Ismael Munguía leads the Estrellas Orientales to victory over the Licey
SANTO DOMINGO – Ismael Munguía became the hero of the Estrellas Orientales by receiving a walk with the bases loaded, driving in Robinson Canó with the run that gave them the 4-3 victory over the Tigres del Licey. This triumph, obtained at the Tetelo Vargas stadium, signified the culmination of a sweep in Tuesday’s doubleheader.
The second game, which went into extra innings, ended shortly after midnight on Wednesday. With this result, the Estrellas improved their record to 20-25, tying the Leones del Escogido in third place in the tournament. On the other hand, the Licey (19-25) is outside the qualifying positions.
In the tenth episode, Panamanian reliever Javy Guerra proved his worth by escaping unscathed from a critical situation, with the bases loaded and no outs, maintaining the 3-3 tie. However, Jean Carlos Mejía did not have the same luck, giving the decisive walk to Munguía in the bottom of the inning.
The Tigers took the lead early in the game, scoring two runs in the first inning. A defensive error allowed Gustavo Núñez to get on base and advance to second and third, before scoring along with Mel Rojas Jr. thanks to a double by Armando Álvarez.
The Estrellas responded in the second episode with a solo home run by Josh Lester. In the fifth, the Licey extended their lead to 3-1 with a sacrifice fly by Ronny Mauricio that allowed Christian Bethancourt to score.
The eastern team approached in the seventh chapter with a simple Vidal Bruján tow that brought Lester to the plate. However, a double play stopped the attack, maintaining Licey’s advantage.
In the tenth inning, the Tigers threatened with the automatic runner on second base. Michael de León advanced to third after a single by Cristhian Adames, and Arístides Aquino received a walk to load the bases. Guerra managed to dominate Francisco Mejía with a foul fly, struck out Sergio Alcántara, and retired pinch-hitter David Hensley with a fly ball to right field.
In the closing of the episode, Francisco Peña started as a runner. Cano was intentionally walked and Dairon Blanco received another walk. Although Rodolfo Castro was forced out at the plate, Munguía managed to negotiate the walk that secured the victory for the Estrellas.
The Stars also counted on Munguía to win the first match of the day 4-2, thus consolidating the sweep that drives them in the fight for classification.
With this defeat, Licey has a record of 6-7 in games decided by one run, while the Estrellas record 5-7 in this type of encounter.
