Winterball Wrapup

A look at how Twins players fared in the various winter leagues.

Annoyingly, playoff stats are not included in winter ball stats, even though the playoffs go on for a month.  The only post-season stat that appears to be readily available is batting average.  We'll take the players by league, and not include guys who just played a handful of games:

VENEZULAN LEAGUE

Oswaldo Arcia (Aragua) hit .262/.386/.496 in 141 at-bats.  He drew 26 walks and hit 8 homers.  In the post-season, playing for Zulia, he batted only .196.

Eduardo Escobar (Anzoategui) hit .254/.315/.415 in 193 at-bats.  He batted .303 for the post-season.

Edgar Ibarra (Aragua) was 2-1, 3.55, 1.36 WHIP with 34 strikeouts in 33 innings.

Yorman Landa (La Guaira) 2-0, 3.50, 1.17 with 17 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Aaron Thompson (Aragua) was 2-1, 5.15, 1.67 in 12 innings.

Deolis Guerra (Magallanes) was 0-2, 3.86, 1.33 with 27 strikeouts in 21 innings.  He had a 0.00 ERA in the playoffs.

Virgil Vasquez (Zulia) was 0-4, 6.49, 1.37 in 43 innings.

Dakota Watts (Aragua) was 4-3, 3.38, 1.69 in 26.2 innings.

Yohan Pino (Aragua) was 4-6, 4.33, 1.49 in 68.2 innings.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Jorge Polanco (Escogido) hit .294/.361/.383 in 180 at-bats.

Danny Santana (Aguilas) hit .311/.339/.451 in 122 at-bats.  He drew four walks, one intentional.

Chris Colabello (Este) hit .190/.254/.190 in 58 at-bats.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE

Eddie Rosario (Mayaguez) hit .173/.250/.308 in 104 at-bats.  He hit .303 in the post-season.

Daniel Ortiz (Mayaguez) hit ..229/.261/.282 in 131 at-bats.  He hit .278 in the post-season.

Kennys Vargas (Mayaguez) hit .261/.331/.413 in 138 at-bats.  He hit .230 in the playoffs.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Brad Boyer (Culiacan) hit .281/.317/.386 in 57 at-bats.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

Logan Wade (Brisbane) hit .244/.309/.311 in 164 at-bats.

Lewis Thorpe (Melbourne) was 3-2, 2.45, 1.20 WHIP with 30 strikeouts in 36.2 innings.

Josh Guyer (Melbourne) was 1-2, 4.26, 2.00 with 14 strikeouts and 11 walks in 19 innings.

That's it.  The winter baseball season is over.  I hope you enjoyed these reports, and I thank you for your patience when I got behind on them.  We'll take a couple of months off, then come back in April with the return of Minor Details.

FYI

The winter leagues have all determined their champions, so winter baseball is over.  We plan to have a Twins winter league wrapup post sometime this week.

Australian League: Game of February 8: The Finals, Day Two

A pitchers' duel decides the championship.

PERTH 2, CANBERRA 1 IN PERTH

Canberra:  Jeremy Barnes was 1-for-4 with a home run, his second.  Jack Murphy (Toronto) was 1-for-2 with two walks and a triple.  Ethan Cole pitched 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on ten hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

Perth:  Matt Kennelly (Atlanta) was 2-for-3 with a walk and a triple, scoring once.  Joey Wong (Colorado) was 2-for-3 with a double.  Brian Baker pitched 6.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

The game:  Perth got on the board in the first when Corey Adamson (San Diego)led off with a single, went to second on a bunt, stole third, and scored on a Brandon Tripp single.  Perth stretched the lead to 2-0 in the sixth when Kennelly hit a one-out triple and scored on an Allan de San Miguel (Colorado) single.  Barnes homered in the seventh to cut the lead to 2-1.  Canberra got men to first and second with two out in that inning and got a man to second with two out in the eighth, but could not even the score.

THE SERIES

Perth gets a two-game sweep, winning both games by one run, to claim the coveted Claxton Shield.

Caribbean Series: Game of February 8: The Final

Once again, Valle leads Mexico to the mountaintop.

MEXICO 7, PUERTO RICO 1 (HOME TEAM:  MEXICO)

Twins:  Eddie Rosario (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-4 with a double.  Kennys Vargas (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-3.  Daniel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) was 0-for-3.

