Games of December 30

The only Twins action was in the Australian League.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

AGUILAS 5, ESCOGIDO 3 AT AGUILAS

Leading 3-2, the Aguilas scored two in the fifth to make it 5-2.  Junior Lake was 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and two walks.  Richelson Pena struck out six in five innings, giving up two runs on four hits.

GIGANTES AT LICEY

Postponed due to unplayable venue.

Licey, 3-0
Aguilas, 2-1
Escogido, 1-2
Gigantes, 0-3

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

Twins:  Logan Wade was 1-for-6 with a triple and three walks, scoring twice and driving in one.

ADELAIDE 6, BRISBANE 5 IN BRISBANE (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

Tai-Shan Chang hit a three-run homer in the fifth to give Adelaide a 6-4 lead.  Brisbane got one back in the bottom of the fifth but their last seven batters were retired.  For Adelaide, Stephen Lohr and Curtis Mead were each 3-for-4.  Chang was 2-for-4 with the home run.  Isaias Quiroz hit a home run, his second.  For Brisbane, T. J. Bennett was 2-for-4 with a home run, his seventh.  Chih-Sheng Lin hit a three-run homer, his fourth.

BRISBANE 11, ADELAIDE 2 IN BRISBANE (GAME 2)

Brisbane scored two in the fifth, four in the sixth, and four in the seventh to build a 10-2 lead.  They only out-hit Adelaide 9-7.  Adam Weisenburger was 2-for-2 with a two-run homer (his second) and a walk, scoring three times.  Kenshi Sugiya was 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.  Wade Dutton hit a two-run homer, his fifth.  Travis Blackley struck out seven in six innings, giving up one run on six hits and three walks.  For Adelaide, Rodrigo Ayarza hit a home run, his fifth, and Kuan-Jen Chen hit a home run.

MELBOURNE 6, SYDNEY 5 IN SYDNEY

Melbourne scored three in the first and led all the way.  They had led by 6-1, but Sydney scored three in the eighth and one in the ninth.  They had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth, but a pair of strikeouts ended the game.  For Melbourne, Brett Cumberland was 3-for-4 with a home run (his fifth), a double, and a walk, driving in three.  Jon Kennedy pitched five innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks and striking out two.  For Sydney, Chih-Hsien Chiang was 1-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs.

PERTH 5, CANBERRA 2 IN PERTH (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

Jake Turnbull hit a three-run homer in the fifth to give Perth a 4-2 lead.  Alex Hall was 1-for-2 with a home run and a walk.  Kyle Simon struck out six in six innings, giving up two runs on four hits and five walks.  For Canberra, Lake Bachar pitched a complete game, striking out eight but giving up five runs on four hits and four walks.

PERTH 10, CANBERRA 9 IN PERTH (GAME 2)

Canberra had leads of 4-0, 7-2, and 9-7, but Perth scored three in the bottom of the ninth to win it.  A two-run single-plus-error by Michael Brosseau brought home the tying and winning runs.  Tim Kennelly was 3-for-6 with a double for Perth.  Robbie Glendinning was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk, driving in three.  For Canberra, Jay Baum was 4-for-5 with a double and a home run, his third.  Casey McElroy was 2-for-2 with a home run (his second), a double, and three walks.  Boss Moanaroa was 1-for-2 with a two-run homer (his fifth) and three walks.  Kyle Perkins hit a two-run homer, his fifth.

Games of December 29

I failed to notice that the Dominican League playoffs started this week.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Twins:  Willians Astudillo (Anzoategui) was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

LARA 1, ZULIA 0 IN ZULIA

Elvis Escobar tripled and scored in the seventh for the game's only run.  Yoanner Negrin pitched five shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks and striking out two.  For Zulia, Richard Castillo pitched four shutout innings, giving up four hits and a walk and striking out three.

ANZOATEGUI 7, MAGALLANES 4 IN ANZOATEGUI

Anzoategui scored three in the eighth to break a 4-4 tie.  A hit batsman brought home the lead run and Willians Astudillo doubled in a pair of insurance runs.  Balbino Fuenmayor was 3-for-4.  Alexi Amarista hit a home run, his second.  For Magallanes, Rayder Ascanio was 3-for-5.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

MAZATLAN 7, OBREGON 1 IN OBREGON

Brian Hernandez hit a two-run homer in the third to make it 3-0 and Mazatlan was never threatened.  Hernandez was 2-for-3 and the home run was his seventh.  Aneury Tavarez was 2-for-5 with a home run.  Roberto Valenzuela hit a home run, his second.  Roy Merritt struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

MEXICALI 4, HERMOSILLO 3 IN HERMOSILLO

A sacrifice fly in the fourth broke a 3-3 tie.  Luis Juarez was 4-for-4 with a walk.  Xorge Carrillo was 3-for-3.

