(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Gigantes takes lead in Nicaraguan Play-Off
Nederlands
  RIVAS / MANAGUA (Nicaragua) -
Gigantes de Rivas has taken a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five Semi-Final of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Nacional by winning only 1-0 on Sunday-evening (January 8) against Indios del Bóer.
With that, the team is one win away from reaching the best-of-seven Nicaraguan Championship Series.
The Play-Off continues on Tuesday.
Last Wednesday, Tigres de Chinandega finished in first place of the regular season and with automatically qualified for the Final.
Playing in that team are Netherlands Team-players Curt Smith, Yurendell de Caster and Dashenko Ricardo.
In the opener on Friday, Gigantes lost 2-1 at home to Indios del Bóer.
The visitors scored both of their runs in the fourth at bat when Janior Montes hit a 2-run homerun off of starter José Rosario.
Gigantes scored its lone run in the eighth inning.
Venezuelan Wuillians Vásquez, who won the Triple Crown in the regular season, was 1-for-4 for Gigantes.
On Saturday, in Estadio Dennis Martínez in capital Managua, Gigantes tied the Series at 1-1 by winning 3-0.
Gigantes struck early by scoring runs in the first and second inning, then added an insurance run in the ninth.
The first two runs wer scored on errors.
Starting and winning pitcher Robinson López gave up only four hits in the seven innings he pitched.
On Sunday, at Estadio Yamil Ríos in Rivas, Gigantes took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series by winning 1-0.
Gigantes was outhit 8-3, but scored the lone run in the third inning.
Venezuelan Róger Luque, who in 2010 played in the Dutch Major League for HCAW, started for Bóer.
In the bottom of the first inning, with two outs, he walked Wuillians Vásquez, who was his teammate when he played in the Netherlands for HCAW.
But Vásquez stranded on first base.
Luque then retired the side in the second, but gave up the lone run in the third at bat.
Lead-off hitter Luis Alen reached on an error and was moved into scoring position via a sacrifice bunt by Isaac Martínez.
Alen advanced to third base on a grounder by Mark Joseph, then scored on a single by Darel Campbell.
Gigantes got a chance to add another run moments later.
Campbell stole second base, then advanced to third when a throwing error followed.
With first base open, Wuillians Vásquez was walked intentionally.
The two runners were left behind when a grounder closed the at bat.
Bóer never got into scoring position in the first five innings, as Gigantes turned two double plays.
In the sixth, with two outs, Evert Cabrera tripled and Vladimir Frías walked, but they were left behind.
Bóer got another opportunity to come alongside in the eighth inning.
With one out, Maykel Cáseres and Evert Cabrera both singled, resulting in runners on second and third base.
That led to a pitching change, as Jonathan Aristill took over from starter Gustavo Martínez.
Aristil got a flyout and groundout that ended the inning.
In the top of the ninth, Janior Montes led off for Bóer with a single.
His pinch-runner was brought to second with a sacrifice bunt.
An infield-hit by Sandor Guido followed to put runners at the corners.
But hereafter, Jilton Calderón grounded to second and Gigantes turned its third double play of the evening.
This time to end the game.
(January 8)
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