Puerto Rico:  Randy Ruiz was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.  Joel Piniero pitched five shutout innings, giving up three hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

Mexico:  Sebastian Valle (Philadelphia) was 2-for-4 with a grand slam, his second homer.  Daryle Ward was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.  Juan Delgadillo pitched seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and no walks with five strikeouts.

The game:  It was scoreless until the sixth, when a big inning carried Mexico to victory.  Chris Roberson started the inning with a home run.  The next batter struck out, but then Jon Weber singled, Zelous Wheeler (Yankees) walked, and Ward singled in a run to make it 2-0.  With two out, Luis Fonseca singled to load the bases and Valle hit a grand slam to make the score 6-0 and put Mexico in control of the game.  Mexico added a run in the eighth on a Gil Velazquez RBI single.  The lone Puerto Rico run scored in the ninth on a sacrifice fly.

THE SERIES

The win gives Mexico the Caribbean Series championship.  This is the second consecutive year and the third year in four that the team from Mexico has claimed the championship.

Australian League: Game of February 7: The Finals, Game One

Wong is right for Perth.

PERTH 4, CANBERRA 3 IN PERTH (14 INNINGS)

Canberra:  Jack Murphy (Toronto) was 2-for-4 with three walks and a double, scoring twice.  Jason Sloan was 4-for-5 with an RBI.  Clint Everts pitched 5.1 innings of relief, giving up an unearned run on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

Perth:  Joey Wong (Colorado) was 2-for-7 with a double and an RBI.  Matt Kennelly (Atlanta) was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.  Brendan Wise struck out five in four shutout innings of relief, allowing three hits and one walk.

The game:  A walk, three singles, and a sacrifice fly plated two runs for Canberra in the second, giving Canberra a 2-0 lead.  Three singles and an error brought home one more in the fourth made it 3-0.  Perth got three singles, a walk, and a hit batsman in the sixth to cut the lead to 3-2.  In the eighth, Brandon Tripp singled and scored from first on a single-and-error by Allan de San Miguel (Colorado) to tie the score.  There was no more scoring until the fourteenth.  With one out, Corey Adamson (San Diego) walked and scored from first on a Wong double to win the game for Perth.

PLAYOFF SERIES

Perth leads the best-of-three series, one game to none.

Caribbean Series: Game of February 7: Second Semi-Final

Eddie Rosario has the key hit to lead Puerto Rico to the finals.

PUERTO RICO 2, VENEZUELA 0 (HOME TEAM:  VENEZUELA)

Twins:  Eddie Rosario (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.  Kennys Vargas (Puerto Rico) was 0-for-2 with a walk.  Daniel Ortiz (Puerto RIco) was 0-for-1.  Deolis Guerra (Venezuela) pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Puerto Rico:  Giancarlo Alvarado pitched six shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  Steve Smith pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks.

Venezuela:  Ezequiel Carrera was 2-for-3.  Daryl Thompson pitched five shutout innings, allowing one hit and two walks with three strikeouts.

The game:  There were no threats to score until the fifth, and no actual scoring until the eighth.  Vargas led off the inning with a walk, followed by a bunt and another walk to put men on first and second with one out.  The next man struck out, but then an error loaded the bases.  Rosario then singled to left to drive home the only two runs of the game.  Venezuela did not get a man on base after that.

SERIES UPDATE

This sets up the final, to be played tonight, between Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Caribbean Series: Game of February 6: First Semi-Final

Valle leads Mexico to the mountaintop.

MEXICO 3, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2 (HOME TEAM:  MEXICO)

Dominican Republic:  Emilio Bonifacio was 1-for-3 with a walk and a double.  Juan Perez was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Yunesky Maya pitched 5.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits and no walks with three strikeouts.

Mexico:  Sebastian Valle was 1-for-3 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Chris Roberson was 2-for-4 with a run.  Alfredo Aceves pitched seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and one walk with two strikeouts.

The game:  In the top of the first, Leury Garcia was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on a pair of ground outs to give the Dominican Republic a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the first, Roberson singled, stole second, and scored on a Jon Weber single to tie it at one.  There was no more scoring until the seventh, when Perez singled, went to third on an error, and scored on a sacrifice fly to put the Dominican Republic up 2-1.  Mexico tied it in the eighth on a walk, a hit batsman, and two more walks.  In the bottom of the ninth, Yunesky Sanchez led off with a single, went to second on a bunt, and scored on a single by Valle to win the game for Mexico.