NAVOJOA 6, LOS MOCHIS 4 IN NAVOJOA

Christian Zazueta's two-run double in the seventh broke a 3-3 tie.  Navojoa led 6-3 until a Los Mochis home run in the ninth.  Alejandro Gonzalez was 3-for-5 for Navojoa.  Jaime Lugo struck out eight in six shutout innings, giving up three hits.  For Los Mochis, Rodolfo Amador was 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBIs.  Jonathan Castellanos pitched three shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out two.

JALISCO 4, CULIACAN 1 IN CULIACAN

Jalisco scored three in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie.  Jose Oyervides pitched three innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk and striking out two.  For Culiacan, Daniel Rodriguez struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

AGUILAS 9, ESCOGIDO 3 AT AGUILAS

The Aguilas scored one in the fourth to break a 3-3 tie and got three in the fifth to take control of the game.  Danny Santana was 3-for-5 with two doubles.

LICEY 5, GIGANTES 3 AT GIGANTES (16 INNINGS)

It was 1-1 after eight and stayed 1-1 through fifteen.  In the sixteenth, Rymer Liriano delivered a two-run single for Licey and they added two more to make it 5-1.  In the bottom of the sixteenth, the Gigantes scored twice and put men on first and second before going down.  Engel Beltre was 3-for-7 for Licey.

In my scramble to get caught up from my Christmas break, I failed to notice that the Dominican League playoffs started on December 26.  Here are the standings:

Licey, 3-0
Aguilas, 1-1
Escogido, 1-1
Gigantes, 0-3

It appears that the first round of the playoffs is a round-robin of eighteen games, with the top two teams then meeting in a best-of-nine playoff series.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

Twins:  Logan Wade (Brisbane) was 0-for-4.

BRISBANE 11, ADELAIDE 3 IN BRISBANE

Brisbane scored two in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead and then got six in the sixth to put the game out of reach.  T. J. Bennett was 4-for-5 with a home run, his sixth.  Andrew Campbell was 3-for-5 with a double and a home run (his third), scoring three times.  Adam Weisenburger was 2-for-4 with a double and a three-run homer.  Pat Young pitched four innings, giving up one run on one hit and five walks and striking out three.  For Adelaide, Rodrigo Ayarza was 2-for-5 with a home run, his fourth.  Jordan McArdle hit a home run, his third, and Angus Roeger hit a home run, his second.

MELBOURNE 14, SYDNEY 7 IN SYDNEY

Melbourne built a 10-1 lead through four innings and led 14-2 before Sydney scored five in the ninth.  Michael Crouse was 3-for-5 with a triple, a home run, and a walk.  Allan de San Miguel was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer (his third), scoring three times.  Jarryd Dale was 3-for-5 with a double.  Delmon Young was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, his fourth.  Brett Cumberland was 2-for-6 with a double and a home run, his fourth.  Josh Tols struck out eight in six innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks.  For Sydney, Connor McDonald hit a home run, his third.

CANBERRA 4, PERTH 3 IN PERTH

Canberra scored on a wild pitch in the sixth to break a 2-2 tie.  They led 4-2 before Perth scored in the ninth.  Perth had men on first and second with one out before going down.  David Kandilas was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Jay Baum was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.  Brian Grening struck out six in six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk.  For Perth, Tim Kennelly was 4-for-5 with a double.  Garrett Whitley hit a home run, his third.

Games of December 28

Another big day for Willians Astudillo.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Twins:  Willians Astudillo was 3-for-5 with a double and a home run (his sixth), scoring twice and driving in two.

LARA 4, ZULIA 2 IN LARA

Lara scored two in the fourth to go ahead 3-0.  Lara cut the lead to 3-2, but Ildemaro Vargas singled home an insurance run in the ninth.  Nestor Molina pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits and a walk and striking out five.  For Zulia, Luis Alvarez was 2-for-3 with a home run.

LA GUAIRA 5, MARGARITA 3 IN LA GUAIRA (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

La Guaira scored three in the first to take a 3-0 lead.  Margarita cut the lead to 3-2, but La Guaira scored one in each of the fourth and fifth.  Henderson Alvarez struck out seven in six innings, giving up three runs on ten hits.  For Margarita, Tyler Marincov was 3-for-4 with two doubles.

