(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen)
   Curt Smith moves into first place in Nicaragua with Tigres
Nederlands
   GRANADA / MANAGUA / CHINANDEGA (Nicaragua) -
Curt Smith and the Tigres de Chinandega moved into first place of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Nacional, the professional league in Nicaragua.
On Saturday (November 28), the Tigres won only 1-0 against then league-leader Oriental de Granada to take over first place.
...Curt Smith is in first place with the Tigres...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
At Granada, the Tigres scored the lone run on Saturday in the second inning, which was the result of a homerun by Jonathan Jaspe, who was 3-for-4.
Curt Smith didn't play in this game.
Smith was 4-for-8 in the first two games he played for the team since Wednesday.
Also on Saturday, in capital Managua, Gigantes del Chinandega, the team of Yurendell de Caster lost 4-1 and with that moved into fourth and last place.
The team lost to Indios de Bóer, which is the reigning champion.
Like Smith, De Caster also didn't play on Saturday.
On Sunday, Smith and De Caster were back in the line-ups of their respective teams and faced each other again at Chinandega.
At Estadio Efraín Tijerino, both Smith and De Caster were hitting in the number three spot of the batting order and both were playing at first base.
In this game, the Gigantes took a 4-1 lead, but in the end, the Tigres won 8-4.
De Caster went 4-for-5 for the Gigantes, while Smith was 1-for-4 for the Tigres.
In the top of the first inning, Yurendell de Caster singled with two outs for the Gigantes, but was left behind.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Tigres got the bases loaded quickly and opened the score.
Jean Acevedo led off with a single, then David Paisano reached on an error and Curt Smith singled to load the bases.
The first run was then scored when next batter Ronald Garth walked.
The inning then ended when a double play and strikeout followed.
The Gigantes came alongside in the second inning thanks to a 2-out single by Dwight Britton.
The Gigantes then took a 2-1 lead in the third at bat.
With one out, Venezuelan Wuillians Vásquez and De Caster both singled, then the bases got loaded when Ruben Mateo was hit by a pitch.
A sacrifice fly by Luis Alen gave the Gigantes a 2-1 lead.
From that moment on, the Gigantes appeared to turn the game their way, as it expanded the lead by scoring twice in the fourth.
Jimmy González led off with a single and scored on a following double by Dwight Britton.
The latter advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Isaac Martínez.
With two outs, Britton scored the next run on a double by Vásquez.
De Caster followed with his third basehit in the game, but he was then forced out moments later to end the inning.
...Yurendell de Caster was 4-for-5 for the Gigantes...
...but his team ended up short tonight...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
In the bottom of the fifth, the Tigres narrowed the deficit to 4-3.
Acevado led off with a basehit, moved on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, then scored on a grounder by Smith.
Garth followed with a double and went on to score the next run on a single by Jonel Pacheco.
In the top of the sixth, with two outs, De Caster doubled (he was now hitting 4-for-4), but was left behind.
After reliever José D. Rugama had struckout three Gigantes-batters in the top of the seventh, the Tigres came alongside in the bottom half.
Paisano led off wit a double, but then Smith struckout.
Paisano advanced to third on a hit by Garth, which resulted in a pitching change.
José L. Sáenz became the third pitcher for the Gigantes, but was greeted with a runscoring single by Pacheco that made it a 4-4 score.
In the top of the eighth inning, the Gigantes got an opportunity to re-take the lead.
With two outs, the team had runners on first and second base and De Caster was the batter.
But after hitting a basehit in his previous four at bats, he grounded out to the pitcher this time.
In the bottom of the eighth, it were the Tigres that took the lead for the second time in this game.
Marvin Martínez led off with a walk and his pinch-runner Norlando Valle advanced on a sacrifice bunt.
Hereafter, Acevedo also walked and Paisano then gave the Tigres a 5-4 lead, as he followed with a double.
That led to a pitching change.
José Escalona took over and faced Curt Smith, who was walked intentionally to load the bases and set up a force play.
But that failed.
Ronald Garth followed with a baseclearing, 3-run double that made it 8-4 in favor of the Tigres and there still was only one out.
After another pitching change, two grounders ended the inning, but the Tigres had taken a decisive lead.
In the top of the ninth, closer Wilde Rayo took the mound for the Tigres.
He gave up a lead-off single.
Two outs and a single followed, but then a flyout ended the game.
And so, the Tigres turned a 4-1 deficit into an 8-4 victory to strengthen their lead in the Nicaraguan league.
And the Gigantes remained in last place.
(November 29)
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