Liga Mayor de Beisbol de La Laguna Regular Season Ends
In what was one of the most evenly matched seasons on the circuit, the regular season of the Liga Mayor de Beisbol de La Laguna has come to an end, with the 'big party' participants being defined until the last game.
Matamoros as first place, Orioles and Alacranes de Durango go through automatically, and Tlahualilo and Lerdo will fight for a spot in a wildcard match.
In a match held at the Francisco Sarabia Stadium in Tlahualilo, the Sandilleros lost to Alacranes de Durango by a score of 3 runs to 2, thus ensuring their direct passage to the postseason.
The semifinal series will be held on December 30, 31, and January 1.
With the defeat, Tlahualilo will have to play the wildcard game against Lerdo. In the actions of this game, a triple by Tadeo Muñoz in the ninth inning allowed Miguel Medina, who had been hit by a pitch, to score the winning run for the Alacranes.
It was the Sandilleros who took the lead on the scoreboard with a solo home run by Martín Cervantes, increasing their advantage in the fourth with a hit by Wilton Mejía against the pitches of Misael Verduzco, who took all the damage and extended his performance until the ninth, where he hung a zero to give the important victory to the Durango team.
A double by Miguel Medina in the sixth allowed Ignacio Cerda and Jibrán Castro to score and took the game to extra innings. The best hitters for Durango were Miguel Medina and Ignacio Cerda, both 2 for 4, while Martín Cervantes and Wilton Mejía stood out for Tlahualilo, both going 3 for 5.
In the second game of the doubleheader, and with the situation already defined, Sandilleros de Tlahualilo defeated Alacranes by a score of 2 runs to 1, with a home run by Rogelio Noris being the hit that made the difference in the first inning against the pitches of Juan Antonio León, who didn't allow any further damage.
The defeat was painful for the arachnids, since they still aspired to second place, but with the loss, they had to settle for third position. Jorge Favela and Juan Antonio León fought throughout the entire game, both completing their performances, with Favela earning the victory.
Matamoros Comes from Behind and Secures First Place
A 7-run rally in the seventh and four in the eighth tilted the balance in favor of Contadores, which defeated Orioles de Gómez Palacio by a score of 14 runs to 7 in the game that defined the overall leader of the competition.
The Gómez Palacio relief couldn't maintain a 3-run lead in the seventh and allowed the vital Matamoros attack, highlighting a three-run home run by Alberto Rodríguez. In the eighth, they attacked with four more runs to put the game in the freezer, as the Gómez Palacio offense couldn't harm Francisco Rivera, who earned the victory in relief of starting pitcher Iván Báez.
The schedules and days of the first three games of the semifinal series will be officially announced today during the weekly directors' meeting. These games will take place on December 30, 31, and January 1.
In this phase, Matamoros will face the winner of the wildcard game, while Orioles will face Alacranes de Durango. The first phase of the postseason will be a best-of-five series.