MARGARITA 3, LA GUAIRA 2 IN LA GUAIRA (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

Margarita scored two in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie.  La Guaira scored one in the seventh and got the tying run on base.  Omar Bencomo pitched five innings for Margarita, giving up one run on three hits and two walks and striking out three.

ARAGUA 4, CARACAS 1 IN ARAGUA

Aragua scored four in the seventh to take a 4-1 lead.  Freddy Garcia pitched 5.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out two.

ANZOATEGUI 8, MAGALLANES 5 IN ANZOATEGUI

Luis Jimenez hit a two-run homer in the third to give Anzoategui a 4-3 lead and they led the rest of the way.  Willians Astudillo was the batting star, as set forth above.  Jimenez was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and his home run was his tenth.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

OBREGON 5, MAZATLAN 3 IN OBREGON

Obregon scored two in the seventh to break a 3-3 tie.  Pablo Ortega pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out two.

HERMOSILLO 2, MEXICALI 1 IN HERMOSILLO (12 INNINGS)

Miguel Torrero singled home a run in the twelfth to win the game.  Efren Navarro was 4-for-4 with two walks.  Jason Bourgeois was 3-for-5 with a double and a walk.  Luis Mendoza pitched 5.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit and one walk and striking out five.  For Mexicali, Rolando Valdez pitched five shutout innings, giving up six hits and three walks and striking out one.

NAVOJOA 2, LOS MOCHIS 0 IN NAVOJOA

Navojoa scored two in the seventh and that was all there was.  Zack Dodson struck out five in five shutout innings, giving up no hits and four walks.  For Los Mochis, Luis Perez pitched seven innings, giving up two unearned runs on four hits and three walks and striking out four.  Los Mochis got only one hit, a single by Olmo Rosario with one out in the ninth.

CULIACAN 5, JALISCO 4 IN CULIACAN

Jose Guadalupe Chavez hit a two-run single in the eighth to tie it 4-4 and Ronnier Mustelier singled home a run in the ninth to give Culiacan the victory.  Chavez was 3-for-4.  Edgar Gonzalez pitched five innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and striking out two.  For Jalisco, Donald Dewees, Jr. was 3-for-4 with a double.  Yordanes Linares was 3-for-5 with a double.  Manny Rodriguez was 3-for-5.  Edson Garcia hit a home run, his fourth.  William Oliver pitched six innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and striking out two.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

ESCOGIDO 8, GIGANTES 3 AT GIGANTES

Leading 2-0, Escogido scored five in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead.  Manuel Margot was 3-for-5 with a double.  Vidal Nuno struck out five in five innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk.  For the Gigantes, Jose Siri was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run.  Leury Garcia and Abiatal Avelino each homered.

AGUILAS AT LICEY

Postponed due to fire.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

SYDNEY 9, MELBOURNE 5 IN SYDNEY

It was scoreless through five.  Melbourne scored three in the top of the sixth, but Sydney came back with six in the bottom of the sixth and led the rest of the way.  Chih-Hsien Chiang was 3-for-5 with a double and a three-run homer, his seventh.  Max Brennen was 3-for-4.  For Melbourne, Tyler Neslony hit a three-run homer, his third.

Games of December 27

There was apparently a pretty major fire in the stadium in Santo Domingo.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

MARGARITA 2, LARA 1 IN LARA

An RBI groundout in the eighth plated the lead run for Lara.  Bobby Blevins pitched six innings, giving up one run on six hits and a walk.  For Lara, Williams Perez pitched 6.1 innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks and striking out three.

CARACAS 8, MAGALLANES 7 IN CARACAS (12 INNINGS)

Magallanes scored two in the ninth to take a 6-5 lead, but Caracas tied it in the bottom of the ninth.  Each team scored once in the tenth to make it 7-7.  In the twelfth, Henry Alejandro Rodriguez doubled home the winning run.  Leobaldo Pina was 3-for-6 with a home run, his second.  Ramon Cabrera was 3-for-6 with a double.  For Magallanes, Andres Blanco was 3-for-5 with a home run, his fourth.  Jesus Valdez was 2-for-5 with a double and a home run, his eighteenth.  Rayder Ascanio hit a home run, his second.

