Game 9 - Nicaragua vs. Colombia (Final)
In the Final, Colombia appeared to surprise again, but Nicaragua had some productive at bats to win 12-3 and capture the title of the Serie Latinoamericana.
Colombia set the tone in the first inning by immediately opening the score off of starter Paul Estrada.
Fidel Peña led off with a single and then was able to score all the way from first base when an outfield-error followed on a single by next batter Efraín Contreras.
Shortly thereafter, Contreras was unable to score on a grounder to third, but he then did score on a grounder to second base by Arthur Charles to give Colombia a quick 2-0 lead!
Gerson Montila followed with another single, but the inning then ended with a flyout.
However, Colombia had taken the lead early, as it had done on Saturday against Panamá.
While leading only 1-0 in that game, the pitching and fine defense held Panamá scoreless, then Colombia added two runs in the eighth to seal the win and advance to the final.
Erick Gonsálves, who pitched one inning in relief last Friday in the first Play-Off game against Mexicó, started for Colombia.
He also had pitched in relief in two games during the preliminary round.
In the regular season, the 25-year old American righthander played for Leones de Montería, which was eliminated in the Championship Final by Caimanes.
He was added to the roster of Caimanes for this tournament.
In the bottom of the first inning, Gonsálves retired the side, as did Estrada in the top of the second inning.
In the second at bat for Gigantes, Yurendell de Caster led off with a walk.
Before today's game, the Curaçao-born infielder led the tournament with a .500 batting average (4-for-8).
De Caster's walk started the turn-around of the game for Nicaragua.
Hereafter, Luis Allen Salazar was hit by a pitch, then Dwight Britton singled to load the bases.
Ramón Flores followed with another single and that brought home De Caster and Allen to tie the score.
With one out, Britton and Flores moved on a sacrifice bunt by Iván Marín and the bases were then loaded again when Gonsálves hit next batter Jimmy González with a pitch.
Gonsálves started loosing control and Gigantes continued its rally, as next batter Ofilio Castro walked, which led to an automatic run and a 3-2 lead for the home team.
Venezuelan Wuillians Vásquez followed with a runscoring single that made it 4-2 and kept the bases loaded.
That led to the departure of Gonsálves, as Gigantes had batted around in this inning.
He was relieved by Dumas García, who started with a wild pitch, enabling González to score the next run.
In his second at bat in the inning, Yurendel de Caster then grounded out, but Nicaragua had completely turned the game around in its favor and led 5-2.
After Estrada had retired the side in the top of the third inning, Gigantes added a run in the bottom half.
During the tournament, Colombia had played some fine defense, but in this at bat, two errors resulted in the run.
Luis Allen Salazar led off with an infield-hit, which was followed by a throwing error that brought him to second base.
He then advanced on a flyout and scored when a throwing towards home was made on a grounder by Ramón Flores.
Hereafter, the Colombian defense recovered.
Leftfielder Fidel Peña caught a line drive by next batter Renato Morales and doubled up Flores at first base.
...Yurendell de Caster...
...1-for-3, 2 walks, run, RBI...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Nicaraguan starter Paul Estrada retired eight batters in a row since the first inning, but then gave up the third Colombian run in the top of the fourth inning.
With one out, Gerson Montilla tripled and scored on a grounder by Manuel Boscán.
Colombia got a chance of doing something back in the fifth inning when it got the bases loaded with two outs.
Fidel Peña and Efraín Contreras then singled and Adrián Sánchez walked, but the three were left behind when Arthur Charles flied out.
Nicaragua answered by adding a run in its fifth at bat.
The bases got loaded when Luis Allen Salazar led off with a walk, Dwight Britton singled and (with one out) Renato Morales also singled.
Hereafter, American Charlie Gillies was brought in as new pitcher.
He saw Iván Marín hit a force play-grounder, but that enabled Allen to score the seventh run for Gigantes.
In the bottom of the sixth, Gigantes left a runner in scoring position.
Ofilio Castro led off with a single and Yurendell de Caster walked with one out.
Castro then moved on a flyout, but both runners were left behind.
Colombia stranded a runner on second base in the seventh.
With one out, Ronald Ramírez reached on an infield-hit and moved on an error, but a flyout and force out folowed.
Colombia also was unable to score in the top of the eighth.
New pitcher José Escalona walked two batters with two outs, but they stayed behind.
Colombia left seven runners behind in the fifth through eighth inning, including four in scoring position.
Nicaragua then struck again in the bottom of the eighth, scoring five more runs on six basehits!
Ofilio Castro led off with a single off of reliever Tomás Cabaniel, who had come on in the previous inning.
He was now relieved by Porfirio López, who was greeted with a single by Wuillians Vásquez after Castro had stolen second base.
With runners on first and third base, López was replaced again and Angel Tovar took over.
He gave up a runscoring single to Yurendell de Caster.
Luis Allen Salazar followed with the next basehit, which loaded the bases.
Hereafter, Dwight Britton also singled, bringing in Vásquez, while De Caster was tagged out at the plate just before touching it for the first out in the inning.
Ramón Flores followed with a 2-run single.
He was then forced out on a grounder by Renato Morales and Iván Marín became the next runner after being hit by a pitch.
With runners on first and second base, Isaac Martínez delivered another runscoring single to lift the lead to 12-3.
Just after Morales had scored, Marín was tagged out on third base, ending the inning, but Nicaragua now had a commanding lead.
In the top of the ninth inning, Berman Espinoza took over the Nicaraguan pitching and retired the side to complete the game.
Gigantes de Rivas recorded a convincing victory and captured the first Nicaraguan title of the Serie Latinoamericana.
Afterwards, Gigantes-catcher Luis Allen Salazar was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Also named was the All-Tournament All Star Team:
Pitcher: Ronaldo Ramírez Montoya (Colombia).
Catcher: Luis Allen Salazar (Nicaragua).
1st Base: Carlos Xavier Quiroz (Panamá).
2nd Base: Jimmy González (Nicaragua).
3rd Base: José Castañeda (México).
Short Stop: Eduardo Thomas (Panamá).
Outfield: Fidel Peña (Colombia), Efraín Contreras (Colombia), Karim García (México).
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De Caster wins Final of Serie Latinoamericana with Gigantes
MANAGUA (Nicaragua) -
Gigantes de Rivas, the champion of Liga de Béisbol Profesional Nacional (Nicaragua), is the champion of the fourth edition of the Serie Latinoamericana.
On Sunday (January 31), Gigantes won the all-deciding Final with a convincing 12-3 score vs. Caimanes Olímpica de Barranquilla, the champion of Liga Colombiana de Béisbol Profesional (Colombia).
Gigantes had qualified for the Final after completion of the preliminary round.
The team ended in a tie first place with the Panamanian squad, but advanced, as the rules state that the hosting country advances in case of a tie for first place.