubles to score 3 runs in the 10th as the Vaqueros took the second game of a three game series against the Leones de Yucatan.

Thursday night's contest started out well for the Leones. They scored 4 times in the bottom of the 1st. After Juan Miranda's double plated Sergio Garcia and JC Linares for the 2-0 Vaquero lead, Corey Wimberly doubled to lead off the Leones half of the inning. Hector Gimenez followed with a one out double to center that scored Wimberly. Three batters later, Willy Aybar walked to load the bases. Israel Nunez singled to score Gimenez. Ricardo Serrano then singled to drive in Jesus Valdez and Aybar and Yucatan was on top 4-2.

Laguna took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 3rd. Singles by Sergio Garcia and JC Linares had men on first and third with one out. Juan Miranda singled to score Garcia. Angel Berroa grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Linares and Santiago Gonzalez doubled to the right field corner to plate Berroa for the Vaqueros lead.

After the Vaqueros added another run in the top of the 6th, Willy Aybar hit a double to lead off the bottom of the 6th for Yucatan and went to third on a single by Ricardo Serrano. Corey Wimberly doubled to drive in Gonzalez and Aybar and Ivan Araujo doubled to plate Wimberly for the 7-6 Leones lead.

Laguna tied the game, 7-7, in the 9th on a double by pinch hitter Jose Orozco and a single by Diego Madero, leading to the Vaqueros extra base hitting barrage in the 10th. With one out, Angel Berroa tripled. Following a pitching change for the Leones, Santiago Gonzalez doubled to drive in Berroa. Gilberto Galavis doubled to plate Gonzalez and Eduardo Gonzalez doubled to drive in Galavis as Laguna retook the lead 10-7.

Tony Pena Jr. set the Leones down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 10th to pick up his 4th save of the year and preserve the win for Vaquero's relief pitcher Johan Yan (1-1). Anthony Ortega (1-1) was charged with his 2nd blown save took the loss for Yucatan.

Corey Wimberly was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored and Ricardo Serrano went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs in the loss for Yucatan.

9 of the 16 hits for the Vaqueros went for extra bases, eight doubles and one triple. Juan Miranda went 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs, Santiago Gonzalez 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs, JC Linares 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and Angel Berroa 1 for 5 with a triple and an RBI.

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Mexico 6, Puebla 5
The Diablos got home runs from Japhet Amador and Ruben Rivera on the way to a 6-5 win over the Pericos. Carlos Vazquez (2-0) got the win with Juan Sandoval earning the save. David Dominguez (0-1) was charged with a blown save and took the loss.

Tabasco 9, Saltillo 7
The Olmecas took the lead for good in the 8th inning and held off the Saraperos 9-7 in Saltillo. Luis Durango went 3 for 6 with 3 RBIs for Tabasco. DH Refugio Cervantes was 1 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs for the Saraperos. Cesar Valdez (3-0) went 8 innings to pick up the win for the Olmecas while Edwin Salas (0-3) took the loss.

Veracruz 6, Aguascalientes 5
Esmailis Caridad (1-0) got the win in relief for the Aguilas as Victor Marte earned his 3rd save. Julian Arballo (2-2) suffered the loss for the Rieleros. Issmael Salas was 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs for Veracruz while Carlos Orrantia had a home run and 2 RBIs for the Rieleros.

Monclova 8, Quintana Roo 2
The Acereros hit 4 home runs in the game to overpower the Tigres 8-2. Juan Pena (3-0) picked up his third win of the year and Ivan Maldonado (1-1) took the loss. Olmo Rosario went 4 for 4 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 3 Runs scored for Monclova.

Ciudad del Carmen 5, Tamaulipas 0
Demetrio Gutierrez (2-1) and 2 relievers scattered 9 Broncos hits in the 5-0 shutout. Joel Vargas (0-2) took the loss. David Urias went 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Delfines.

