SANTO DOMINGO. – An effective combination of pitching and timely hitting allowed the Leones del Escogido to defeat the Estrellas Orientales 6-3 this Wednesday at the Quisqueya Juan Marichal stadium, in a game where the reds executed to perfection at key moments.

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Lakins sets the tone from the start

The opener Travis Lakins gave Escogido a quality start by working 4.2 innings without allowing runs, with five hits allowed and one walk. Although he left without a decision, he paved the way for a dominant bullpen.

A Lakins was followed by Kenny Hernández, Rolddy Muñoz, Jacob Barnes and Stephen Nogosek, who combined to completely silence the green offense until the final innings.

Navarro opens the way and Lake finishes with a three-pointer

The scoreboard opened early, when Yamaico Navarro hit a solo home run to left field in the second inning against starting pitcher James González. The big inning came in the fifth inning. After a walk to Jorge Mateo and a single by Alexander Canario, a sacrifice bunt by Chadwick Tromp set the stage for a triple to center field by Junior Lake, which drove in two. A wild pitch allowed Lake to score the fourth run. The scarlet offensive continued producing: consecutive singles by Gio Urshela and Jasson Domínguez added another run, and a hit by the debutant Elier Hernández completed the rally, bringing Urshela to the plate.

Late Star Reaction

The Estrellas scored in the eighth with a solo home run by Francisco Peña against Fernando Abad. In the ninth, a double by Abraham Almonte produced two more against Jimmy Cordero, but it was not enough to come back.

Decisions and individual performance

The victory went to “Rolddy Muñoz (1-0)”, who struck out two in a perfect inning. “James González (0-2)” took the loss after allowing two runs in four chapters.

For the Lions:

• Junior Lake: 5-1, triple, 2 RBIs, scored
• Yamaico Navarro: 4-1, HR, RBI, scored
• Erik González: 4-2, double, scored, BB
• Elier Hernández: 4-2, RBI

For the Stars:

• Abraham Almonte: 2-1, double, 2 RBIs
• Francisco Peña: 1-1, HR, scored, driven in

Overview

With the victory, the Lions improve their record to 12-16, catching up with the Stars (13-17) in the fight for positions. El Escogido will have a rest this Thursday and will return to action on Friday, again against the Estrellas, but this time at the Tetelo Vargas stadium in San Pedro de Macorís, at 7:30 p.m