MEXPAC PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD: Tuesday, 1/5/16

It took a six-run seventh inning to do it, but the Mexicali Aguilas posted a 7-4 comeback win in Guadalajara Tuesday night to complete their four-game sweep of the Jalisco Charros and move on to the Mexican Pacific League semifinals.  Elsewhere, Navojoa evened up their series with Mazatlan at two games apiece by beating the Venados 3-1 while Obregon knotted up their first round set by taking a late-ending 15-7 win at Los Mochis behind the bat of Dustin Martin.

Mazatlan will play at Navojoa in Game Five on Wednesday while Obregon does the same in Los Mochis.

Mexicali 7-11-2, JALISCO 4-10-0
W-F. Rodriguez (1-0).  L-Flores (0-1).  T-3:07.  A-8,868.
The compassionate among us may light a candle for Jalisco hurler Terance Marin, who pitched well in a tough Game 1 loss Friday night and left Tuesday's game after six innings with a 3-1 lead before the roof caved in.  Mexicali went to town on Charros relievers Manuel Flores, Ivan Salas and Marco Tovar for six runs on as many hits in the seventh en route to sweeping the series in four straight games.  C.J. Retherford (pictured) had three of the Aguilas' eleven hits, including a double.
And Marin?  After pitching 13 solid playoff innings with a 2.08 ERA for the Charros, all he got was a loss, a no-decision and an early trip home.  Life is not always fair.

NAVOJOA 3-5-1, Mazatlan 1-5-0
W-E. Salas (1-0).  L-Gaxiola (0-1).   T-3:05.  A-9,532.
Mayos starter Jorge Castillo was solid for 4.1 innings, giving up one run when Olmo Rosario lined a homer into the left field seats in the second inning, and the Navojoa bullpen held on the rest of the way to give the home team a 3-1 win over Mazatlan to knot their series up at two games apiece.  
The Mayos didn't exactly torch Venados hurler Amilcar Gaxiola, who gave up just three hits in five-and-one-third innings of work, but Navojoa nicked the lefty for runs in the third, fourth and sixth frames. Jose Amador doubled in Carlos Moncrief in the fourth and singled in Quincy Latimore with another tally two innings later.  Edwin Salas struck out the only batter he faced in the fifth, enough to give the Mayos reliever the win (see: Marin, Terance).

Obregon 15-16-1, LOS MOCHIS 7-10-2
W-M. Carrillo (1-0).  L-Irvine (0-1).  T- 4:04.  A-9,521.
Obregon's Justin Greene cranked Luke Irvine's first pitch of the game for a homer, serving notice that this wouldn't be another pitcher's duel as the Yaquis went on to win in Los Mochis, 15-7.  The Caneros put three runs on the board in the second to take the lead before D'Arby Myers lined into a double play to right field as Dustin Martin made the catch and nailed Jesus Arredondo at home plate. Martin had a dream night at the plate by socking a two-run homer in the fifth inning, doubling and scoring in the seventh and swatting a three-run homer to right center in the Yaquis' seven-run exclamation point otherwise known as the ninth.
Sebastian Valle hit his third postseason homer in the eighth to make it a one-run deficit for Mochis at 8-7, but Obregon's ninth rendered the Caneros' follow-on all but moot.  It was a busy night in both bullpens as there were a combined 14 pitching changes between the two teams to make it a great night for beer vendors, not so much for pitching coaches.