Anzoátegui Caribes extend winning streak to six
The team leads the Venezuelan league with a 12-3 record after beating the defending champions 6-5 on Thursday.
By Lucas Navarro ·
The Anzoátegui Caribes defeated the Magallanes Navigators 6-5 on Thursday to secure their sixth consecutive win. The victory places the Caribes in first place in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. They now hold a 12-3 record. The Navigators, who won the title last season, remain in last place with a 3-12 record.
The game turned in the seventh inning. Magallanes held a 5-4 lead at the top of the frame. Omar Alfonzo hit a two-run home run in the bottom half of the seventh to give Anzoátegui the lead. It was Alfonzo's fourth home run of the season. Romer Cuadrado also played a key role for the winning side. He hit a three-run home run in the first inning and added a single that drove in a run in the third.
In other Venezuelan games, the Margarita Braves completed a comeback against the Lara Cardenals. The Braves trailed by six runs entering the eighth inning. They scored four runs in the eighth and three in the ninth to win 11-10. David Peralta hit a single to score the winning run in the ninth inning. The La Guaira Sharks beat the Lara Cardenals 8-3 in a separate game. The La Guaira team scored four runs in the first inning to set the tone. The Zulia Eagles crushed the Aragua Tigers 13-2 in Maracay.
The Dominican Professional Baseball League saw several high-scoring games on Thursday. The Escogido Lions defeated the Cibao Giants 15-8. The Lions scored nine runs in the third inning. Jonathan Guzman hit a three-run home run during that outburst to extend the lead. The Licey Tigers beat the East Bulls 7-4 in Santo Domingo. Kevin Alcantara hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to take the lead. The Cibaeña Eagles defeated the Oriental Stars 5-2 in Santiago de los Caballeros. The game went to 11 innings. Luis Liberato scored the winning run on a fielding error.
The Mexican Pacific League featured a doubleheader sweep by the Guasave Cotton Pickers over the Navojoa Mayos. Guasave won the first game 5-4 in eight innings and the second game 9-0 in seven innings. The team now leads the league with an 11-3 record. In the second game, Roque Gutierrez threw five and two-thirds scoreless innings. The Mexicali Eagles also swept a doubleheader against the Nayarit Jaguars. They won 12-5 in eight innings and 11-2 in seven innings. Esteban Quiroz hit two home runs and drove in six runs in the first game.
Other results in the Mexican Pacific League included a 16-6 victory for the Los Mochis Caneros over the Jalisco Cowboys. Isaac Rodriguez hit a grand slam in the eighth inning and drove in seven runs. The Obregon Yaquis beat the Culiacan Tomato Pickers 10-2. Sebastian Elizalde hit a two-run home run and scored three runs. The Hermosillo Oranges defeated the Mazatlan Deer 4-2. Nick Solak and Ruben Ibarra hit two-run home runs to account for all four of the Oranges' runs.
