Atenienses’ Rodríguez twirls complete-game shutout with 10 Ks vs Tigres.
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
By THE STAR STAFF
Star right-hander Dereck Rodríguez pitched a complete game, recording 10 strikeouts to lead the Atenienses of Manatí to a 9-0 shutout victory over the Tigres of Hatillo on Saturday night in one of 15 scheduled Double-A Superior Baseball League postseason games.
Neftalí Rosario and Jesús González each blasted a home run for Manatí (1-0) in a North sectional semifinal.
In the other North semifinal, the Titanes of Florida (2-0) defeated the Arenosos of Camuy (0-2), 7-3, backed by another standout performance from Gaby Ayala, who hit a home run for the second consecutive night. He drove in three runs.
In the East, the Artesanos of Las Piedras (2-0) extended their winning streak to nine games by crushing the Guerrilleros of Río Grande (0-2). 22-3. Ángel Villanueva drove in six runs, while Miguel Egea, Albin Compre and Antonio “AJ” Jiménez each scored four times. Meanwhile, the defending champion Mulos of Juncos (2-0) shut out the Cariduros of Fajardo (0-2), 10-0, powered by a pitching effort that included 12 strikeouts over eight innings from Rubén Ramírez and two from reliever Wilfredo Delgado. Misael González drove in six runs and hit two home runs.
In the Central section, the Pescadores del Plata of Comerío (2-0) continued their dominant run by blanking the Criollos of Caguas (0-2) 1-0, backed by an eight-inning, seven-strikeout performance from Héctor Hernández. It marked the 12th consecutive victory for Comerío, which has now shut out Caguas twice in the series. In the section’s other semifinal, the Toritos of Cayey (2-0) defeated the Bravos of Cidra (0-2), 4-1, thanks to a six-inning, eight-strikeout outing from left-hander José Carlos Burgos.
In the Metro region, the Gigantes of Carolina (2-0) dominated the Lancheros of Cataño (0-2), 7-1, backed by 5.2 innings from Héctor “Heto” Acevedo and 3.1 innings from Gerald Barrios. Kemuel Thomas hit a home run and drove in two runs. Also in the Metro section, the Guardianes of Dorado (2-0) defeated the Maceteros of Vega Alta (0-2), 11-6, thanks to six scoreless innings from Enrique Cotto and a home run by Elvin Álamo.
In the Southwest, the Petroleros of Peñuelas (1-1) bounced back with a 5-4 victory over the Cafeteros of Yauco (1-1), while the Petateros of Sabana Grande (2-0) outlasted the Piratas of Cabo Rojo (0-2) in a 15-14 slugfest, powered by five RBIs from Christopher Toro and four from Melvin Collazo.
In the Northwest, both semifinal series were even after two games. The Tiburones of Aguadilla (1-1) rallied for six runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Libertadores of Hormigueros (1-1), 9-8, and the Patrulleros of San Sebastián (1-1) got in the win column with an 11-4 victory over the Fundadores of Añasco (1-1), powered by three RBIs from Bryan Miranda.
In the South, the Poetas of Juana Díaz (2-0) won 13-5, pushing the Peces Voladores of Salinas (0-2) -- the section champions for the past five seasons -- to the brink of elimination. Christian Velázquez earned the win on the mound, and Carlos Sánchez homered. In the other South matchup, the Maratonistas of Coamo (2-0) routed the Brujos of Guayama (0-2,) 14-4, with five RBIs from Luis Rodríguez and four from Ángel “Potoco” Flores.
In the Southeast, the Leones of Patillas (1-1) tied their series with a 5-4 victory over the Jueyeros of Maunabo (1-1), getting seven strong innings from Ryan Muñoz. In the region’s other semifinal, the Azucareros of Yabucoa (2-0) defeated the Grises of Humacao (0-2), 7-2, thanks to seven solid innings from Cristián González and three RBIs from Christian Vázquez.