Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta: Day Two Report

Hermosillo pitcher Cesar Vargas

Day Two of the 2017 Mexican Baseball Fiesta in Tucson’s Kino Stadium on Friday saw a reasonably close first game in which the defending Mexican Pacific League champion Mexicali Aguilas held off a Cincinnati Reds Arizona Instructional League team, 4-3, as Yuniesky Betancourt singled, doubled and drove in two runs.  The much-anticipated nightcap between Hermosillo and Obregon, two longtime LMP rivals, ended up being an 8-1 Naranjeros romp as starting pitcher Cesar Vargas tossed three innings of one-hit scoreless ball while veterans Jason Bourgeois, Carlos Gastelum and Jose Amador evenly split six hits and scored four runs between them.  Throughout the evening, however, a festive mood prevailed in the ballpark as live bands played on the concourse, mascots took parts in between-innings skits and fans from Arizona and Mexico got to enjoy an evening of baseball, Mexican-style.

In the opener, Cincinnati opened the scoring in the top of the second inning when Morgan Lofstrom redirected a Javier Solano offering off and over the top of the wall in right-center for a leadoff homer.  Solano then bore down and struck out the next three Reds batters.  Mexicali came back in the bottom of the frame with a pair of runs.  C.J. Retherford led off with a single and came around to score on Ricky Alvarez' double against the center field wall to tie the game.  After Josh Romanosky struck out, Ramon Rios punched a single to left to bring Alvarez in with the go-ahead run.

The defending MexPac champion Aguilas added to their advantage in the bottom of the third with two more runs.  With one out, Yordanys Linares and Walter Ibarra hit back-to-back soft singles, bringing up Yuniesky Betancourt.  After Linares and Ibarra successfully pulled off a double steal, Betancourt smoked a Luis Alecis pitch down the third-base line into left field, scoring both baserunners and bringing about Alecis' exit.  Reds reliever Tanner Rainey struck out both Retherford and Alvarez to end the inning, but Mexicali had themselves a 4-1 lead after three.

Cincinnati got two runs back in the top of the fourth, both after the first two batsmen were retired by Solano. Lofstrom rapped a single to right and then scored when Mark Kolozsvary doubled into the gap in right-center. Leandro Santana then singled up the middle to bring in Kolozsvary, but was gunned down trying to take second on Linares' throw to the plate after catcher Francisco Cordoba's subsequent throw barely beat Santana to the bag on a close call.  That ended both the inning and the night for Solano, who finished his four entradas of work after allowing three runs on four hits with six strikeouts.

From that point on, it was up to Mexicali’s bullpen to hold the Reds scoreless over the last three frames of the seven-inning contest.  After Marco Quevedo retired the side in order in the fifth, newcomer Nolan Becker, who led the independent Can-Am League with 24 saves for champion Quebec this summer, ran into some trouble in the top of the sixth by walking the first two Cincy batsmen he faced (Jeter Downs and Taylor Trammell) before getting the next two hitters out, although Montrell Marshall sacrificed both runners to third and second, respectively.  Aguilas manager Roberto Vizcarra then brought in another fresh face, Victor Capellan, to strike out Kolozsvary and end the inning.

Capellan, who went 4-4 with a 1.25 ERA for Winnipeg in the indy American Association, went on to post a 1-2-3 seventh for the save as the Aguilas mound staff combined to hold the Reds to three hits on the night.  Solano earned the win for Mexicali while Alecis took the loss for Cincinnati after giving up four runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. Betancourt had two of Mexicali's seven hits with two RBIs while Linares and Rios both reached base twice.  Lofstrom singled, homered and scored two runs for the Reds.

In the second game, Hermosillo and Obregon swapped zeros through the first two innings before the Naranjeros put three runs on the board in the top of the third.  Carlos Gastelum led off with a single, then came around from first base on a Domonic Brown double. Obregon manager Miguel Ojeda took out starting pitcher Irwin Delgado and brought in Martin Sotelo to pitch to veteran slugger Luis Alfonso Garcia.  The move paid immediate dividends as Sotelo got Garcia looking for a strikeout.  Things looked even brighter after Brown was caught stealing third while Jose Amador was batting on a terrific throw by Yaquis catcher Jose Felix for the second out of the inning, and it didn't seem to matter much at the time when Amador singled.  Ojeda then brought in Adrian Ramirez to pitch to Fernando Perez, who promptly doubled and moved Amador to third.  Jose Cardona came up and rapped a single that scored both Amador and Perez to give the Naranjeros a 3-0 lead before Ramirez got Arturo Rodriguez to fly out to right to end the inning.

