Junior Lake Drives the Victory for the Leones del Escogido
A crucial two-run home run hit by Junior Lake in the seventh inning broke the tie and gave the Leones del Escogido a 3-2 victory over the Gigantes del Cibao this Tuesday. With this result, the Lions remain undefeated (4-0) and lead the round-robin tournament alone.
Lake’s decisive hit, connected against Yovanny Cruz, traveled 388 feet through left field and reached an exit velocity of 104.8 miles per hour, marking the key point of the game. The Lions opened the scoring in the fourth inning thanks to consecutive singles by Raimel Tapia and Jorge Mateo against Cristopher Molina. An error by left fielder Leury García allowed Mateo to advance to second, and a groundout by José Marmolejos drove in Tapia for the first run. In the fifth, the Giants threatened with bases loaded and two outs against Kenny Hernández, but Francisco Mejía grounded out to second base and Jorge Mateo, with a great defensive play, made a precise throw to first to prevent the run. The Giants’ reaction came in the sixth inning, when Nicholas Torres hit a triple and scored thanks to a sacrifice fly by Leury García. The Giants’ second run came in the ninth inning, but Aneurys Zabala managed to preserve the lead and secure the save. Carlos Teller (2-0) took the victory, while Fernando Abad (0-1) took the loss. The scarlet opener Radhamés Liz had an outstanding performance, pitching 4.2 innings without allowing runs, with four hits, three strikeouts and two walks. With this triumph, the Leones del Escogido continue to lead the Round Robin with a 4-0 record, while the Gigantes del Cibao (0-4) remain in last place.Featured Players
- Leones del Escogido:
- Junior Lake: 4-1, home run, 2 RBIs, and 1 run scored
- Raimel Tapia: 4-1, 1 run scored
- Michael De la Cruz: 2-1, 1 run scored and 1 walk
- Gigantes del Cibao:
- Nicholas Torres: 4-1, triple and 1 scored
- Marco Hernández: 5-2