ARAGUA 9, LA GUAIRA 6 IN ARAGUA

Aragua led 5-0 and 9-2 before La Guaira came back to make the final score look better.  Jose Vargas was 3-for-4 with a home run, his seventeenth.  Renato Nunez was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer, his second.  Hernan Perez was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and scored three times.  Guillermo Moscoso pitched five shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk and striking out two.  For La Guaira, Alonzo Harris was 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, and a home run.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

OBREGON 4, MAZATLAN 3 IN OBREGON (11 INNINGS)

Moises Gutierrez singled in the tying run in the bottom of the ninth and Jose Carlos Urena homered leading off the bottom of the eleventh.  Gutierrez was 3-for-4.  David Reyes struck out eight in seven innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks.  For Mazatlan, Erick Rodriguez hit a home run.

MEXICALI 3, HERMOSILLO 0 IN HERMOSILLO

Mexicali scored single runs in the first, fifth, and ninth.  Sergio Mitre pitched five perfect innings.  For Hermosillo, Barry Enright struck out three in three innings, giving up one run on five hits and two walks.

NAVOJOA 5, LOS MOCHIS 2 IN NAVOJOA

Navojoa scored two in the third to take a 3-0 lead.  Alejandro Gonzalez was 3-for-3 with two doubles and a walk.  Hector Velazquez pitched 3.2 innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits and two walks and striking out three.  For Los Mochis, Isaac Rodriguez Salazar hit a home run.

CULIACAN 4, JALISCO 3 IN CULIACAN

Culiacan scored two in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.  For Jalisco, Manny Rodriguez was 3-for-4.  Agustin Murillo hit a two-run homer, his tenth.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

LICEY 9, AGUILAS 4 AT AGUILAS

The Aguilas scored three in the first, but Licey came back with three in the fourth, three in the fifth, and two in the sixth.  Engel Beltre was 3-for-4.  Sebastian Valle was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.  For the Aguilas, Edwin Espinal hit a home run.

GIGANTES AT ESCOGIDO IN ESCOGIDO

Postponed due to fire.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

Games of December 26

Still limited action over the holidays.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

CARACAS 6, LA GUAIRA 4 IN LA GUAIRA

Caracas scored three in the first, fell behind 4-3, then scored three in the ninth to win.  Leobaldo Pina's three-run triple brought home the ninth-inning runs.  Jesus Guzman was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, his fifth.  Luke Irvine pitched four innings, giving up one run on five hits and five walks and striking out two.  For La Guaira, Luis Sardinas was 4-for-5.  Edgmer Escalona pitched six innings, giving up three runs on four hits and striking out four.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Twins:

HERMOSILLO 15, LOS MOCHIS 2 IN LOS MOCHIS

Hermosillo scored four in the first and was never threatened.  Luis Alfonso Garcia was 3-for-4 with a home run (his second), scoring three times and driving in four.  Fernando Perez was 3-for-6 with a home run (his eleventh) and scored three times.  Jose Amador was 2-for-4 with a home run (his sixth) and four RBIs.  Wilmer Rios pitched five innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk and striking out four.  For Los Mochis, Juan Uriarte hit a home run.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

LICEY 4, GIGANTES 3 AT GIGANTES

Licey scored two in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie.  The Gigantes scored two in the ninth to cut the lead to 4-3 and had men on second and third with two out.  Erick Aybar was 3-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Hiram Burgos pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks and striking out four.  For the Gigantes, Raul Valdes pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

Games of December 25

All the action was in the Mexican League.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

MAZATLAN 2, CULIACAN 0 IN MAZATLAN

Mazatlan scored single runs in the third and eighth.  Gilberto Galaviz was 3-for-4.  Dustin Crenshaw pitched 7.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out three.  For Culiacan, Francisco Rios pitched five innings, giving up one run on three hits and five walks and striking out two.

MEXICALI 2, OBREGON 1 IN MEXICALI

Chris Roberson delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth to drive home the tying and winning runs.  C. J. Retherford was 3-for-4.  Justin DeFratus struck out nine in six innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits and a walk.  For Obregon, Isaac Paredes was 3-for-4 with a double.  Robinson Lopez struck out seven in seven shutout innings, giving up eight hits and a walk.

JALISCO 7, NAVOJOA 6 IN JALISCO

Jalisco led 4-0, 5-1, and 7-3, then held on as Navojoa scored three in the ninth and put men on first and second with two out.  Agustin Murillo was 3-for-4 with a double for Jalisco.  Manuel Al Flores struck out five in five innings, giving up one run on five hits.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

Games of December 24

We hope everyone involved in these leagues had a wonderful Christmas.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

Games of December 23

The only games were in the Mexican League.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

JALISCO 5, NAVOJOA 3 IN JALISCO

Jalisco scored two in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie and added two in the seventh.  Manny Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.  Octavio Acosta struck out nine in six innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks.  For Navojoa, Paul Leon was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, his sixth.