The Naranjeros broke the game wide open with three more runs in the top of the fourth.  After Jorge Flores popped out to the catcher to open the inning, the next five Hermosillo batters either singled or walked, with Roberto Ramos' bases-loaded walk pushing Jason Bourgeois across with one counter and a sharp Amador single bringing in both Gastelum and Brown to make it a 6-0 Hermosillo lead over their bitter rivals (a Naranjeros-Yaquis matchup is the MexPac's version of the Yankees and Red Sox in terms of intensity).

The Yaquis finally broke their scoreless spell after Hermosillo starter Cesar Vargas was taken out after three innings.  Reliever Sergio Alvarado struggled in the fourth, starting with Carlos Valencia’s leadoff double into the left field corner.  Valencia advance to third on an infield single by Paul Leon and scored on Jonathan Aranda's flyout to left, breaking up Hermosillo's shutout bid.  Jose Felix added a single to put Leon in scoring position but Felix Pie's groundout to second ended the threat.

Not that it really mattered, as Hermosillo plated two more runs in the top of the fifth when Flores singled in pinch-runner Ciro Norzagaray and Flores scored on Irving Lopez' groundout to second, bringing the rout to its final 8-1 count as neither team scored the rest of the way..

Bourgeois, Gastelum and Amador each had two singles, combined to score four runs and drive in four more for the victorious Naranjeros, who outhit Obregon, 11-6.  Nobody had more than one safety for the Yaquis, with Valencia and Irving Falu contributing doubles on a night that clearly belonged to Hermosillo.  Vargas' three innings of work earned him the win, but it almost seems unfair that the loss should be hung on Delgado, whose two-plus innings (in which he gave up one run on three hits and as many walks) was probably the Yaquis’ pitching highlight, which sort of says it all right there.

Saturday's Day Three schedule at the Mexican Baseball Fiesta will begin with a 5:30PM PDT contest between Mexicali and Los Mochis, with the Caneros making their 2017 Tucson debut by taking CIncinnati’s place in the foursome.  That game will be followed by an Hermosillo-Obregon rematch.

Gastelum drives in three as Hermosillo ties series, Mochis wins as Romo earns save

The Hermosillo Naranjeros have bounced back from two thrashings in Mexicali to tie their series with the Aguilas after winning Game Four, 4-1, Monday night in Mexcan Pacific League semifinal action before 18,156 (mostly) hometown fans in Estadio Sonora. Jeremy Kehrt earned the victory with an effective start for the Orangemen, who got three RBIs from Carlos Gastelum. In the other MexPac semi matchup, Isaac Rodriguez' run-scoring double gave visiting Los Mochis a fifth-inning lead they would never relinquish as the Caneros went on to best Culiacan, 3-2, as 16,039 looked on at Estadio de los Tomateros. The win, which marked the first time a home team has lost in this series, gives Los Mochis a 3-games-to-2 lead in the set.

Game Five of the Aguilas-Naranjeros semi is scheduled for Tuesday night in Hermosillo.  The Caneros and Tomateros will take a travel day off before playing Game Six Wednesday night in Los Mochis.


HERMOSILLO 4-8-3, Mexicali 1-7-1

Neither team put a run on the scoreboard until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Hermosillo's Carlos Gastelum (pictured above in mid-air) sliced a bases-loaded double to left off last winter's LMP Pitcher of the Year, Javier Solano, that brought in Tim Torres and Sergio Burruel to give the Naranjeros a 2-0 lead.  That was more than enough cushion for Jeremy Kehrt to carry a lead into the seventh. Kehrt did allow a Mexicali score in the top of the fifth when Ramon Rios singled Luis Juarez across home plate, but the Dodgers farmhand all but took the bats out of the Aguilas' hands by allowing the lone run on four hits in 6.2 innings pitched.

Hermosillo posted another run in the sixth as Gastelum's single up the middle brought in Jorge Flores from second to open their lead to 3-1, followed by another run in the seventh when Jose Amador crushed a Yair Loaiza delivery over the center field wall to put the Orangemen up by three.  Jose Samoya and Rafael Martin held the Aguilas scoreless over the final two innings to close out the win, with Martin earning his fourth playoff save.