Monterrey 6, Campeche 4
The Sultanes had 14 hits, including a pinch hit 2 run home run by Edgar Quintere in the 8th inning to top the Piratas. Roberto Lopez homered for Campeche. Luis Vizcaino (1-0) got the win and Hassan Pena his 4th save of the year. Riardo Gomez (0-1) took the loss.

Oaxaca 11, Tijuana 8
The Guerreros scored 7 times in the 2nd inning and held on to beat the Toros 11-8. Erick Rodriguez was 4 for 5 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored for Oaxaca. Tijuana got home runs from Roman Pena and Miguel Olivo in the loss.

Yucatan Falls To Laguna 7-6

Jon Leicester (3-1) suffered his first loss of the year on Wednesday, losing to the Vaqueros de la Laguna 7-5. In his shortest outing of the year, he gave up 5 runs, 3 earned, on 7 hits over 4 innings. Leicester's ERA rose from 1.04 to 2.11 with the loss. Ivan Zavala (2-1) was the winning pitcher. Tony Pena Jr., despite allowing 2 runs to score in the bottom of the 9th, recorded his 3rd save of the year.

Laguna started the scoring in the top of the 2nd. Juan Miranda singled to lead off the inning and went to second on a single by Angel Berroa. Said Gutierrez drew a base on balls to load the bases. Mario Vega singled to score Miranda and Berroa and the Vaqueros jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.

Willy Aybar got a run back for the Leones with a solo home run to right center, his 2nd of the year, that cut the lead to 2-1.

Laguna scored a run in the top of the 3rd on a double by Diego Madero, who went to third on a ground ball out and scored on a fielder's choice that put the Vaqueros up 3-1.

The Leones scored in their half of the 3rd as Corey Wimberly led off with a single, stole second and scored on a single by Ivan Araujo. Yucatan was behind 3-2.

Ivan Araujo courtesy Leones Facebook

The Vaqueros added two runs in the 4th inning. After loading the bases with no outs, Diego Madero singled to drive in Said Gutierrez and Mario Vega scored on a sac fly to left to give the Vaqueros a 5-2 lead.

Corey Wimberly tripled in the 5th for the Leones and scored on a ground ball out by Ivan Araujo. Laguna 5, Yucatan 3.

Laguna added single runs in the 6th and 7th innings and the Leones picked up a run in the bottom of the 7th to bring the score to 7-4 Laguna.

Yucatan mounted a comeback in the bottom of the 9th inning. Down three runs, Ricardo Serrano singled to lead off the inning. One out later, Corey Wimberly was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. Serrano scored on a single by Ivan Araujo. With two outs, pinch hitter Jose Aguilar singled to center to score Wimberly. The rally fell short when the next batter, Jose Valdez, grounded into a force out at third for the third out and the Vaqueros had the 7-6 win.

Ivan Araujo was 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs, Corey Wimberly 2-4 with 3 runs scored and Willy Aybar went 1 for 4 with a home run for Yucatan.

Mario Vega had 2 RBIs and 3 hits for the Vaqueros and Diego Madero was 3 for 6 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Juan Miranda was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs.

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Puebla 5, Mexico 4 (13 innings)
The Pericos scored 3 runs in the top of the 13th and held off the Diablos, who scored twice in the bottom of the inning, by a 5-4 score. Carlos Teller (1-1) recorded the win in relief and Yair Lozoyo (1-1), the 8th pitcher of the game for Mexico took the loss.

Tabasco 4, Saltillo 1
Irving Jimenez (1-1) allowed 1 run in 6 innings of work for the Olmecas to pick up the win with Luis Ayala getting his 4th save. Juan Espinoza (1-1) took the loss for the Saraperos. Ivan Bellazetin went 2 for 3  with an RBI for Tabasco.

Aguascalientes 8, Veracruz 7
Rene Reyes was 2 for 2 with a double, 2 RBIs and 3 walks in the Rieleros win over the Aguilas. Issmael Salas went 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs for Veracruz. Esteban Haro (2-0) got the win in relief and Roy Corcoran notched his 6th save of the season.