THE SERIES

Mexico advances to the championship game on Saturday.  They will play the winner of the Puerto Rico-Venezuela game, which will be played tonight.

Caribbean Series: Day Five: Games of February 5

Early runs make the difference for the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 7, MEXICO 6 (HOME TEAM:  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Mexico:  Luis Alfonzo Garcia was 2-for-4 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in three.  Daryle Ward was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double, scoring twice.  Zelous Wheeler (Yankees) was 2-for-4 with a home run, his third.

Dominican Republic:  Francisco Peguero (Baltimore) was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double, scoring twice and driving in one.  Eugenio Velez (Milwaukee) was 2-for-3 with two home runs, driving in three.  Claudio Vargas struck out six in six shutout innings, allowing two hits and one walk.

The game:  Julio Lugo singled in a run in the second to put the Dominican Republic ahead 1-0.  They seemingly took control of the game with a four-run third, highlighted by a Velez two-run homer, leading 5-0 at that point.  Velez homered again in the sixth to make it 6-0.  Mexico got back into the game in the seventh, getting an RBI double by Garcia and a two-run homer by Sebastian Valle (Philadelphia) to cut the lead to 6-3, but in the bottom of the seventh, Emilio Bonifacio (Kansas City) singled, stole second, and scored on a Perez single to make it 7-3.  Mexico struck for three more in the eighth as Wheeler homered and Garcia delivered a two-run double.  That put the tying run on second with one out, but a strikeout and a ground out ended the inning.  Mexico went down in order in the ninth.

PUERTO RICO 5, VENEZUELA 4 (HOME TEAM:  PUERTO RICO)

Twins:  Eddie Rosario (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-4 with a run.  Kennys Vargas (Puerto RIco) was 1-for-2 with an RBI.  Daniel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) was 0-for-0 with a walk.

Venezuela:  Alberto Callaspo (Oakland) was 3-for-5 with a three-run homer.  Mario Lisson (San Francisco) was 1-for-1 with a walk and a run.

Puerto Rico:  Randy Ruiz was 3-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Osvaldo Martinez (Dodgers) was 1-for-3 with a walk and a home run.  Jonathan Albaladejo pitched four innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

The game:  In the bottom of the first, Rosario singled and scored on a double by Ruiz to put Puerto Rico in the lead 1-0.  Venezuela tied it in the fourth on a single, a walk, and an error.  In the bottom of the fourth, Puerto Rico got an RBI single by Luis Figueroa, a run-scoring double by Martin Maldonado (Milwaukee), and a sacrifice fly to go ahead 4-1.  Martinez homered in the fifth to make it 5-1.  In the seventh, Venezuela got back into it.  With two out and none on, Lisson singled, Ezequiel Carrera (Detroit) singled, and Callaspo hit a three-run homer to cut the lead to 5-4.  That was as close as they could get, however, as Venezuela never got the tying run past first base.

FINAL SERIES STANDINGS

Venezuela, 3-1
Dominican Republic, 2-2
Mexico, 2-2
Puerto Rico, 2-2
Cuba, 1-3

Cuba is eliminated from the Caribbean Series.  The remaining four teams go into a single-elimination playoff.  The Dominican Republic plays Mexico tonight and Puerto Rico plays Venezuela Friday night, with the winners meeting Saturday night.

Caribbean Series: Day Four: Games of February 4

A pair of pitchers' duels.  Errors cost Puerto Rico.  LEWWWWW! leads Venezuela.

CUBA 2, PUERTO RICO 1 (HOME TEAM:  CUBA)

Twins:  Eddie Rosario (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-3 with a home run.  Kennys Vargas (Puerto Rico) was 0-for-4.  Daniel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) was 0-for-3.

Puerto Rico:  Ramon Castro was 1-for-3 with a walk and a double.  Joel Piniero pitched 6,2 innings, giving up two unearned runs on seven hits and no walks with one strikeout.

Cuba:  Yunieski Gurriel was 1-for-4 with a double.  Yulexis La Rosa was 2-for-2.  Vicyohandrys Odelin pitched a complete game, allowing one run on two hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

The game:  Rosario hit a two-out home run in the first to give Puerto Rico a 1-0 lead.  Castro followed with a double, and Puerto Rico did not get another hit the rest of the game.  Cuba tied it in the bottom of the first when Yuniet Flores singled, went to second on a ground out, took third on another ground out, and scored on an error.  There was no more scoring until the seventh.  Ramon Lunar singled, went to second on a bunt, took third on an error, and scored on another error.  Puerto Rico did not get a man on base after the sixth.