Kehrt kept the Mexicali batters off balance en route to his first playoff win.  Solano fell to 0-3 in January by giving up Hermosillo's first two runs in 3.2 innings on four hits and four walks as both starters battled occasional control issues.  Gastelum ended up going 2-for-5 with three ribbies while Amador added a pair of two-baggers to augment his longball for the Naranjeros.  C.J. Retherford had two singles for the Aguilas and Yuniesky Betancourt rapped an eighth-inning double. Mexicali has now scored a total of two runs in Hermosillo the past two nights after piling up 24 runs in two tilts back home to open the series.


Los Mochis 3-11-0, CULIACAN 2-6-0

Los Mochis wasted no time bothering the scorekeeper as Eugenio Velez belted a leadoff homer to left against Tomateros starter Patrick McCoy, but Culiacan responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the initial frame when Maxwell Leon and Ryan Lollis starting things off with consecutive doubles off Caneros opener Manny Barreda (who signed with Atlanta last month shortly after tossing the season's only no-hitter).

The score remained at 1-1 until the top of the fifth, when McCoy gave up doubles to Juan Carlos Gamboa and Isaac Rodriguez, the latter giving Mochis the lead back.  Culiacan skipper Che Reyes replaced McCoy with Hector Navarro, who threw two strikesas  to Lew Ford before Ford punched Navarro's third delivery past second base to plate Rodriguez with the Caneros' second run of the inning to put the visitors on top, 3-1.  Ramiro Pena brought the Tomateros one run closer in the bottom of the fifth by lashing a double to center off Barreda, scoring Leon all the way from first base. From that point on, Barreda and four Mochis relievers combined to hold the hosts to two singles the rest of the way, a good thing for the Caneros since their offense was likewise scoreless over the final four innings.

Barreda got the win to go to 3-0 in the playoffs.  It wasn't a smooth outing for the righty from Arizona, who allowed five hits and five walks in 5-2 innings but only allowed two runs as the primary beneficiary of the Tomateros going just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.  McCoy ended up allowing three runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings of work to take the loss.  MLB free agent Sergio Romo earned his fourth playoff save in his first appearance of the series.  Romo has caused a stir in Mexico this week after a writer quoted him talking about racial discrimination he's faced on both sides of the border as a Mexican-American.  That piece will run in translated form on BBM within the next few days.

Culiacan ties series, Hermosillo gets first semi win

Issmael Salas had two run-scoring singles and longtime MLBer Oliver Perez (pictured) retired all four batters he faced to earn the win in relief as Culiacan defeated Los Mochis, 4-1, Sunday in front of 16,675 aficionados at Estadio de los Tomateros, evening their Mexican Pacific League semifinal series with the Caneros at two games apiece.  In the other MexPac Final Four contest, Barry Enright gave up one run on six hits over eight innings to pitch Hermosillo to a 2-1 knucklebiter win over Mexicali at Estadio Sonora as 16,572 looked on.  The Naranjeros now trail Mexicali, 2 games to 1, after Saturday's game in Hermosillo was rained out.

Game Four between the Tomateros and Mochis is set for Monday night in Culiacan while Game Three of the Naranjeros-Aguilas matchup will be held in Hermosillo.


CULIACAN 4-11-0, Los Mochis 1-7-2

Tomateros starter Edgar Gonzalez gave manager Enrique "Che" Reyes a few anxious moments after retiring the first seven Caneros batters he faced. Gonzalez allowed a Sebastian Valle solo homer and a Juan Carlos Gamboa double in the third inning, then served up a leadoff two-bagger to former Twins outfielder Lew Ford in the fourth before issuing subsequent one-out walks to J.C. Linares and Saul Soto. That was enough for skipper Reyes to bring his hook to the mound, replacing the ex-Diamondbacks hurler with Dennys Reyes (no relation).  The latter, who pitched for eleven MLB teams from 1997 to 2011, has a ballpark named after him in his hometown of Higuera de Zaragoza, Sinaloa

After Reyes and Hector Navarro combined to stop the bleeding, Culiacan got the run back in the bottom of the fourth when Salas singled in Jose Manuel Rodriguez from third to tie things up at 1-1.  The score remained unchanged until the Tomateros took the lead in the seventh when Ramiro Pena poked a single through the right side of the infield, scoring Maxwell Leon from second.  Culiacan posted a pair of insurance runs in the eighth as Salas singled in Rodriguez off reliever Jon Sintes and Ali Solis lofted a Santiago Guerrero pitch to Linares in right field for a sac fly to plate Sebastian Elizalde from third, bringing the score to 4-1.  It was left to Derrick Loop to finish things up in the ninth, which he did to earn his third playoff save and even the series at 2 games to 2.