Monclova 3, Quintana Roo 1
The Acereros scored 3 times in the 6th and held on to top the Tigres 3-1. Carlos Valencia had a solo home run for the Tigres and Jose Amador had a 2 run home run in the 6th inning for Monclova.

Ciudad del Carmen 3, Tamaulipas 2
Mario Gonzalez (3-0) pitched 7 strong innings to pick up the win and Josh Lueke recorded his 4th save on the season as the Delfines bested the Broncos 3-2. Cesar Carrillo (1-2) gave up all of the Delfine's runs in the loss.

Monterrey 8, Campeche 5
Agustin Murillo went 4 for 5 with an RBI for Monterrey in the Sultanes 8-5 victory over the Piratas. Jose Valdez (1-2) got the win and Hasson Pena his 3rd save for the Sultanes. Roberto Lopez and Paul Leon hit home runs for Campeche. Daryl Thompson (1-2) suffered the loss.

Tijuana 3, Oaxaca 2
The Toros scored 2 runs in the 6th and the eventual game winning run in the 7th to defeat the Guerreros 3-2. Jesus Garcia (1-0) picked up the win and Ramon Ramirez earned his 6th save of the year. Marlon Arias (0-3) was saddled with the loss. CJ Retherford was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs for Tijuana. Mike jacobs went 2 for 4 with an RBI for Oaxaca.

Leones de Yucatan Shutout Tigres de Cancun 4-0

The Leones' Jon Leicester and three relief pitchers combined for a 4 hit 4-0 shutout of the Tigres de Cancun to start their Liga Mexicana de Beisbol season with a win.

Jon Leicester / Leones facebook

Leicester got the win for the Leones while Amauri Sanit took the loss for the Tigres

Yucatan scored their four runs on ten hits. Two of those runs came on solo home runs by Jose Aguilar and Kevin Flores.

Corey Wimberly got things started for the Leones getting hit by a pitch to lead off the game. Wimberly stole second and went to third on a throwing error by the Tigres catcher, Iker Franco. A sac fly to left by Jose Aguila scored Wimberly as the Leones took a 1-0 lead.

Willy Aybar led off the 5th for the Leones by drawing a walk. Luis Garcia followed with a single. With one out, Jesus Valdez singled to score Aybar and Yucatan was up 2-0.

The visiting Leones got solo home runs by Jose Aguilar in the 6th inning and Kevin Flores in the 8th as they built a 4-0 lead.

The Leones pitchers allowed just 4 hits, all by starter Jon Leicester, walked 2 struck out 2 in the win. The five Tigres pitchers gave up 4 runs on 10 hits, 4 walks and 7 strikeouts.

Jose Aguilar was 1 for 4 for the Leones with a home run and 2 RBIs. Kevin Flores had a home run in his 3 at bats while Jesus Valdez went 3 for 5 with an RBI.

Carlos Gastelum had 2 of the 4 hits for the Tigres on a 2 for 3 hitting night.

Veracruz 12-1 Over Tabasco
The Aguilas scored 12 runs on 15 hits to top the Olmecas 12-1. The Olmecas could manage just 2 hits off of the Aguilas pitchers and committed 4 errors in the game. Irving Jimenez took the loss for Tabasco as Jose Pina picked up the win.

Puebla 7-2 Winners At Home Against Oaxaca
The Pericos used a 4 run 3rd inning along with 10 hits to top the Guerreros 7-2. Mauricio Lara pitched 5 innings for the win while Marlon Arias gave up 6 runs in 2 1/3 innings of work and took the loss. Von Hayes, rookie manager for the Pericos notched his 1st LMB win.

Reynosa 6-3 Over Monterrey
Hector Navarro rode the home run bats of Travis Denker, Christhian Presichi and Cole Garner to a 6-3 victory against the Sultanes de Monterrey. Jose Valdez had a blown save and took the loss for the Sultanes. Cole Garner was 3 for 4 while Travis Denjer was 1 for 4 and DH Christhian Presichi had a home run in 3 at bats.

