Australian League Preliminary Final: Game 1

PERTH 5, SYDNEY 4 IN SYDNEY

Perth:  Rene Tosoni was 2-for-5 with a home run.  Jordan McDonald was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs.  McKenzie Acker pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits with one strikeout.

Sydney:  David Kandilas (Colorado) was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once and driving in two.  Alex Glenn (Arizona) was 2-for-3 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Craig Anderson pitched six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

The game:  Perth led 3-0 after five, but Sydney opened the sixth with three singles, a two-run double by Kandilas, and another single to score four times and take a 4-3 lead.  That lead held until the eighth, when a pair of one-out walks were followed by an RBI double by Matt Kennelly (Atlanta) to tie the game and a run-scoring single by Joey Wong (Colorado) to give Perth the lead.  Sydney did not get a man past first base after that.

Series status:  In what is called the Preliminary Final, Perth leads the best-of-three series one game to none.

Australian League: Final Regular Season Report

STANDINGS

Adelaide, 32-16
Perth, 28-20
Sydney, 22-24
Canberra. 22-24
Brisbane, 21-25
Melbourne, 15-31

The top three teams go to the playoffs.  The second and third place teams play each other, with the winner playing the first place team for the championship.  Sydney apparently won a tie-breaker with Canberra.

BATTING LEADERS

AVERAGE

Aaron Miller, Adelaide, Dodgers, .389
Christian Lopes, Canberra, Toronto, .371
Jack Murphy, Canberra, Toronto, .353

HOME RUNS

Kellin Deglan, Melbourne, Texas, 16
Aaron Miller, Adelaide, Dodgers, 12
Four tied at 9

RBIs

Jack Murphy, Canberra, Toronto, 37
Kellin Deglan, Melbourne, Texas, 36
Aaron Miller, Adelaide, Dodgers, 33
Trent Oeltjen, Sydney, Arizona, 33

STOLEN BASES

Brandon Dixon, Adelaide, Dodgers, 21
Chan Moon, Adelaide, Houston, 20
Adam Engel, Melbourne, White Sox, 18

OBP

Aaron Miller, Adelaide, Dodgers, .444
Luke Hughes, Perth, .431
Christian Lopes, Canberra, Toronto, .421
Jason Sloan, Canberra, .421

SLUGGING

Aaron Miller, Adelaide, Dodgers, .701
Kellin Deglan, Melbourne, Texas, .631
Luke Hughes, Perth, .608

OPS

Aaron Miller, Adelaide, Dodgers, 1.145
Luke Hughes, Perth, 1.039
Christian Lopes, Canberra, Toronto, 1.002

PITCHING LEADERS

ERA

Mike McClendon, Perth, Colorado, 1.66
Morgan Coombs, Adelaide, 1.95
Cody Buckel, Melbourne, Texas, 2.93

WINS

Josh Tols, Adelaide, 9
Morgan Coombs, Adelaide, 7
Scott Mitchinson, Perth, 7

SAVES

Tyler Brunnemann, Adelaide, Houston, 8
Dustin Crenshaw, Canberra, 8
Jorge Marban, Perth, 8

INNINGS

Craig Anderson, Sydney, 77.2
Markus Solbach, Sydney, Arizona, 73
Brian Grening, Canberra, 72

STRIKEOUTS

Ryan Searle, Brisbane, Cubs, 69
Morgan Coombs, Adelaide, 65
Matthew Williams, Adelaide, 64

WHIP

Chen-Hua Lin, Brisbane, 0.98
Cody Buckel, Melbourne, Texas, 1.04
Mike McClendon, Perth, Colorado, 1.11

TWINS PLAYERS

Allan de San Miguel, Perth, .260/.378/.377 in 154 at-bats.
Logan Wade, Brisbane, .282/.303/.453 in 170 at-bats.

Sam Gibbons, Melbourne, 2-1, 1.69, 0.82 WHIP, 21 strikeouts in 26.2 innings (4 starts).
Josh Guyer, Sydney, 1-0, 4.05, 1.88 WHIP, 12 strikeouts in 13.1 innings (13 appearances).
Todd Van Steensel, Sydney, 0-0, 2.25, 2 saves, 1.00 WHIP, 10 striekouts in 8 innings (7 appearances).

Winter League Playoffs: Game of January 28

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

ANZOATEGUI 8, MAGALLANES 3 IN MAGALLANES

Anzoategui:  Jose Castillo was 4-for-6 with a run and two RBIs.  Oscar Salazar was 2-for-3 with a double and two walks, scoring once.  Jairo Diaz (Angels) pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit with one strikeout.

Magallanes:  Endy Chavez was 2-for-5 with a home run.  Henry Alejandro Rodriguez was 3-for-3 with a walk.  Chris Leroux struck out five in four innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks.  Magallanes used eleven pitchers in the game, ten of them in the final five innings.