Oliver Perez came in for the Tomateros to get the final out of the sixth inning, then pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to pick up the win.  The 34-year-old Culiacan native appeared in 64 MLB games for the Nationals last summer, going 2-3 with a 4.95 ERA in a middleman role.  After Gonzalez was lifted, six pitchers combined to hold Mochis scoreless on four hits from the fourth inning on.  Julian Arballo took the loss for the Caneros in a hard-luck outing.  The former Yankees minor leaguer pitched well enough to win, allowing two runs in seven innings, but it's hard to get the W when your teammates score only one run and go 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.


HERMOSILLO 2-6-1, Mexicali 1-6-1

After allowing 24 runs over two losses in Mexicali, the Naranjeros needed a good pitching performance to keep from falling behind 3-0 in their series with the Aguilas and Barry Enright provided the tonic.  The former D-backs and Dodgers hurler turned in a sparkling eight-inning start, letting in just one Mexicali run while scattering six hits and striking out five as Hermosillo pulled off a 2-1 come-from-behind win.

Enright and the Orangemen fell behind, 1-0, in the top of the fourth when Yuniesky Betancourt stroked a leadoff double, eventually moved to third when Hermosillo centerfielder Jason Bourgeois misplayed Efren Navarro's fly ball, and then scored the first run of the night when Agustin Murillo grounded out to Naranjeros shortstop Jorge Flores.  It looked like that one run might hold up, as Mexicali starter Kameron Loe pitched beautifully, retiring eleven batters in a row before giving up a Tim Torres double in the fifth.  The Naranjeros were able to load the bases with two out against Loe in the bottom of the sixth, but manager Lorenzo Bundy replaced Loe with Jose Meraz, who induced Dustin Martin to tap a comebacker to the mound for an inning-ending groundout.  The Naranjeros finally tied the game in the bottom of the eighth when Bourgeois hit a leadoff single up the middle off Fautino De Los Santos, stole second, took third on a Carlos Gastelum single and scored when Aguilas closer Jake Sanchez (who may be human after all) allowed an O'Koyea DIckson single.  Sanchez allowed another single to Jose Amador to score Gastelum, giving the Naranjeros a 2-1 advantage.  Rafael Martin, who spent some MLB time with Washington last year, was brought in and got the final three outs, as pinch-hitter Adan Munoz struck out swinging to end the game.

It was a pitcher's night on both sides, with Gastelum collecting two singles for the only multiple-hit game for either team.  Enright ran his playoff record to 3-0 with the win and Martin earned his third save in the postseason.  Loe ended up going 5.2 innings and giving up just two hits and three walks.  Neither run Sanchez allowed was charged to him, keeping his season-long total of earned runs allowed at one (1), while throwing 10 of his 11 pitches for strikes.  For one night, though, the native of Brawley, Calfornia (as are Los Mochis' Julian Arballo and Sergio Romo, who has yet to pitch in the other semi) couldn't seal the deal.

Mexicali advances, LMP semi field determined

The Mexicali Aguilas were stretched to ten innings before finally winning in Navojoa, 6-4, Sunday night to win their Mexican Pacific League playoff series, 4 games to 2, and join Los Mochis in the LMP semifinals. In Sunday's other first round game, Hermosillo snuck past Culiacan, 5-4, at Estadio de los Tomateros.  That series is tied at three games apiece, meaning both teams will advance to the Final Four regardless of Monday night's Game Seven outcome because the series loser will have three wins, more than Navojoa's two victories and Mazatlan's one to qualify for the fourth "Lucky Loser" berth coming out of the opening round's three series.


Mexicali 6-13-2, NAVOJOA 4-9-2

Jon Del Campo (pictured) broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the tenth inning by scoring on Emmanuel Avila's bases-loaded groundout as the Mexicali Aguilas went on to beat Navojoa, 6-4, Sunday to win their opening round series in six games.  A crowd of 10,976 nearly filled Navojoa's Estadio Manuel "Ciclon" Echeverria.