Aguascalientes 10 Laguna 3
Lorenzo Barcelo used a 2 run home run by Jesus Castillo, while pitching 6 strong innings, to pick up the win for the Rieleros. Scott Maine, Vaqueros starter, took the loss, giving up 5 runs in 4 1/3 innings and Laguna wasted a home run by Jose Orozco in the loss. Jesus Castillo went 4 for 4 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored for the Rieleros. Oswaldo Morejon was 2 for 3 with an RBI for Laguna.

Ciudad del Carmen 4-2 At Home Over Campeche 
Mario Gonzalez pitched 5 innings for the Delfines for the win and Josh Leuke picked up the save. Daryl Thompson, of the Piratas. was charged with the loss, going 3 innings and allowing 4 runs on just 3 hits.

The game between the Acereros de Monclova and the Serapas de Saltillo was postponed.

Charros Into Finals With 5-3 Win Over Obregon

TAKE SERIES 4 GAMES TO 2

12,347 Attended The 6th Game / Bonnie Garrison Photo

The Yaquis de Obregon got to the Charros starter, Ben Koslowski in the top of the 2nd. With one out, Sergio Contreras was hit by a pitch and Said Gutierrez hit a ball deep up the middle that the Charros shortstop threw away and the Yaquis had runners on second and third. Contreras scored on a sac fly to center by Esteban Quiroz and Gutierrez scored on a single by Daniel Castro to give Obregon the early 2-0 lead.

Israel Nunez led off the 3rd for Jalisco with a double and went to third on a single by Eduardo Arredondo. Manny Rodriguez then hit a ground rule double to center that scored Nunez with Arredondo forced to stop at third. CJ Retherford hit into a 6-4-3 double play that scored Arredondo and the game was tied at 2.    

Manny Rodriguz Double In The 3rd / Bonnie Garrison Photo

Jalisco added a run in the 4th on a double by Jon Weber, a single by Marquez Smith and a sac fly to left by Jesus Lopez. The Charros had the 3-2 lead.

Manny Rodriguez led off the 5th with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Leo Heras. Rodriguez scored on a sac fly to right by CJ Retherford for the insurance run and a 4-2 lead.

CJ Retherford Drives In The 4th Run / Bonnie Garrison Photo

With one out in the Charros 8th, Jon Weber tripled to deep right center and scored on a sac fly to right by Marquez Smith for a 5-2 Charros lead.

Obregon got a run back in the top of the 9th when Corey Wimberly singled, stole second and scored on a single to center by JC Linares but it wasn't enough as Charros closer, Manny Acosta, got the final two outs for the save and the Charros were into the finals against either the Tomateros de Culiacan or the Aguilas de Mexicali that begins on Wednesday night.

During the year, the Charros were 4-5 against the Tomateros and 6-5 against the Aguilas.

Terence Marin picked up the win in relief of starter Ben Koslowski and Manny Acosta got the save. Arturo Lopez was saddled with the loss for the Yaquis. 

Starter Ben Koslowski / Bonnie Garrison Photo

Manny Acosta Picks Up The Save / Bonnie Garrison Photo

     

Charros take 3 Games to 2 Lead in Liga Mexicana del Pacifico Semifinals

JALISCO TAKES NAILBITER FROM OBREGON 5-3

Obregon jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning. Corey Wimberly singled and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Jose Chavez. Wimberly stole third and scored on a single to right by Brad Nelson.

CJ Retherford tied the game for Jalisco in the top of the 2nd with his second home run of the postseason, a solo shot to left to bring the Charros back 1-1.   

CJ Retherford's Home Run in 2nd / Charros Facebook Page

=Obregon retook the lead in the 5th on a solo home run to left by Corey Wimberly, his second of this playoff series and his third hit of the evening.

