SANTO DOMINGO.– An unstoppable hit by Junior Lake through the center of the field, with the bases loaded in extra innings, left the Gigantes del Cibao on the field and gave the Leones del Escogido a dramatic 7-6 victory on Friday night at the Quisqueya Juan Marichal Stadium, consolidating the scarlet team as the sole leaders of the Round Robin.
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With the triumph, the Leones improved their record to
8-3, placing themselves one game ahead of the
Toros del Este (7-4), while the Gigantes continue in the basement with a record of
1-10.
In the tenth inning, with the score 6-5 in favor of the Cibaeños and two outs on the scoreboard, the Leones loaded the bases against closer
Hansel Robles. It was then that Lake hit a solid single to center field that drove in
Randy Florentino and the debutant
Alcides Escobar, unleashing the celebration in the Quisqueya.
Comeback in the ninth
The long-haired players forced extra innings after a spectacular reaction in the ninth episode.
Lake opened with a single, stole second, and scored with a
triple by Franchy Cordero against the center field wall. Minutes later, Cordero crossed the plate thanks to a
wild pitch by Jimmy Cordero, a play that was reversed after review.
A match with multiple twists and turns
The Giants took an early lead by scoring
three runs in the fourth inning against starting pitcher
Conner Greene. However, the Lions tied the game in the sixth against
Reymin Guduan, taking advantage of a combination of walks and timely hits, including a run-scoring single by
José Marmolejos that brought two runners home.
The Francomacorisanos regained control in the seventh with a run driven in by
José Paulino and extended their lead in the eighth with a
solo home run by David Bañuelos against
Stephen Nogosek, to make the score 6-3.
Decision from the bullpen
The victory went to
Alexander Colomé (2-0), who pitched one hit and one strikeout.
Hansel Robles (0-1) took the loss by allowing the two decisive runs in the tenth.
Offensive Highlights
For the Leones,
Junior Lake had a stellar night, going
2-4, with
three RBIs, one run scored, one walk, and one stolen base.
José Marmolejos drove in two,
Socrates Brito scored one and drew two walks, while
Franchy Cordero contributed a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
For the Giants,
José Paulino shined by batting
5-4, with a double, two runs scored, one RBI and
three stolen bases, while
De los Santos went
5-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored.
Next commitment
The
Leones del Escogido will return to the field this
Saturday, when they receive the
Águilas Cibaeñas starting at
4:00 in the afternoon at the
Quisqueya Juan Marichal Stadium.