The Mayos scored in the bottom of the first inning when Alan Sanchez singled in Yosmany Guerra from second base with the game's first run.  The hosts then made it a 3-0 lead in the third on back-to-back RBI singles from Sanchez and Jesus Castillo off Mayos starter Kameron Loe.  Mexicali came back to knot the game up with three fourth-inning runs, starting with C.J. Retherford's leadoff homer off Mayos starter Troy Marks, who went on to give up one more run on a Del Campo single and load the bases before issuing a two-out walk to Yordanys Linares that pushed Del Campo across with the tying run.  The Aguilas took the lead in the fifth on Xorge Carrillo's run-scoring single, but Navojoa fought back with a tally in the bottom of the frame when Quincy Latimore singled in Guerra with the latter's third run of the game.

Both teams swapped zeros from the sixth through the ninth frames to send to contest into overtime, when Mayos reliever Esteban Haro loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the tenth.  Pinch-hitter Avila then sent a grounder to Navojoa first sacker Castillo, who tagged first for the out and then threw home to force Del Campo at the plate, but catcher Omar Renteria failed to make the catch and Mexicali took the lead.  Mayos manager Matias Carrillo finaly gave Haro the hook, but the damage proved irreversable.  Jesus Garcia intentionally walked Yuniesky Betancourt to fill the bases for Retherford, whose sacrifice fly to left plated Ramon Rios to give the Aguilas a 6-4 advantage.  It was then left to Mexicali closer Jake Sanchez to finish the job for the series-clinching win (and his third playoff save) by pitching a scoreless tenth.

Jose Manuel Lopez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the Aguilas to earn the win while Haro, who'd also tossed a scoreless ninth, took the loss.  Del Campo finished with a perfect 4-for-4 night for Mexicali batting from the eighth slot in the order while Retherford went 2-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored.  Latimore had three singles for the Mayos, who'd been the top seed when the playoffs opened.


Hermosillo 5-9-3, CULIACAN 4-4-1

Carlos Gastelum scored the go-ahead run on O'Koyea Dickson's seventh-inning sacrifice fly and Hermosillo went on to record a 5-4 win before 15,643 onlookers in Culiacan Sunday night.  The first-round series is tied after six games, meaning both teams will advance to the MexPac semifinals no matter what happens in Monday's Game Seven at Estadio de los Tomateros.  Whoever falls short in tonight's game will still have won three games in the series, qualifying for the fourth semi seed as the first round's "lucky loser" team.

The game was a scoreless tie going into the bottom of the fourth inning, when Culiacan pushed four runs across against Hermosillo starter Barry Enright.  With two out, Issmael Salas stroked a two-run single off Enright followed by a two-run homer by Jose Manuel Orozco.  The Naranjeros fought back with three runs in the top of the fifth, keyed by Gastelum's two-run, bases-loaded single and a Dickson sac fly that brought in Jason Bourgeois from third.  The Tomateros were clinging to their 4-3 lead going into the top of the seventh, when reliever David Goforth gave up a leadoff single to Jorge Flores and induced a Bourgeois pop out to second before walking Gastelum.  Efren Navarro's grounder to short was misplayed by Ramiro Pena, allowing Flores to score the tying run from second while Gastelum went from first to third.  Dickson then lofted his second run-scoring sac fly of the night to center, as Gastelum beat Maxwell Leon's thrown to the plate to give the Naranjeros their first lead of the game.  It was then left to Enright and two relievers to hold the Tomateros scoreless over their final three frames to seal the win.

Enright finished with seven innings to earn his second victory of the series, allowing just four hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  None of the four runs he allowed were earned, due to a fourth-inning fielding error by Flores at shortstop on Jose Manuel Rodriguez leadoff grounder, which should've been the first out (instead, four runs scored with two outs registered).  Nationals farmhand Rafael Martin, who was a midseason All-Star last summer with AAA Syracuse, earned his second postseason save.  Goforth was saddled with both the blown save and the loss for Culiacan.

Sultanes complete opener sweep of Diablos in front of 28,722 in Monterrey

The Mexican League began its 2016 season over the weekend with eight home-and-away series between Friday and Sunday, with an average of 10,222 fans attending 16 home openers from Cancun to Tijuana.