VENEZUELA 2, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1 (HOME TEAM:  VENEZUELA)

Dominican Republic:  Ronny Paulino (Detroit) was 1-for-2 with two walks and a double.  Hector Gomez (Milwaukee) was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Kelvin Villa pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks with one strikeout.

Venezuela:  Cory Aldridge was 2-for-3 with an RBI.  Lew Ford was 1-for-3 with a double and a run.  Tyson Brummett struck out four in four shutout innings, allowing two hits and one walk.

The game:  In the bottom of the first Ezequiel Carrera (Detroit) walked, went to second on a ground out, and scored on Aldridge's single to give Venezuela a 1-0 lead.  There was no more scoring until the eighth, when Ford doubled, went to third on a fly out, and scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 Venezuela.  The Dominican Republic tried to come back in the ninth.  With one out, Francisco Peguero (Baltimore) singled and scored on a Gomez double to cut the lead to 2-1.  Gomez went to third on the throw home and a walk put men on first and third, still with one out.  However, the next batter lined into a double play to end the game and preserve the Venezuela victory.

SERIES STANDINGS

Venezuela, 3-0
Mexico, 2-1
Dominican Republic, 1-2
Puerto Rico, 1-2
Cuba, 1-3

Venezuela and Mexico have clinched entry into the semi-finals.  I don't know what the tie-breaking procedure is in there is a tie for the last semi-final spot.

Caribbean Series: Day Three: Games of February 3

Venezuela remains unbeaten.  Cuba remains winless.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 9, CUBA 2 (HOME TEAM:  CUBA)

Dominican Republic:  Emilio Bonifacio (Kansas City) was 2-for-2 with three walks, scoring twice and driving in two.  Julio Lugo was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer.  Jon Leicester pitched seven shutout innings, giving up three hits and one walk with two strikeouts.

Cuba:  Ramon Lunar was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.  Daniel Castro was 2-for-4 with a double and a run.  Jonder Martinez struck out two in 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk.

The game:  Two singles and two walks put the Dominican Republic up 1-0 in the first inning.  The Dominican Republic scored two more in the second, getting an RBI single from Hector Gomez (Milwaukee) and scoring one on an error.  In the third, Bonifacio singled and scored on a Eugenio Velez (Milwaukee) double to make it 4-0, and in the fourth RBI singles by Ronny Paulino (Detroit) and Bonifacio increased the lead to 6-0.  Cuba did not get back into the game after that.

VENEZUELA 6, MEXICO 3  (HOME TEAM:  MEXICO)

Twins:  Eduardo Escobar (Venezuela) was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

Venezuela:  Ezequiel Carrera (Detroit) was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Ramon Hernandez (Kansas City) was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Mexico:  Jon Weber was 1-for-3 with a walk and a triple, scoring once.  Carlos Alberto Gastelum was 1-for-2 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Bryan Evans (Miami) struck out four in four shutout innings of relief, allowing two hits and no walks.

The game:  In the first, Carrera singled, stole second, stole third, and scored on a ground out to put Venezuela ahead 1-0.  In the second, three singles, an error, and a double plated three runs to make the score 4-0.  Mexico got back into the game in the fourth, loading the bases on three walks and scoring on a sacrifice fly and a ground out to cut the lead to 4-2.  In the sixth, Chris Roberson reached on a single-and-error, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-3.  With two out and none on in the eighth, Cory Aldridge was hit by a pitch and Hernandez homered to build the lead back up to 6-3.  Mexico put men on second and third with two out in the ninth but could do no more.

SERIES STANDINGS

Venezuela, 2-0
Mexico, 2-1
Dominican Republic, 1-1
Puerto Rico, 1-1
Cuba, 0-3

TODAY'S MATCHUPS

Puerto Rico v. Cuba
Dominican Republic v. Venezuela

Australian League: Game of February 2

Errors doom Sydney as Canberra advances.

CANBERRA 9, SYDNEY 1 IN SYDNEY

Canberra:  Ben Warner was 3-for-5 with a walk and a double, scoring twice.  Jeremy Barnes was 2-for-3 with a walk and a triple, scoring twice.  Steven Chambers pitched six innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Sydney:  Trent Oeltjen was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The game:  It was scoreless through five.  In the sixth, however, Canberra took control with five runs.  A single and an error put two on and a single-and-error by Barnes scored the first two runs.  Jack Murphy (Toronto) singled in another, Michael Wells singled in one more, and the third error of the inning plated the fifth run.  Sydney got its lone run in the bottom of the sixth, but Canberra got the run back in the seventh and scored three more in the eighth to put the game away.

