Sunday, January 23, 2011

THREE HITS, TWO RUNS FOR FRANCO AS YAQUIS ROLL AGAIN

Iker Franco (pictured) collected three hits (including two doubles) and scored twice to lead the Obregon Yaquis to a 7-4 win over Guasave on Saturday before another sellout crowd of 13,000 at Estadio Tomas Oroz Gaytan in Obregon. The Yaquis now have a 2-games-to-0 lead over the Algodoneros in the Mexican Pacific League championship series.

Obregon scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning when Franco and Carlos Valencia slashed back-to-back doubles before Barbaro Canizares launched a homer to left. Guasave put two on the board in the third on RBI singles by Leo Heras and Jose Rodriguez, but Victor Diaz’ run-scoring double in the third and Daniel Fornes’ solo homer in the fourth made it a 5-2 contest. The Cottoneers got two back in the sixth on a Yurendell de Caster homer, but Obregon out the game away when Franco doubled and scored on a Valencia single in the bottom of the sixth and Everth Cabrera plated a run on a Diaz grounder in the seventh to close the scoring at 7-4 Yaquis as Rolando Valdez got his third win of the playoffs and Luis Ayala picked up his seventh postseason save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

The two teams move to Guasave for Game Three of the finals on Monday night.

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