Cibao Eagles defeat Escogido Lions in a thrilling match
Santiago – In a night full of emotions at the Cibao Stadium, the Águilas Cibaeñas achieved an important 2-1 victory over the Leones del Escogido, in a game corresponding to the Round Robin.
Óscar De la Cruz’s outstanding performance from the mound and a crucial home run by Leody Taveras were key to the Aguiluchos’ victory.
This result brings the Eagles closer, who now have a 5-5 record, to two games behind the Lions, leaders of the Round Robin with a 7-3 record. In addition, it represents the second defeat that the yellows inflict on the Lions in this phase of the tournament.
For the Eagles, this is their second home victory, where they have a 2-4 record, while as visitors they show a solid 3-1.
Óscar De la Cruz took the victory (2-0), while José Urquidy took the loss (0-2). Burch Smith got the number three save.
De la Cruz, the opener for the Eagles, demonstrated his dominance over six scoreless innings, allowing five hits, without conceding walks and striking out four batters. The Eagles’ relief was handled by Junior Fernández in the seventh, Richard Rodríguez in the eighth, and Burch Smith closing the ninth.
For the Leones, José Urquidy pitched four innings, allowing two earned runs, three hits, no walks, and striking out two opponents. The red bullpen featured Héctor Neris, Tyler Danish, Diógenes Almengó, Jefry Yan, and Aneurys Zabala.
On offense, Leody Taveras stood out for the Águilas with a home run. Jerar Encarnación connected two singles, Steward Berroa a double, and Geraldo Perdomo and Cristhian Adames contributed one hit each.
For the Escogido, Raimel Tapia led the attack with a home run and a single, while Junior Lake, Bryan De la Cruz, and Franmil “Trancha” Cordero contributed two hits each, and José Marmolejos added a single.
The Eagles took the lead in the fourth inning, scoring their two runs. Leody Taveras opened the inning with a home run, followed by a single by Geraldo Perdomo, who advanced to second on a balk and scored on a hit by Cristhian Adames.
The Lions scored in the eighth inning with a solo home run by Raimel Tapia, setting the final score at 2-1.