PLAYOFF SERIES

Canberra defeats Sydney in the best-of-three series two games to one.  Canberra will now take on Perth in the finals.

Caribbean Series: Day Two

Mexico Zelously pursues victory.  Ramon Hernandez leads Venezuela.

MEXICO 6, PUERTO RICO 3 (HOME TEAM:  PUERTO RICO)

Twins:  Eddie Rosario (Puerto Rico) was 0-for-3.  Kennys Vargas (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-4.  Daniel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) was 0-for-3.

Mexico:  Zelous Wheeler (Yankees) was 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs.  Carlos Alberto Gastelum was 2-for-3 with two walks and a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Juan Delgadillo pitched seven shutout innings, giving up four hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

Puerto Rico:  Jeff Dominguez was 1-for-3 with a double.  Ramon Castro was 1-for-1 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Logan Williamson pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and five walks with one strikeout.

The game:  It was scoreless until the fifth.  With one out for Mexico, Gil Velazquez singled and scored on a Chris Roberson triple.  Gastelum then doubled to make it 2-0 and with two out, Wheeler hit a two-run homer to make the score 4-0.  There was no more scoring until the ninth, when with two out Jose Aguilar doubled and Wheeler hit another two-run homer to increase the lead to 6-0.  Puerto Rico came up with three runs in the bottom of the ninth but did not get the tying run up to bat.

VENEZUELA 8, CUBA 5 (HOME TEAM:  VENEZUELA)

Twins:  Eduardo Escobar (Venezuela) was 2-for-4 with two runs.

Cuba:  Yuniet Flores was 3-for-5 with a run.  Yunieski Gurriel was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.  Ariel Borrero was 2-for-4 with a double.

Venezuela:  Endy Chavez (Seattle) was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer.  Ramon Hernandez (Kansas City) was 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs.  Alberto Callaspo (Oakland) was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.

The game:  Each team scored once in the second.  In the third, Venezuela opened the inning with a pair of singles.  A two-out walk loaded the bases.  Hernandez singled in two and Ezequiel Carrera (Detroit) singled in one to give Venezuela a 4-1 lead.  In the fourth, Escobar singled and Chavez hit a two-run homer to make it 6-1.  It looked good for Venezuela, but Cuba got back into the game with four runs in the fifth.  Yordan Manduley tripled in two. Gurriel doubled in one, and the fourth run scored on a ground out.  It stayed 6-5 until the eighth, when Lew Ford doubled and Callaspo singled.  A sacrifice fly made it 7-5 Hernandez singled in another run to make it 8-5.  Cuba did not get the tying run up to bat in the ninth.

SERIES STANDINGS

Mexico, 2-0
Venezuela, 1-0
Puerto Rico, 1-1
Dominican Republic, 0-1
Cuba, 0-2

Notice

I will be unable to provide winter baseball reports Monday.  We will be back with reports on Tuesday.

Australian League: Game of February 1

Canberra holds on to even the series.

CANBERRA 4, SYDNEY 3 IN SYDNEY

Canberra:  Jason Sloan was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Jeremy Barnes was 1-for-4 with a home run.  Ethan Cole struck out six in six innings, giving up an unearned run on seven hits and two walks.

Sydney:  Keon Broxton (Arizona) was 2-for-3 with two walks, scoring once and driving in one.  Trent D'Antonio (Miami) was 3-for-5 with two runs.  Connor Whalen pitched 6.2 innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

The game:  An error, a bunt, and a sacrifice fly put Canberra up 1-0 in the first.  Barnes homered in the third to make it 2-0 and Sloan hit a two-run shot in the fourth to make it 4-0.  Sydney did not score until the sixth, when Broxton hit a single-and-error and scored on a Joshua Dean single.  In the seventh, a pair of two-out singles were followed by two walks to cut the lead to 4-2.  With one out in the ninth, Sydney got three consecutive singles to make the score 4-3 and put the tying run on third with one out, but a double play ended the game.

PLAYOFF SERIES

Canberra and Sydney are tied at one game each in the best-of-three series.

Caribbean Series: Day One

Rey Navarro, with help from some Twins, leads Puerto Rico to victory.  Chris Roberson helps Mexico take control.