HERMOSILLO 7, LOS MOCHIS 5 IN LOS MOCHIS (10 INNINGS)

Hermosillo scored two in the ninth to tie it 5-5 and a two-run error in the tenth gave Hermosillo the victory.  Jason Bourgeois was 3-for-5 with a walk.  Domonic Brown was 2-for-6 with a home run, his seventh.  For Los Mochis, Olmo Rosario was 3-for-3 with a double and two walks.  Saul Soto was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.  Juan Carlos Gamboa hit a home run, his fifth.

CULIACAN 2, MAZATLAN 0 IN MAZATLAN (14 INNINGS)

It was a scoreless tie through thirteen innings.  Thankfully, the Mexican League does not spoil games like this with the goofy "start the inning with men on base" rule.  In the fourteenth, Jose Guadalupe Chavez doubled home one run and Sebastian Elizalde singled in another.  The two teams combined for just twelve hits in the fourteen innings.  Aldo Montes struck out seven in four perfect innings.  Amilcar Gaxiola also pitched four shutout innings.  For Mazatlan, Francisco Moreno pitched eight shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks and striking out three.

MEXICALI 4, OBREGON 0 IN MEXICALI

Leading 1-0, Mexicali scored three in the eighth.  Chris Roberson was 4-for-4 with a triple and a home run, his eleventh.  Luis Juarez was 3-for-4 with a double.  Miguel Pena struck out seven in seven shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  For Obregon, Irwin Delgado pitched seven innings, giving up one run on seven hits and two walks and striking out three.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

Games of December 22

No Twins played.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

ZULIA 11, LA GUAIRA 7 IN LA GUAIRA

Zulia scored four runs in each of the first two innings and led all the way.  Ali Castillo was 4-for-5 with a double and a walk.  Bryant Flete was 3-for-6 with a two-run homer, his second.  Alex Romero was 3-for-5 with a walk and scored three times.  For La Guaira, Jorma Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Miguel Mendez was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.

ANZOATEGUI 2, MARGARITA 0 IN MARGARITA

Anzoategui scored a run in the fifth and one in the sixth.  Rene Reyes hit a home run, his seventh.  Yeiper Castillo pitched eight shutout innings, giving up four hits and one walk and striking out none.  For Margarita, Logan Darnell pitched six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and striking out five.

LARA 6, CARACAS 2 IN LARA

Lara scored two in the first and three in the third to build a 5-1 lead.  Jesus Montero was 3-for-4 with three RBIs.  Jorge Martinez pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits and three walks and striking out two.  For Caracas, Jesus Aguilar was 4-for-4.

MAGALLANES 8, ARAGUA 5 IN MAGALLANES

Magallanes trailed 5-3 going to the bottom of the ninth, but scored five times to win.  Endy Chavez hit a walkoff grand slam.  Jesus Sucre was 3-for-4 with a home run, his third.  Chavez was 2-for-5 with a double in addition to the grand slam.  Edwar Cabrera pitched 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on two hits and three walks and striking out three.  For Aragua, Guillermo Moscoso pitched five innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out three.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

JALISCO 9, NAVOJOA 4 IN JALISCO

Jalisco scored five in the first and led all the way.  Anthony Alford was 3-for-4 with a double.  For Navojoa, Alan Sanchez was 3-for-3 with a triple and a walk.

HERMOSILLO 9, LOS MOCHIS 6 IN LOS MOCHIS

Los Mochis led 5-0 after two, but Hermosillo scored five in the fifth to tie it and three in the sixth to take the lead.  Jose Cardona was 2-for-5 with a home run (his third) and three RBIs.  Fernando Perez was 1-for-3 with two walks and a three-run homer, his tenth.  For Los Mochis, Juan Carlos Gamboa was 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run homer, his fourth.

CULIACAN 8, MAZATLAN 2 IN MAZATLAN

Ronnier Mustelier hit a two-run single in the sixth to break a 2-2 tie and Culiacan scored four in the eighth to put the game out of reach.  Sebastian Elizalde was 3-for-4 with three runs.  Edgar Gonzalez pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on seven hits and striking out five.  For Mazatlan, Brian Hernandez hit a two-run homer, his sixth.

MEXICALI 6, OBREGON 3 IN MEXICALI

Already leading 3-2, Mexicali scored three in the sixth to take control of the game.  Leo German was 3-for-4 with a triple.  Luis Juarez hit a two-run homer, his eighth.  Rolando Valdez pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and four walks and striking out two.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

Games of December 21

A good day for Kennys Vargas.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Twins:  Gregorio Petit (Caracas) was 0-for-3.  Willians Astudillo (Anzoategui) was 0-for-5 with two walks.

