SANTO DOMINGO.– A two-run homer by Junior Lake in the seventh inning broke the tie and led the Leones del Escogido to a 3-2 victory over the Gigantes del Cibao, on Tuesday night, to remain undefeated (4-0) and alone in first place in the Todos contra Todos.
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Lake’s decisive hit came off the bat against Yovanny Cruz, traveled 388 feet to left field, and reached an exit velocity of 104.8 miles per hour, becoming the key hit of the game. The Scarlet team opened the scoring in the fourth inning against Cristopher Molina, when Raimel Tapia and Jorge Mateo hit consecutive singles. An error by left fielder Leury García allowed Mateo to advance to second, and later a ground ball by José Marmolejos to first base brought Tapia to the plate for the first run of the game. In the fifth chapter, the Giants threatened with bases loaded and two outs against Kenny Hernández, but Francisco Mejía grounded to second base and Jorge Mateo, with a brilliant backhanded catch, made a precise throw to first base that José Marmolejos secured to extinguish the rally. The visitors’ reaction came in the sixth inning against Grant Gavin, when Nicholas Torres hit a triple to center field and scored on a sacrifice fly by Leury García to right field. The Giants’ second run came in the ninth inning against Aneurys Zabala, who allowed the run, but managed to preserve the lead to record the save. The win went to Carlos Teller (2-0), who pitched two-thirds of an inning scoreless. The loss fell on Fernando Abad (0-1), who was charged with one of the runs from Lake’s home run. Although he did not complete the five regulation entries to compete for the victory, the scarlet opener Radhamés Liz shone on the mound by working 4.2 innings without allowing runs, with four hits, three strikeouts and two walks. With a 4-0 record, the national and Caribbean champions continue to lead the Round Robin, while the Gigantes del Cibao (0-4) remain in the basement without knowing victory.Offensive Highlights
- Leones del Escogido:
- Junior Lake: 4-1, home run, 2 RBIs and 1 run
- Raimel Tapia: 4-1, 1 run
- Michael De la Cruz: 2-1, 1 run and 1 walk
- Gigantes del Cibao:
- Nicholas Torres: 4-1, triple and 1 scored
- Marco Hernández: 5-2
