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B a s e b a l l
M e x i c o
September
6, 2 0 1 7
Six-run
sixth highlights TJ's 8-2 win in Serie del Rey opener
Roberto Lopez
lined a two-run double and then scored on Corey
Brown's single to key Tijuana's six-run outburst in the bottom of the
sixth
inning, blowing open a 2-2 ballgame as the Toros went on to defeat the
visiting
Puebla Pericos, 8-2, Tuesday night in
the opening game of the Mexican League's Serie del Rey championship
finals. A crowd of 15,105 at Estadio
Gasmart saw the Toros send ten batters to the plate against the
defending LMB
champions in the sixth, facing four pitchers in the frame.
Puebla starting
pitcher Josh Roenicke and TJ starter Miguel
Pena carried a duel shutout into the bottom of the third, when the
Pericos
defense handed the Toros the first run of the game.
After leading off with a single and moving to
second when Roenicke walked Alex Liddi, Juan Apodaca stood a few steps
away
from the bag towards third while Isaac Rodriguez when Pericos catcher
Cesar
Tapia uncorked a throw down to shortstop Alberto Carreon, who was
covering
second on the play. Carreon dropped
Tapia's throw, however, and Apodaca scampered safely down to third and
later
came in to score on a Lopez sacrifice fly to center field.
The Bulls added a run in the bottom of the
fourth when Cyle Hankerd led off with a double, took third on a Jorge
Cantu
single and then scored on a Roenicke wild pitch to Dustin Martin to
give
Tijuana a 2-0 lead.
Pena was working
on a one-hit shutout in the top of the fifth
when the defending champs scored their first run of the game when
Sergio Perez
stroked a one-out single and then motored around the bases to hit
paydirt when
Carreon doubled to make amends for his third inning defensive gaffe. The Pericos were able to knot the score up at
2-2 in the top of the sixth when leadoff batter Issmael Salas reached
base when
Tijuana second sacker Rodriguez muffed his ground ball, advancing to
second on
the play. Jesus Arredondo's single sent
Salas to third and another safety by Ricky Rodriguez sent Salas in with
the
tying run.
However, what
had been a fairly tight (if not the most
aesthetically pleasing) game was blown wide open with the Toros'
six-run
sixth. After Cantu opened the frame by
grounding out, Martin drew a walk from Roenicke and then stole second
while
Apodaca was batting. Apodaca then lined
a single to left, scoring Martin from second while Apodaca scooted to
second on
Perez' throw to Tapia at home. That was
enough for Roenicke after 95 pitches, as Puebla skipper Tim Johnson
brought in
Mario Morales from the bullpen. Morales
got Liddi to fly to center for the second out of the inning before
walking
Rodriguez. Exit Morales, enter Henry
Garcia, who gave up a bases-loaded single to Jose Guadalupe Chavez,
scoring
Apodaca with the go-ahead run. Exit
Garcia, enter Julio Felix, who coughed up Lopez' two-run double and a
Corey
Brown single that scored Lopez from second to make it a 7-2 game. Brown then stole second and scored on a
Hankerd single to left, putting the Toros up by six.
After that, it
was left to a combination of TJ relievers
Carlos Hernandez, Pedro Villareal and Edwin Quirate to each contribute
a
hitless inning and close out the game, with pinch-hitter Jon Del Campo
grounding out to Cantu at first for the final out of the contest. Although Pena gave Toros manager a solid
five-inning start, allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks,
the win
went to reliever Jo-Jo Reyes, who recorded the last two outs of the top
of the
sixth before his teammates put the final six runs of the game on the
board in
the bottom of the entrada. Roenicke
absorbed the loss for Puebla, giving up four runs (three earned) on six
hits
and four walks in 5.1 innings of work, striking out seven.
Hankerd finished the night 3-for-5 at the
plate, scoring one run and driving in another, while Lopez ended up
with three
RBIs for the game while Arredondo had two of Puebla's five hits.
Game Two is slated for Wednesday night in Tijuana. Jaime Lugo will be on the mound for Puebla while Alex Sanabia, who allowed one run over 14 innings in two starts (both wins) against Monterrey is scheduled to take the hill for the Toros. Thursday will be a travel day before the series resumes in Puebla. While the Pericos seek to repeat their 2016 pennant with only seven players back from last year's champions, the Toros are looking for Tijuana's first Mexican League title.
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