CARACAS 10, ZULIA 7 IN CARACAS

Zulia scored three in the bottom of the third to take a 4-1 lead, but Caracas came back with five in the bottom of the third and led the rest of the way.  Ramon Cabrera was 2-for-3 with a grand slam (his fourth homer) and six RBIs.  For Zulia, Jairo Perez was 3-for-4 and Wynton Bernard hit a home run.

ANZOATEGUI 8, MARGARITA 5 IN MARGARITA (12 INNINGS)

Margarita scored in the bottom of the ninth to tie it, but Anzoategui got three in the twelfth to win.  Tomas Telis was 3-for-6 with a double and a walk for Anzoategui.  Cade Gotta was 3-for-6 with a walk for Margarita.

LA GUAIRA 6, MAGALLANES 5 IN LA GUAIRA

Trailing 5-4, La Guaira's Teodoro Martinez hit a two-run double to put them ahead to stay.  Heiker Meneses was 4-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Alonzo Harris was 4-for-5 with two doubles.  Luis Villegas hit a home run, his ninth.  For Magallanes, Jesus Valdez was 2-for-3 with a home run (his seventeenth), a walk, and three RBIs.

LARA 10, ARAGUA 7 IN LARA

It was 1-1 after six.  Lara scored seven in the seventh to go up 8-1, but Aragua got six in the eighth to cut it to 8-7.  Lara got two more in the bottom of the eighth to regain control of the game.  Henry Urrutia was 2-for-5 with three RBIs.  Yoanner Negrin pitched seven innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on two hits and walk and striking out six.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

JALISCO 8, MAZATLAN 4 IN JALISCO

Jabari Blash hit a three-run homer in the first to give Jalisco a 3-1 lead.  They led 7-1 after three and were never threatened.  Gabriel Gutierrez was 3-for-4 with a home run, his second.  Blash's homer was his fifth.  Daniel Guerrero pitched five innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits and striking out four.  For Mazatlan, Niko Vasquez was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, his fourth.

CULIACAN 6, OBREGON 4 IN OBREGON (10 INNINGS)

Obregon scored two in the bottom of the ninth to tie it 4-4, but Ryan McBroom hit a two-run homer in the tenth to win it for Culiacan.  McBroom was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and the home run was his fifth.  Salvador Valdez pitched 5.2 innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk and striking out two.  For Obregon, Moises Gutierrez was 3-for-5 with a double.  Leo Heras was 3-for-5.  Pablo Ortega pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk and striking out two.

NAVOJOA 3, HERMOSILLO 2 IN NAVOJOA (11 INNINGS)

Max Ramirez homered leading off the bottom of the eleventh to win the game.  It was Ramirez' sixth homer.  Paul Leon was 2-for-4 with a home run, his fifth.  Hector Velazquez pitched four shutout innings, giving up one hit and one walk and striking out three.  For Hermosillo, Barry Enright struck out seven in seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits.

MEXICALI 4, LOS MOCHIS 2 IN MEXICALI

Trailing 2-1, Mexicali scored three in the fifth to go into the lead to stay.  Luis Juarez was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  Ricky Alvarez hit a home run, his second.  For Los Mochis, Wellington Dotel was 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk.  Luis Perez pitched seven innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks and striking out six.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  Kennys Vargas was 2-for-5 with a double.

LICEY 12, TOROS 3 IN LICEY

Licey scored one in the first, two in the second, three in the third, and four in the fourth, building a 10-0 lead.  Juan Francisco was 1-for-3 with a home run (his seventh) and three RBIs.  Yamaico Navarro was 2-for-3 with a triple and four RBIs.  Kyle Lobstein struck out ten in 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on nine hits and two walks.  For the Toros, Manuel Margot was 3-for-3 with a double.

GIGANTES 5, ESTRELLAS 2 AT ESTRELLAS

The Gigantes scored four in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie.  Rosell Herrera was 1-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs.  Kevin McGovern pitched 4.1 innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks and striking out one.  For the Estrellas, Lisalverto Bonilla pitched five innings, giving up one run on four hits and four walks and striking out one.

ESCOGIDO 6, AGUILAS 2 AT AGUILAS

Escogido scored three in the second to take a 3-0.  The Aguilas cut it to 3-2, but Escogido scored three more in the seventh to put the game out of reach.  Nick Additon pitched five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and three walks and striking out three.  Johan Camargo hit a home run for the Aguilas, his second.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

Twins:  Logan Wade (Australia) was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run.