The game:  A two-run error put Magallanes ahead 3-1 after five.  It was still 3-1 after six, but in the seventh, Alexi Amarista (San Diego) hit a run-scoring double and Gorkys Hernandez (Pittsburgh) had a two-run single to give Anzoategui a 4-3 lead.  In the ninth, Jose Gil hit a two-run homer and Castillo contributed a two-run single to put the game out of reach.

Series status:  Anzoategui wins the best-of-seven series four games to one.

Winter League Playoffs: Games of January 27

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

ANZOATEGUI 8, MAGALLANES 4 IN MAGALLANES

Anzoategui:  Felix Perez (Cincinnati) was 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs.  Gorkys Hernandez (Pittsburgh) was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  Cesar Valdez pitched five innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and no walks with three strikeouts.

Magallanes:  Ronny Cedeno was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs.  Adonis Garcia (Yankees) was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.  Jesus Martinez pitched two perfect innings with one strikeout.

The game:  Perez had a two-run single in the first and Anzoategui never trailed.  They built the lead to 8-0 after four.  Magallanes got two in the sixth and two in the eighth but did not get the tying run up to bat.

Series status:  Anzoategui leads the best-of-seven series three games to one.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE

SANTURCE 5, MAYAGUEZ 3 IN SANTURCE

Mayaguez:  Ozzie Martinez (Baltimore) was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Martin Maldonado (Milwaukee) was 2-for-3 with a run.  Reinier Roibal pitched 4.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on four hits and a walk with no strikeouts.

Santurce:  Anthony Garcia (St. Louis) was 2-for-3 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Ruben Sosa (Houston) was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, driving in one.  Ricardo Gomez struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings.

The game:  With two out and none on in the third, Mayaguez got six consecutive singles to score three runs.  Mayaguez still led 3-1 after seven.  In the bottom of the eighth, however, a single and two doubles tied the score and Jorge Padilla hit a two-run double to give Santurce a 5-3 lead.  Mayaguez went down in order in the ninth.

Series status:  Santurce wins the series four games to two.

Winter League Playoffs: Games of January 26

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

MAGALLANES 10, ANZOATEGUI 3 IN MAGALLANES

Anzoategui:  Felix Perez (Cincinnati) was 3-for-4 with an RBI.  Niuman Romero (Oakland) was 2-for-5 with a double and a run.

Magallanes:  Ronny Cedeno was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and three runs.  Josmil Pinto (Minnesota) was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs.  Josh Lowey pitched five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

The game:  Anzoategui scored two in the top of the first, but Pinto hit a three-run homer to cap a four-run bottom of the first to give Magallanes a lead it would not relinquish.  Ezequiel Carrera (Toronto) had a two-run single in a four-run fifth that put Magallanes up 8-2 and the game was never close again.

Series status:  Anzoategui leads the best-of-seven series two games to one.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE

CULIACAN 4, JALISCO 3 IN CULIACAN

Jalisco:  Marquez Smith (Cincinnati) was 1-for-4 with a home run.  C. J. Retherford was 1-for-1 with a pinch-hit home run.  Mario Mendoza pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit with one strikeout.

Culiacan:  Issmael Salas was 2-for-3 with a home run.  Maxwell Leon was 2-for-4 with a run.  Anthony Vasquez struck out five in 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks.

The game:  Eric Farris (Minnesota) had a two-run single in a three-run third that put Culiacan up 3-0.  Salas homered in the fourth to make it 4-0.  Jalisco came back with single runs in the fifth, sixth, and eighth, but did not get the tying run on base.

Series status:  Culiacan wins the best-of-seven series four games to one.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE

Scheduled off-day.  Santurce leads Mayaguez in the best-of-seven series three games to two.

Winter League Playoffs: Games of January 25

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

ANZOATEGUI 8, MAGALLANES 5 IN ANZOATEGUI

Magallanes:  Endy Chavez was 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs.  Henry Alejandro Rodriguez was 1-for-4 with a home run.  Keivi Rojas pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk with one strikeout.

Anzoategui:  Gorkys Hernandez (Pittsburgh) was 1-for-2 with a home run and two walks, scoring twice.  Alexi Amarista (San Diego) was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring twice.  Alfredo Aceves struck out three in a scoreless inning, allowing one hit.

The game:  In the third, Anzoategui got solo homers from Hernandez and Ehire Adrianza (San Francisco) and a two-run homer by Felix Perez (Cincinnati) to go ahead 4-0.  Magallanes battled back to tie it 4-4 in the top of the sixth, Niuman Romero's (Oakland) RBI single in the bottom of the sixth put Anzoategui back up 5-4.  Anzoategui added a run in the seventh and a two-run homer by Balbino Fuenmayor (Kansas City) in the eighth put the game out of reach.

Series status:  Anzoategui leads the best-of-seven series two games to none.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE

CULIACAN 3, JALISCO 1 IN CULIACAN

Jalisco:  Jose Manuel Rodriguez was 1-for-2 with two walks.  Leo Heras (Houston) was 2-for-5.  Terance Marin pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits with one strikeout.