Jalisco took the lead again in the top of the 6th on a single by Leo Heras and a single to right by CJ Retherford. Heras scored on a throwing error by the Yaquis right fielder as Retherford advanced to third. After Jon Weber popped out to second, Japhet Amador singled to center to score Retherford as the Charros took a 3-2 lead.

The Yaquis tied the game in the bottom of the 8th on a walk to JC Linares to begin the inning, a single by Brad Nelson and a ground out to second by Yunesky Sanchez that scored Linares to tie the game 3-3.

With two outs in the 9th for Jalisco, Eduardo Arredondo singled and went to third on a single to right by Manny Rodriguez. Leo Heras then singled to right to score Arredondo with the go ahead run and CJ Retherford singled to left to score Rodriguez with an insurance run. When Manny Acosta, who picked up the win, set the Yaquis down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th, the Charros had the 5-3 win and a 3 games to 2 lead in the semifinals.

Manny Acosta Warming Up / Charros Facebook

The series returns to Guadalajara on Sunday afternoon for game 6 of the series and a game 7 if necessary.

Obregon Ties Series At Two Games Apiece

DEFEAT JALISCO 5-1

The semifinal series between the Charros de Jalisco and the Yaquis de Obregon is tied at 2 games apiece following Obregon's 5-1 victory over the Charros on Thursday night.

The Yaguis opened the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd. Yunesky Sanchez led off with a single and stole second. Sergio Contreras singled to deep short that got Sanchez to third. Armando Araiza drew a base on balls to load the bases. Daniel Castro doubled to left to score Sanchez and Contreras. After a pitching change by the Charros, reliever Manuel Flores hit Corey Wimberly with a pitch to load the bases again. With one out, JC Linares singled to short to score Araiza and the bases remained full of Yaquis. Flores got Brad Nelson to pop out to short and Carlos Valencia struck out to end the inning but the damage was done and Obregon led 3-0 after two innings.

Corey Wimberly led off the bottom of the 4th for the Yaquis with a home run to right to give Obregon a 4-0 lead.

The Charros got on the board in the top of the 6th when Leo Heras took the Yaquis starter, Virgil Vasquez, deep to right for a solo home run that narrowed the Yaquis lead to 4-1.

Armando Araiza walked to lead off the Yaquis half of the 6th. Daniel Castro sacrificed him to second. Charros reliever, Terrance Marin, threw a wild pitch that moved Araiza to third and Araiza scored on a fielding error by the Charros shortstop to give Obregon a 5-1 lead and the game.

Orlando Lara took the loss for Jalisco and Virgil Vasquez picked up the win for the Yaquis. Both pitchers are 1-1 in the playoffs.

One more game in Obregon then the series will return to Guadalajara for game 6 on Sunday afternoon and, if necessary, game 7 on Monday night.

Obregon Takes 2nd Game of Semifinals

YAQUIS TOP CHARROS 6-5

The Yaquis de Obregon took game 2 of the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico semifinals on Monday in Guadalajara against the Charros on the power hitting of Carlos Valencia.

Jalisco opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st. Eduardo Arredondo hit a ground rule double to right to lead off the inning but was thrown out at third on an infield single by Manny Rodriguez. The play was in front of Arredondo who should have held his position at second base. The Yaquis pitcher, Arturo Lopez, threw a wild pitch that moved Rodriguez to second. Leo Heras walked. Japhet Amador singled to shallow center and Rodriguez was cut down at the plate on a strong throw by Yaqui center fielder Corey Weber. The third base coach should have held Rodriguez at third because the ball was hit to shallow center and Wimberly was charging the ball. CJ Retherford then singled to left to score Heras and the Charros led 1-0. Those base running errors would have made the difference in the game for Jalisco. If the Charros expect to win the championship they must avoid these types of base running errors.

Obregon got that run back in the top of the 2nd on a solo home run by JC Linares that tied the score at 1 all.

Things were quiet until the top of the 6th when Obregon erupted for 4 runs. Daniel Castro hit a lead off double and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Corey Wimberly. With two outs, Yunesky Sanchez drew a base on balls. Brad Nelson singled to score Castro and get Yunesky to third. Carlos Valencia then homered to drive in three and the Yaquis led 5-1.

