Cuban squad loses first game in Caribbean Baseball Series

SANTO DOMINGO, Feb 4 (acn) The Ciego de Avila Tigers, representative of Cuba in the Santo Domingo 2016 Caribbean Baseball Series, lost on its debut 9-3 to the Mexican champion, the Mazatlan Venados.

As in the two previous editions of the Caribbean baseball classic -Margarita Island 2014 and San Juan 2015-, the Cuban side lost its first game in the contest, always against squads from the Aztec nation.
Vladimir Garcia, Cuban starting pitcher, had no complications in the first inning, but in the second one he allowed three earned runs, including a wild-pitch, hit, a walk and timely double to the leftfield by catcher Sebastian Valle .
Mexico scored again in the third inning through a solo homer by Cyle Hankerd off reliever Yoanni Yera, who allowed another run driven in by Ramon Urias.
Meanwhile, Cuban batters had severe difficulties facing Mexican starter Eddie Gamboa, knuckle-ball specialist, pitches very hard to see in Cuban National Baseball Series.
However, the disciples of Roger Machado reacted in the sixth inning with a double by Yuliesky Gourriel and straight hits by Ariel Borrero, José Adolis Garcia, Yorbis Borroto and Lourdes Y. Gourriel, and managed to score three runs.
But the Mazatlan Venados scored one run on the bottom of the sixth off the also reliever Yaifredo Dominguez, and added three more runs in the seventh inning, two of them driven by the second double by catcher Sebastian Valle.
Valle himself led the winners' offensive when hitting 2 for 4, with five RBIs, and was supported by first baseman Hankerd, who hit a solo homer, and third baseman Yunieski Betancourt, 2 for 2 with a double and three runs scored, while Yuliesky Gourriel hit 2 for 5 and his brother Lourdes drove in two runs to be the best Cuban batters in the match.
Eddie Gamboa won despite allowing eight hits and three runs in five innings and two thirds, supported by the solid work of five relievers, while Vladimir García took the loss by the Cuban team, which left 10 runners on bases.
The Mazatlan Venados are currently leading the standings of the Santo Domingo 2016 Caribbean Baseball Series with two wins in as many outings, virtually qualified for the semifinals of February 6, and today they will face Venezuela.
The Ciego de Avila Tigers will rival the Santurce Cangrejeros (Puerto Rico) seeking their first win in the contest.