(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen)
      Santa Maria Pirates withdraws from Serie Latinoamericana
Nederlands
    BOCA DEL RÍO / ACAYUCAN / CÓRDOBA / XALAPA, Veracruz (México) -
Santa Maria Pirates has withdrawn due to ecomic reasons from participating in the upcoming seventh edition of the Serie Latinoamericana, which opens on Saturday, January 26 in México.
The Final will be played on February 1.
Santa Maria Pirates was to represent Curaçao as its champion.
The Organizing Committee confirmed the withdrawal from Curaçao last Monday (January 21).
The team will be replaced by the loser of the Mexican Championship Final.
The event will be organized this year in the State of Veracruz at the eastcoast of México.
Most games will be played at Parque Universitario Beto Ávila in Boca del Río.
Games also will be played in Acayucan, Córdoba and Xalapa.
It marks the second time that Veracuz hosts the event.
It also organized the first edition in 2013.
Last year, Tigres de Chinandega (Nicaragua) won the Serie Latinoamericana for the second year in a row when the event took place in Nicaraguan capital Managua.
Participating in the event are the champions of the (professional) winter leagues in Argentina, Colombia, Curaçao, Panamá, México and Nicaragua.
Last year, Curaçao participated for the first time.
...Ramiro Balentina playing for Curaçao during the...
...2015 World Port Tournament in Rotterdam (Netherlands)...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Santa Maria Pirates Chippie qualified for participation by becoming the champion of the Curaçao Winter League in October.
In the Championship Series, Santa Maria defeated rival Wild Cats KJ74, but six games were needed to do so.
Last year, Wild Cats participated in the Serie Latinoamericana in Nicaragua.
Santa Maria captured the title for the first time in two years.
The team of Manager Ramiro Balentina won 4-1 in the deciding game against the defending champion to capture the 10th title in club-history.
It was the sixth year in a row that the two teams faced each other in the Final.
Manager of Wild Cats is Johnny Balentina.
Both Managers (both former catchers) played in the Dutch big league.
Ramiro Balentina played for Sparta-Feyenoord (2010-2011) and Kinheim (2012-2013).
Johnny Balentina played 18 seasons in the highest Dutch league for Neptunus (1990, 1992-1999; 2006-2007), Sparta (1991), ADO (2000-2003) and Kinheim (2004-2005).
The roster of Santa Maria included several former and current professional players, such as Yurendell de Caster (the league's leading hitter), Sherman Lacrus, Johnny Gregorius, Ulrich Snijders, Ardley Jansen, Levi Carolus and Rojean Cleofa.
Two of the six participating teams also qualified earlier.
Falcons de Córdoba won the title in the Liga Argentina de Béisbol and Toros de Herrera is the champion of the Liga Profesional de Béisbol de Panamá.
In Argentina, Falcons lost the first two games of its Championship Final against Condors, but then turned the Series around.
Toros won the Panamanian title by defeating Águilas Metropolitanas.
The other spots were decided over the past weeks.
That were the championships in Colombia, México and Nicaragua.
In Colombia, Caimanes de Barranquilla and Toros de Sincelejo qualified for the Championship Final of the Liga Colombiana de Béisbol Profesional after finishing in first and second place in three-team Play-Offs.
Tigres de Cartagena was eliminated after losing the first six games.
Defending champion Leones de Montería was eliminated in the regular season.
The best-of-seven Final began on January 15.
Toros de Sincelejo opened with a 17-11 win at Estadio Édgar Rentería in Barranquilla, but was shutout 5-0 the next day.
At Estadio Veinte de Enero in Sincelejo, Barranquilla won the next three games with scores of 3-1, 13-6 and 13-4 to capture the title.
...Osman Marval with Bologna during...
...the 2017 European Champions...
...Cup in Regensburg (Germany)...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Venezuelan Osman Marval, who last year won the Italian title with Fortitudo Bologna, led the Colombian season in runs batted in (35), homeruns (7) and basehits (51).
He was third best hitter with a .336 batting average.
Last season, Dutch righthanded pitcher Wendell Floranus and outfielders Randolph Oduber and Chris Pieters played for Tigres.
Floranus and Pieters come from Curaçao, Oduber from Aruba.
In the Final of the Liga Invernal Veracruzana in México, Chileros de Xalapa and Tobis de Acayucan met in the best-of-seven.
Xalapa won the first two games on January 5 and 6 at Estadio Luis Díaz Flores in Acayucan with scores of 7-5 and 8-6.
In both games, Xalapa came from behind.
The Series continued on January 11 at Parque Deportivo Colón in Xalapa.
There, Acayucan won 11-5, but Xalapa followed with an 8-1 win.
In Game 5, Acayucan narrowed the deficit to 3-2 by winning 14-4.
The Series then moved back to Acayucan for Game 6, which was played on Saturday, January 19.
The home-team won 4-1, meaning a seventh and deciding game was needed.
That was played last Sunday at Parque Emiliano Zapata in Oluta.
In the seventh game, Acayucan led 7-0 after five innings, but then was held scoreless.
Xalapa came back from the eighth inning, but ended up short, losing 7-4.
However, Xalapa will still participate in the Serie Latinoamericana, replacing Curaçao champion Santa Maria Pirates.
The Championship Final in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Nacional in Nicaragua opened on Friday, January 11.
In the four-team league, Leones de León finished in first place to automatically qualify for the Final.
Second placed Indios del Bóer qualfied for the Play-Offs.
Third placed Gigantes de Rivas and fourth placed Tigres de Chinandega met in an one-game Wild Card Game.
In that game, played on December 30, Tigres won 5-3 to advance to the Play-Offs.
In the best-of-five Play-Offs, Tigres again struck.
Opponent Bóer won the first game on January 2, but Tigres then won the next three to reach the Final.
Venezuelan Wuillians Vasquez again played for Gigantes this season.
Vasquez, who played in the Dutch big league for HCAW in 2010, was the third best hitter of the league with a .329 batting average.
In previous seasons, Curaçao-born Dutch players Curt Smith, Yurendell de Caster and Dashenko Ricardo also have played in Nicaragua.
Chinandega was unable to surprise again in the best-of-seven Final, as León won the Series, 4-1.
Chinandega initially opened with an 4-0 win, but in the next four games, León won 7-4, 14-2, 5-4 and 5-2 to capture the title.
Chinandega was defending champion in both Nicaragua and of the Serie Latinoamericana.
(January 25)
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