The Charros answered in their half of the 6th on a one out single by Leo Heras. Japhet Amador singled to right to move Heras to third but Amador was thrown out at second trying to stretch his single into a double. Arturo Lopez the uncorked another wild pitch to score Heras from third as the Charros cut the Yaquis' lead to 5-2.

Jesus Lopez doubled with two outs in the 7th for Jalisco and scored on a single by Eduardo Arredondo. Following a pitching change by the Yaquis, Manny Rodriguez hit a two run home run to left to score pinch runner Edson garcia and tie the game at 5.

Obregon scored the eventual winning run in their half of the 8th. Brad Nelson doubled, went to third on a fly to right by Carlos Valencia and scored on a sac fly by Christian Villanueva. The final score was 6-5 Obregon.

The series shifts to Ciudad de Obregon tied at 1 game apiece. games 3, 4 and 5 will be played in Ogregon with games 6 and 7 played in Guadalajara if necessary.

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

JALISCO TAKES 1 GAME TO NONE LEAD IN SEMIFINALS    

Marco Tovar

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

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

Manny Rodriguez Hit by Pitch

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

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

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

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

Marquez Smith 2 Run Single

Obregon Snaps Charros Win Streak at Three

The three game winning streak is over. The Yaquis de Obregon took a 5-4 win last night in Zapopan. Juan Delgadillo took the mound for the Charros and dropped his fourth decision in a row.

The Yaquis played small ball in the top of the 1st. John Smolinski led off with a double, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Corey Wimberly and scored on a grounder to second by Agustin Murillo for the 1-0 Obregon lead.

Eduardo Arredondo led off the bottom of the 1st for the Charros by drawing a walk and moving to second on a ground out by Manny Rodriguez. Leo Heras singled to center to drive in Arredondo and the game was tied at 1.

Carlos Valencia singled for Obregon in the top of the 2nd and scored on a double by Donald Lutz. Sergio Contreras drew a walk. Said Gutierrez singled to score Lutz and the Yaquiz lead was 3-1.

The Charros came back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the 2nd. Gabriel Gutierrez singled to deep short and went to second on the throwing error by the shortstop. Amadeo Zazueta's grounder moved Gutierrez to third. Gutierrez scored as Jesus Lopez grounded out to second. Eduardo Arredondo reached second on a throwing error by the Yaquis second baseman. Manny Rodriguez singled to center to score Arredondo and the score was tied 3-3.

Jalisco went ahead 4-3 in the bottom of the 4th on a solo home run by Marquez Smith, his fourth of the year.

The Yaquis scored what proved to be the winning runs in the top of the 5th. With one out, John Smolinski walked. Corey Wimberly singled and Smolinski stopped at second. Agustin Murillo singled to plate Smolinski and the Yaquis had runners at 1st and 3rd. That was all for Delgadillo as Ken Sigman came on in relief. Sigman got Dean Anna to hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice with Wimberly scoring. Obregon led 5-4.

The Charros threatened in the 7th and the 8th but could not score.

Oswaldo Martinez got the win for Obregon with 2 innings of shutout relief work and Jonathan Arias picked up his 6th save on the year, working a perfect 9th that included 2 strikeouts.

Juan Delgadillo suffered his fourth consecutive loss lasting just 4 1/3 innings. He gave up 5 runs on 6 hits while walking 2 and striking out 5. Delgadillo's ERA remains in the 9's at 9.18.

Marquez Smith's home run, Leo Heras' 11th RBI on the season and Manny Rodriguez's 2 for 5 night that raised his average to .365 on the year were the highlights for the Charros.

Jalisco fell to 9-6 on the year as Obregon climbed to 8-6, 1/2 game behind Jalisco and Mazatlan for the lead in the Liga Maxicana del Pacifico. These two teams square off again today starting at 7 PM.