ALL-STAR GAME

WORLD 6, AUSTRALIA 4 IN MELBOURNE

Tai-Shan Chang singled home a run in the seventh to break a 4-4 tie.  Jake Fraley homered in the ninth for an insurance run.  Jay Baum was 2-for-4 with a double.  For Australia, Luke Hughes was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Games of December 20

Another big day for Willians Astudillo!

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Twins:  Willians Astudillo (Anzoategui) was 3-for-4 with a double, scoring twice and driving in two.  Gregorio Petit (Caracas) was 2-for-4 and scored once.

MARGARITA 2, ZULIA 1 IN MARGARITA (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

A wild pitch brought home a run in the fourth to break a 1-1 tie.  Tyler Marincov was 2-for-3 with a home run.  Omar Poveda pitched five innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk and striking out four.  For Zulia, Jose Flores was 3-for-3 with a double.  Charlie Rosario pitched five innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on seven hits and a walk and striking out one.

MARGARITA 3, ZULIA 2 IN MARGARITA (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

Trailing 2-0, Margarita scored three in the fifth to take the lead.  Omar Bencomo struck out seven in six innings, giving up two runs on nine hits and three walks.

LARA 2, ARAGUA 1 IN ARAGUA (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

Henry Urrutia singled home a run in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie.  Nestor Molina pitched six innings, giving up one run on one hit and no walks and striking out five.  For Aragua, Wil Ledezma pitched 5.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on six hits and three walks and striking out one.

LARA 7, ARAGUA 6 IN ARAGUA (GAME 2--8 INNINGS)

Chuck Taylor singled home a run in the eighth to break a 6-6 tie.  Carlos Rivero was 3-for-4 with a home run (his sixth) and four RBIs.

ANZOATEGUI 10, CARAACAS 9 IN ANZOATEGUI

Balbino Fuenmayor hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to win the game for Anzoategui.  Astudillo had another big day, as set forth above.  Rene Reyes was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer (his sixth), scoring three times.  Fuenmayor's homer was his seventh.  Rafael Ortega hit a three-run homer, his fourth.  For Caracas, Jesus Aguilar was 1-for-2 with a two-run homer (his fourth) and three walks, scoring three times.  Ramon Cabrera hit a three-run homer, his third.  Jesus Guzman hit a two-run homer, his fourth.

LA GUAIRA 4, MAGALLANES 1 IN LA GUAIRA

La Guaira scored in three of the first five innings to build a 4-0 lead.  Junior Guerra pitched seven innings, giving up one run on four hits and a walk and striking out six.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  None.

MAZATLAN 5, JALISCO 3 IN JALISCO

Mazatlan scored two in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead.  Jalisco had the tying run on base with one out in the eighth.  Carlos Munoz was 3-for-4 with a double.  Roy Merritt pitched six innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks and striking out two.  For Jalisco, Manny Rodriguez was 4-for-5 with a home run, his tenth.

CULIACAN 5, OBREGON 4 IN OBREGON

Culiacan scored three in the seventh to break a 3-3 tie.  Obregon had the tying and winning runs on base with two out in the ninth.  For Obregon, Carlos De Leon struck out six in 4.2 scoreless innings of relief, giving up only a walk.

NAVOJOA 5, HERMOSILLO 0 IN NAVOJOA

Navojoa scored one in the first, three in the second, and one in the seventh.  Diego Madero hit a three-run homer, his second.  Tyler Kane pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and five walks and striking out four.

MEXICALI 5, LOS MOCHIS 0 IN MEXICALI

Mexicali scored all five runs in the second inning.  Javier Solano pitched seven shutout innings, giving up five hits and striking out five.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

ESCOGIDO 12, ESTRELLAS 4 IN ESCOGIDO

The Estrellas led 3-2 after two, but Escogido scored four in the third to take the lead and five in the seventh to put the game out of reach.  Erik Gonzalez was 4-for-5 with a double.  Ronny Paulino was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.  Franchy Cordero was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his fifth) and two walks, scoring three times.  For the Estrellas, Audry Perez was 4-for-5 with a double.

TOROS 6, LICEY 4 AT TOROS

The Toros scored three in the first and led all the way.  Carlos Franco was 3-for-4 with a double.  Manuel Margot was 3-for-5.  Elih Villanueva pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out four.  For Licey, Julio Borbon was 3-for-5.

