SANTIAGO.– Luis Liberato was the offensive figure of the night by driving in four runs, guiding the Toros del Este to a 7-6 victory over the Águilas Cibaeñas, this Monday at the Estadio Cibao, within the Round Robin of the LIDOM championship.
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With the triumph, the Romanenses improved their record to “2-1” in the Round Robin, while the Eagles fell to “1-2”, counting as defeats their first two home commitments in the so-called “Valley of Death”, despite having led the regular season with a record of “17-9”.
Liberato finished the day batting
5-2, including a
two-run home run, and was the central axis of an offense that capitalized on the defensive errors of the Cibao team in a game in which
four home runs were connected, two by each team.
Decisions from the mound
Reliever
Emailin Montilla was credited with the victory after pitching
a perfect inning, while
Jean Carlos Mejía earned his
first save, working a ninth inning of
one hit and two strikeouts.
The loss went to
Misael Tamárez (0-1), responsible for
two runs in the sixth inning, decisive for the outcome of the game.
Match Development
The Eagles took the lead in the
first inning with a
solo home run by Leody Taveras to right field against the starting pitcher
Jaime Barría.
The Toros responded immediately in the
second inning. A walk to
Abdiel Mendoza and a double by
Tres Barrera tied the score. Subsequently,
Rafael Lantigua received a walk,
Gilberto Celestino advanced the runners, and
Luis Liberato drove in two runs with a single to make the score
3-1.
In the bottom of the second,
Jonatan Clase hit a solo home run to bring the Eagles closer
3-2.
The visit extended the lead in the
third inning, taking advantage of defensive errors.
Troy Johnston received a walk and
Jeimer Candelario reached base on an error by first baseman
Aderlyn Rodríguez. Although Johnston was put out trying to steal, he ended up scoring on an error by the pitcher.
The Eagles reacted in the
fourth inning. Rodríguez produced a run with a soft grounder and, after two outs,
Jerar Encarnación hit a single to drive in
Ezequiel Durán, momentarily tying the game.
In the
sixth inning, the Bulls regained control.
Lantigua led off with a double against Tamárez and scored on a single by
Celestino. Immediately afterwards,
Liberato hit his
two-run home run to right field, crowning a three-run rally and putting the score at
7-5.
The Eagles scored once again in the bottom of the sixth with a run-scoring single by
Cristhian Adames, who brought
Steward Berroa to the plate, but they failed to tie the game.
Next Commitment
This
Tuesday 30, the
Toros del Este will return home, the
Francisco Micheli Stadium, to once again receive the
Águilas Cibaeñas, in the continuation of the Round Robin.