Culiacan:  Eric Farris (Minnesota) was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Sergio Gastelum was 1-for-2 with a walk.  Salvador Valdez pitched 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing five his and three walks with four strikeouts.

The game;  Farris hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Culiacan added a run in the fourth.  The lone Jalisco run came in the ninth.  Jalisco had the bases loaded with two out in the ninth, but Heras lined out to second to end the game.

Series status:  Culiacan leads the best-of-seven series three games to one.

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

CIBAO 12, ORIENTE 5 IN CIBAO

Oriente: Junior Lake (Cubs) was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Elian Herrera (Milwaukee) was 2-for-4 with two runs.  J. C. Romero pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Cibao:  Maikel Franco (Philadelphia) was 3-for-4 with two home runs (one a grand slam) and seven RBIs.  Carlos Peguero (Texas) was 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs.  Mario Santiago pitched five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

The game:  Cibao scored two in the first and Franco hit a grand slam in the second to put Cibao up 6-0.  The lead was 9-0 before Oriente scored and the lead was never less than six runs.

Series status:  Cibao wins the best-of-nine series five games to three.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE

SANTURCE 9, MAYAGUEZ 1 IN MAYAGUEZ

Santurce:  Javier Baez (Cubs) was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Neftali Soto (Cincinnati) was 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs.  Ivan Maldonado pitched five shutout innings, giving up four hits and four walks with one strikeout.

Mayaguez:  Martin Maldonado was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run.  Jesmuel Valentin was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.  Kanekoa Texeira pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing a walk with one strikeout.

The game:  Ruben Gotay tripled in a run and later scored to give Santurce a 2-0 lead in the second.  It was 3-1 after six, but Soto delivered a two-run single in the seventh and Santurce added two more in the eighth and again in the ninth to take control of the game.

Series status:  Santurce leads the best-of-seven series three games to two.

Winter League Playoffs: Games of January 24

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

ANZOATEGUI 6, MAGALLANES 0 IN ANZOATEGUI

Magallanes:  Yangervis Solarte (San Diego) was 1-for-3 with a walk.  Yunior Novoa struck out two in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up three hits.  Magallanes had only four hits in the game.

Anzoategui:  Alexi Amarista (San Francisco) was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double.  Ehire Adrianza (San Diego) was 2-for-5 with a run and two RBIs.  Daryl Thompson pitched 7.1 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

The game:  Adrianza's two-run single-plus-error capped a three-run second that put Anzoategui up 3-0.  It stayed 3-0 until the sixth, when Adrianza had an RBI single and Amarista hit a two-run homer to make it 6-0.  Magallanes only twice got a man as far as second base, both times with two out, and their last thirteen batters were retired.

Series status:  Anzoategui leads the best-of-seven series 1-0.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE

CULIACAN 4, JALISCO 2 IN CULIACAN

Jalisco:  Eduardo Arredondo was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Jose Manuel Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Geoff Broussard pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit with one strikeout.

Culiacan:  Issmael Salas was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double, scoring twice.  Rico Noel (San Diego) was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs.  Arnold Leon (Oakland) pitched eight innings, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with seven strikeouts.

The game:  Culiacan scored single runs in the first and second, but RBI doubles by Arredondo and Rodriguez in the third tied it 2-2.  Maxwell Leon's RBI single put Culican up 3-2 in the fifth and a sacrifice fly made it 4-2 in the sixth.  Jalisco did not get a hit after the sixth.

Series status:  Culiacan leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

ORIENTE 2, CIBAO 1 IN ORIENTE

Cibao:  Jean Segura (Milwaukee) was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Maikel Franco (Philadelphia) was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Rafael Perez pitched 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Oriente:  Luis Jimenez (Milwaukee) was 1-for-3 with a home run.  Junior Lake (Cubs) was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.  Evan MacLane pitched five shutout innings, allowing three hits and a walk with one strikeout.

The game:  Jimenez hit a two-out homer in the second and a squeeze bunt brought home a run in the third to put Oriente up 2-0.  Segura doubled in a run in the seventh and was in scoring position with the tying run with one out.  Cibao again had the tying run on second with one out in the ninth, but again could not score.

Series status:  Cibao leads the best-of-nine series 4-3.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE

SANTURCE 6, MAYAGUEZ 0 IN SANTURCE

Mayaguez:  Jesmeul Valentin (Philadelphia) was 1-for-2 with a walk.  Scott Maine pitched a scoreless inning with one walk and one strikeout.  Mayaguez had five hits, all singles.

Santurce:  Reymond Fuentes (Kansas City) was 2-for-4 with two triples, scoring twice and driving in one.  Ruben Sosa (Houston) was 3-for-4 with a walk and a run.  Jorge Martinez struck out five in 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks.

The game:  Anthony Garcia homered to lead off the second and Fuentes tripled in a run and scored on a Jorge Padilla single later in the inning to make it 3-0 after two.  Mayaguez only twice got a man as far as second base, both times with two out.

Series status:  The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2.