GIGANTES 4, AGUILAS 2 AT AGUILAS

The Aguilas led 2-0 after five, but the Gigantes got two in the sixth and one in each of the eighth and ninth.  Carlos Paulino hit a home run, his second.  Alfredo Simon pitched 4.2 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on eight hits.  For the Aguilas, Jorge Lopez pitched 5.1 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk and striking out five.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

Games of December 19

A huge day for Willians Astudillo!

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Twins:  Willians Astudillo (Anzoategui) was 3-for-5 with two home runs (his fourth and fifth), scoring three times and driving in four.  Gregorio Petit (Caracas) was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

ANZOATEGUI 15, CARACAS 5 IN ANZOATEGUI

Leading 3-2, Anzoategui scored four in the fifth to take control.  Niuman Romero was 4-for-4 with a double.  Astudillo had a big day, as set forth above.  Rafael Ortega was 3-for-5 with two home runs (his second and third) and a walk, driving in three.  Tomas Telis was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, his fourth.  Luis Jimenez hit a home run, his ninth.  Rene Reyes hit a home run, his fifth.  For Caracas, Albert Cordero was 3-for-3 with a double.  Anthony Garcia was 2-for-5 with a home run, his fourth.  Jesus Aguilar hit a home run, his third.  Henry Alejandro Rodriguez hit a home run, his second.

LARA 5, MAGALLANES 3 IN LARA

Lara scored two in the first and led all the way.  Jesus Montero was 3-for-4.  Raul Rivero pitched six innings, giving up one run on eight hits and a walk and striking out five.  Endy Chavez was 3-for-5 for Magallanes.

ZULIA AT MARGARITA

Rained out.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

JALISCO 8, MAZATLAN 6 IN JALISCO

Jalisco led 4-0, fell behind 5-4 and 6-5, then scored three in the sixth to go into the lead to stay.  Amadeo Zazueta hit a two-run double to driving in the tying and lead runs.  Jabari Blash was 3-for-4 with a double.  Agustin Murillo hit a home run, his ninth.  For Mazatlan, Niko Vasquez was 3-for-4 with two home runs (his second and third) and five RBIs.

OBREGON 2, CULIACAN 1 IN OBREGON

Obregon scored one in the first and one in the seventh to take a 2-0 lead.  Culiacan scored one in the ninth but did not get the tying run on base.  Moises Gutierrez was 3-for-3 with a double and a home run, his second.  Robinson Lopez pitched seven shutout innings, giving up four hits and two walks and striking out three.  For Culiacan, Sebastian Elizalde was 3-for-4 with a home run, his fifth.  Francisco Rios pitched 5.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks and striking out three.

NAVOJOA 8, HERMOSILLO 7 IN NAVOJOA

Navojoa scored two in the fifth to break a 5-5 tie.  Hermosillo got the tying run to third base with one out in the ninth.  Quincy Latimore hit a home run (his fourth) and had three RBIs.  For Hermosillo, Jose Cardona was 2-for-3 with a double and a home run, his second.   Alejandro Flores was 2-for-3 with a walk and a home run, his fifth. Fernando Perez was 2-for-5 with three RBIs.

MEXICALI 11, LOS MOCHIS 2 IN MEXICALI

Mexicali scored two in the first and led all the way.  Walter Ibarra was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring three times.  Ramon Rios was 3-for-5 with a double.  Luis Juarez was 2-for-2 with four RBIs.  Justin DeFratus pitched six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks and striking out two.  For Los Mochis, Olmo Rosario was 3-for-5.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Twins:  Kennys Vargas (Aguilas) was 1-for-4 and scored once.

LICEY 5, ESCOGIDO 1 IN ESCOGIDO (10 INNINGS)

It was 1-1 through nine, but Licey scored four in the tenth to win it.  Yermin Mercedes hit a three-run homer, his second.  Jair Jurrjens pitched 4.2 innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits and two walks and striking out one.  For Escogido, Adalberto Flores pitched five innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks and striking out three.

AGUILAS 2, ESTRELLAS 1 AT ESTRELLAS

Luis Valenzuela singled in a run in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie.  Francisco Pena was 3-for-4 with a double.  Richelson Pena pitched seven innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk and striking out three.  For the Estrellas, Evan MacLane pitched 5.2 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on eight hits and striking out two.

GIGANTES 5, TOROS 2 AT GIGANTES

A bases loaded walk broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth and Cameron Perkins hit a two-run double in the eighth to win it for the Gigantes.  Cristhian Adames hit a two-run homer, his second, for the Toros.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.