4 Yabucoa hurlers blank Patillas in Double-A Southeast section final

Azucareros, Toritos & Petateros 

stake out 2-0 series leads

By THE STAR STAFF

The Azucareros of Yabucoa, Toritos of Cayey, Petateros of Sabana Grande, Tigres of Hatillo, Gigantes of Carolina, Maratonistas of Coamo, Mulos of Juncos and Libertadores of Hormigueros were winners on Saturday in the Superior Double-A Baseball League sectional finals.

In the Southeast section, the Azucareros shut out the Leones of Patillas 1-0 behind a combined pitching effort from Cristián González, Alberto Rosario, Arturo Martoral and Joan Román.

Rosario earned the win after pitching one inning, while Román picked up the save. The game’s only run came in the eighth inning when Kevin Santa singled in Christian Vázquez as Yabucoa took a 2-0 series lead.

In the Southwest, the Petateros defeated the Cafeteros of Yauco, 13-3, powered by three RBIs each from Jessy de la Cruz and Alejandro Ruperto. Walter Hernández took the win for Sabana Grande (2-0) after working five innings, and Jesús Ramos went the rest of the way without allowing any runs to earn the save.

In the Central section, the Toritos edged out the Pescadores del Plata of Comerío, 4-3, behind a home run by Osvaldo Torres and Alexander Márquez’s three RBIs. Left-hander Juan Carlos Burgos earned the win in relief, and veteran Ramesis Rosa picked up the save as Cayey took a 2-0 lead in the series.

In the North, the Tigres bounced back with a 10-6 victory over the Titanes of Florida to tie the series. Rawell Rivera pitched the first seven scoreless innings to earn the win. Ángel “Gallo” Rosa and Erick Espinosa each hit a home run.

In the Metro section, right-hander Héctor “Heto” Acevedo pitched a complete game to guide the Gigantes to a 5-1 victory over the Guardianes of Dorado to even the series at one win apiece.

Acevedo struck out nine batters and allowed seven hits and one run for Carolina. Kevin Meléndez drove in three runs, and Alexis Torres hit a home run.

In the East, the defending champion Mulos rallied for five runs in the ninth inning and two in the 12th to walk off the Artesanos of Las Piedras, 7-6. Joel Fuentes delivered the game-winning hit, driving in two runs. Francisco López pitched one inning to earn the victory. Star left-hander Luis Cintrón worked two scoreless innings in relief, having previously pitched six innings on Friday in the first game of the series.

In the Northwest, the Libertadores manufactured two runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Patrulleros of San Sebastián, 3-2, in the series opener thanks to impeccable relief pitching from Roy Geigel and Marvin Galarza.

In the South, the Maratonistas of Coamo routed the Peces Voladores of Salinas 13-2 on Friday, recording their seventh consecutive victory and getting off to a strong start in the section finals. Veteran pitcher Alexander Woodson held the opposition scoreless through the first five innings to earn the win, while Jonathan García drove in five runs with a home run and a double.