Aguilas Cibaeñas Demonstrate Their Home Dominance by Defeating Gigantes del Cibao
SANTIAGO – Las Águilas Cibaeñas consolidated their supremacy at the Cibao Stadium by obtaining their fifteenth victory as locals, surpassing the Gigantes del Cibao with a score of 8-3 on Tuesday night, in the continuation of the 2025-2026 autumn-winter baseball tournament.
With this triumph, the Eagles improved their record to 27-10, solidifying their position at the top of the championship with a 15-3 home record and a 12-7 away record. The match marked the end of the Regular Series between both Cibao teams, a series that favored the yellows 7-3.
Solid Pitching and Timely Hitting
Panamanian pitcher Abdiel Mendoza (3-1) took the victory thanks to an outstanding performance of 5.0 innings, where he allowed four hits and three runs, only one of them earned, without conceding walks and with one strikeout.
The Eagles’ bullpen maintained control of the game with performances by José Cuás, Junior Fernández, Richard Rodríguez, and Burch Smith, who earned his fourth save.
On the Giants’ side, Daniel Mengden (0-2) took the loss after a brief outing of 2.1 innings, allowing four earned runs.
Featured Yellow Offensive
The Eagles’ offense once again demonstrated its power:
- Jerar Encarnación: home run and single
- Aderlin Rodríguez: home run and sacrifice fly
- Corey Joyce: double, double and single
- Ezequiel Durán: double
- Leody Taveras: single
For the Giants, Johan Rojas led with a home run and a single, while Luis García, Deyvison De los Santos, Kelvin Gutiérrez, and Kenny Piper contributed a hit each.
Game Development
The Eagles took the lead from the start:
- In the first inning, Durán hit a double and Aderlin Rodríguez followed with a two-run home run.
- In the third, Encarnación hit a home run that extended the lead to 3-0.
The Giants scored two runs in the top of the third inning, but the Eagles responded immediately with a run driven in by a ground ball from Aderlin. Rojas brought the visitors closer with a solo home run in the fourth inning, but the home team extended their lead again in the fifth with a double by Berroa, a single by Taveras, and a sacrifice fly by Aderlin.
In the sixth, the Eagles added another run with a hit by Encarnación, a walk to Elih Marrero and a run-scoring double by Joyce.
The Giants tried to come back with two runs in the eighth, but the Eagles sealed the victory in the bottom of the inning with another double by Corey Joyce, a sacrifice by Alfredo Reyes and a deep fly ball by Berroa.