PUERTO RICO 7, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 6 (HOME TEAM--DR)

Twins:  Eddie Rosario (Puerto Rico) was 0-for-4 with a walk.  Kennys Vargas (Puerto Rico) was 2-for-4 with a walk and a double, scoring once.  Daniel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-2 with a run.

Puerto Rico:  Rey Navarro (Cincinnati) was 2-for-5 with two doubles, scoring twice and driving in two.  Irving Falu (Milwaukee) was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Steve Smith (Dodgers) struck out two in two perfect innings.

Dominican Republic:  Hector Gomez was 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run, driving in three.  Juan Perez was 2-for-5 with a double and a home run.  Emilio Bonifacio was 2-for-3 with two walks and a run.

The game:  Falu homered to give Puerto Rico a 1-0 lead in the first.  It looked like the Dominican Republic was going to take over after that.  Two singles, an error, and two more singles, all coming with two out, gave the Dominican Republic a 2-1 lead after one.  Perez homered in the second to make it 3-1, Gomez hit a two-run homer in the third to make it 5-1, and a sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 6-1.  Puerto Rico came back in a big way in the fifth.  Vargas doubled, Luis Figueroa singled him home, Ortiz singled, Navarro doubled in two, and two wild pitches brought Navarro home to cut the lead to 6-5.  Figueroa singled in a run in the sixth to tie it at six and it stayed tied until the ninth.  Navarro led off the inning with a double, went to third on a bunt, and scored on an error to put Puerto Rico ahead 7-6.  The Dominican Republic had men on first and second with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but a pair of fly outs ended the game.

MEXICO 9, CUBA 4 (HOME TEAM--MEXICO)

Cuba:  Alfredo Despaigne was 2-for-4 with a home run, scoring twice.  Yuniet Flores was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Ramon Armenteros was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

Mexico:  Chris Roberson was 4-for-5 with a double and a home run, scoring twice and driving in four.  Gil Velazquez was 2-for-2 with a walk and a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Alfredo Aceves (Baltimore) pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

The game:  Mexico got four singles in the first, leading to a 2-0 lead.  Despaigne led off the second with a homer to make it 2-1.  In the fourth, Mexico loaded the bases with none out on a walk and two singles.  A sacrifice fly brought in one and Roberson doubled home another to make it 4-1.  Flores hit a two-run homer in the fifth to cut the lead to 4-3, but Mexico took control in the bottom of the fifth with a five-run inning.  Luis Fonseca singled in the first run, a sacrifice fly brought home the second, and Roberson hit a three-run homer to put the game out of reach.

STANDINGS

Mexico, 1-0
Puerto Rico, 1-0
Venezuela, 0-0
Cuba, 0-1
Dominican Republic, 0-1

Australian League: Game of January 31

Sydney takes a wild game to go ahead 1-0 in the preliminary final.

SYDNEY 18, CANBERRA 11 IN SYDNEY

Canberra:  Jon Berti (Toronto) was 4-for-5 with a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.  Casey Frawley was 2-for-6 with a double, scoring once and driving in three.  Ben Warner was 3-for-6 with two RBIs.

Sydney:  Trent Oeltjen was 3-for-5 with a home run, scoring three times and driving in six.  Jacob May was 5-for-7 (White Sox), scoring four times and driving in two.  Aaron Sookee (Angels) pitched three shutout innings, allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout.

The game:  Sydney scored one in the first to go up 1-0.  Oeltjen hit a three-run homer in a five-run second that put Sydney ahead 6-0.  In the third Frawley doubled in two of the three Canberra runs that cut the lead to 6-3, but in the bottom of the third a single, a double, two more singles, and a sacrifice fly got all three runs back for Syndey and made the score 9-3.  Canberra got one in the top of the fourth, but a Mitch Dening two-run single highlighted a four-run bottom of the fourth that put Syndey up 13-4.  It looked pretty much over at that point, but in the top of the fifth Canberra got a walk, an error, a hit batsman, and six singles to score six times and get back into the game at 13-10.  They still had the bases loaded with one out in the inning, but a strikeout and a popup ended the threat.  It was as close as Canberra would come.  Sydney came back to score four in the bottom of the fifth, three on a Keon Broxton (Arizona) homer, to go ahead 17-10.  Canberra got one more in the sixth and Syndey's last run came in the seventh.

PLAYOFF SERIES

Sydney leads Canberra in the best-of-three series one game to none.