Quintana Roo led things off with a 4-3 home win over Yucatan in extra innings Friday in Cancun as Carlos Gastelum stroked a two-out walkoff single to right field to score Alfredo Lopez from second base in the bottom of the eleventh frame.  Starting later Friday, Tijuana clubbed Reynosa, 9-2, as Dustin Martin clubbed a three-run homer in the fifth inning to key the Toros offense.

Perhaps the biggest feat of the weekend was Monterrey's sweep over Mexico City, including a 9-7 Sultanes win Sunday in front of 28,722 onlookers at Estadio Monterrey (pictured above).  The Diablos were leading by a 7-4 count before the Sultanes sent all nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the eighth and scored five runs to take the lead.  Luis Juarez' two-out double plated Alex Valdez and Welington Dotel with the go-ahead runs, but Juarez was thrown advancing to second on a throw from Diablos left fielder Ivan Terrazas.

Puebla and Veracruz also went 2-and-0 in their respective sets.  The Pericos snuck past Oaxaca, 9-8, in overtime Sunday in Puebla as Nyjer Morgan's bases-loaded walk off Guerreros veteran Sergio Lizarraga pushed Cesar Tapia across with the winning run, capping a rough frame for Lizarraga, who hit Tapia with a pitch before walking the bases loaded before Morgan stepped up.  The Aguilas Rojos wrapped up their two-dance card with Tabasco Sunday in Veracruz by topping the Olmecas, 2-1, behind Roger Kieschnick's two solo homers.  Nate Tenbrink socked a one-run tater of his own for Tabasco.

In all, a total of 163,551 fans clicked the turnstiles over the weekend.  Monterrey's crowd was by far the largest, but there was also double-digit attendance Friday in Tijuana (17,222) and Sunday in both Saltillo (13.002) and Yucatan (12,000).  The smallest gathering on Opening Weekend was Saturday in Mexico City, when 5,332 filled Estadio Fray Nano to capacity.  The good beginning at the gate made for a nice start with the Liga, where declining attendance in 2015 saw six teams average less than 3,000 per game while another four franchises brought in between 3,000 and 4,000 per opening during the regular season.  Monterrey had the highest average crowd last year with 9,404 per game while Yucatan brought in the largest total over 59 Leones home games at 528,321.

After the traditional Monday travel day, all 16 LMB teams will embark upon three-game series Tuesday, including Yucatan at Oaxaca, Quintana Roo at Puebla, Varacruz at Carmen and Campeche at Tabasco in Villahermosa in the Southern Zone while Tijuana will be at Monclova, Reynosa at Saltillo, Monterrey at Aguascalientes and Mexico City at Laguna in Torreon for Northern Zone matchups.

Mexican League results for Friday, Apr. 15, 2011

QUINTANA ROO 6-9-1, Campeche (3-9-0)
W-C. Carrillo (1-0). L-M. Ruiz (0-3).
Tigres trailed 3-2 before scoring four runs in eighth, including three-run homer by Carlos Gastelum (pictured), to overtake Campeche.

OAXACA 9-14-1, Reynosa 6-7-0
W-V. Moreno (3-0). L-H. Chavarria (2-1).
Guerreros DH Kevin Barker doubled twice, scored twice and drove in run while Yancarlo Angulo went 3-for-4.


Saltillo 12-9-1, MEXICO CITY 2-8-0
W-F. Villalobos (2-1). L-S. Robles (2-1).
Jose Castaneda had two hits and three RBIs as Saraperos starter Fernando Villalobos let in two runs in seven frames.

Minatitlan 5-9-1, MONCLOVA 4-13-3 (12)
W-N. Romo (1-0). L-G. Esparza (0-1).
Rolando Acosta singled in winning run for Petros, who got three scoreless innings in relief from Isidro Marquez.

Veracruz 12-22-1, LAGUNA 8-12-0 (13)
W-A. Elvira (1-1). L-L. Medrano (0-2).
Victor Cruz and Manuel Bobadilla each cracked two-run homers in 13th to bust contest open for Aguilas.

Tabasco 5-12-2, YUCATAN 4-14-4 (12)
W-Acosta (1-0). L-Carrillo (1-1).
Roberto Mendez scored eventual game-winner on Luis Porchas single in top of 12th for Olmecas.

Monterrey at PUEBLA postponed