(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Caribes shuts out Cardenales 1-0 in second game Venezuelan Final
Nederlands
 MARACAY (Venezuela) -
Caribes de Azoátegui also recorded a shutout-win against Cardenales de Lara on Saturday (January 23) in Game 2 of the best-of-seven Championship Final of the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP).
Caribes opens the series on Friday with a 4-0 win.
On Saturday, the team won only 1-0.
The third game will be played on Sunday.
The second game of the Venezuelan Final was exciting and needed extra innings to decide it.
The lone run was scored in the top of the eleventh inning.
Caribes collected nine basehits, while Cardenales got only three.
Caribes-starter Andres Machado gave up only one basehit in the five innings he pitched.
From the sixth inning on, the team inserted seven relievers.
Raul Rivera started for Cardenales and gave up three hits in the six innings he was on the mound.
Hereafter, six relievers threw for the reigning champion.
Caribes got its first runner in scoring position in the top of the first inning.
Niuman Romero led off with a double, but stranded on third base.
It then took the team until the ninth inning to get its next runner in scoring position.
With one out, Willians Astudillo singled and moved to second base on a 2-out single by Tomas Telis.
But a flyout ended the at bat.
Cardenales got only two baserunners in the first seven innings.
The team got into scoring position for the first time in the bottom of the eighth.
With two outs, Yordanys Linares and Yojhan Quevedo both singled, but they were left behind on first and third base, as a strikeout closed the at bat.
The reigning champion left a runner behind on first base in the ninth.
And so, as the score was still scoreless, the game went into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, lead-off hitter Herlis Rodríguez reached on an error for Caribes, but stranded on first base.
For Cardenales, Jecksson Flores walked with one out, but he was left behind on second base.
Caribes then scores what would be the lone run in the top of the 11th.
Ali Castillo led off with a single off of reliever Ricardo Gómez and advanced on a grounder by Willians Astudillo.
Next batter Oswaldo Arcia walked, which brought in new pitcher Yapson Gómez.
With two outs, Luis Sardiñas connected for a single to bring in Castillo and put Caribes ahead.
Cardenales got a chance to turn the game its way in the bottom of the 11th.
Lead-off hitter Ezequiel Carrera was walked by reliever Jaison Vilera.
Lester Oliveros then took over and got a flyout, but then got the bases loaded when he walked César Hernández and Gorkys Hernández.
With three runners on base, Jean Toledo became the new pitcher.
He got a comeback-grounder from Osman Marval, which he turned into an 1-2-3 double play that ended the inning and the game.
(January 23)
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