Comerío crowned Double-A champion after sweeping Yabucoa

The Pescadores del Plata of Comerío defeated the Azucareros of Yabucoa 2-1 on Saturday night to win the Superior Double-A Baseball League championship in a four-game sweep, ending a 23-year wait. (Eileen Quintero)

By THE STAR STAFF

The Pescadores del Plata of Comerío became champions of the Superior Double-A Baseball League on Saturday night by defeating the Azucareros of Yabucoa 2-1 at Yldefonso Solá Morales Stadium in Caguas.

Comerío ended a 23-year wait and completed a 4-0 sweep in the Brava Lubricants Final Series. It was the first time since 2012 that a team dispatched its rival in four games in the federation tournament’s championship round.

Star left-hander Luis Leroy Cruz pitched a complete game for the second time in the series to secure his second win and was named the Final Series MVP. He finished with a 1.00 ERA and tallied 26 strikeouts.

Yabucoa scored first via a solo home run by Jan Hernández in the third inning, but Comerío came back to tie the game with an RBI single by Wilson Agosto in the fifth.

The deciding run came in the sixth inning when Luis Fernando Colón singled in Kevin Ayala to make the score 2-1.

Hernández’s home run was the only hit Cruz allowed in the game. The left-hander capped off his dominant performance with 11 strikeouts and just one walk.

Colón led the Pescadores del Plata offense, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Reliever Marcos Santa took the loss for Yabucoa after allowing a run in one inning of work. He had relieved Arturo Martoral, who pitched 4.1 innings. Luis Dávila finished the game, pitching 3.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

The final out of the game came on a pop-up by Luis Pintor, caught at first base by Comerío’s Kevin Millet. Immediately, players, the coaching staff, and hundreds of Pescadores del Plata fans rushed onto the field to celebrate the championship.

At the conclusion of the game, Puerto Rico Baseball Federation President Dr. José Daniel Quiles presented the championship trophy to Pescadores del Plata team owner Denny Figueroa. Also participating in the ceremony were Federation Vice President Carlos Príncipe, Executive Director Efraín Williams and Brava Lubricants Vice President Julio Rosa. Comerío Mayor Irvin Rivera was also in attendance.

It was the first Double-A championship for standout manager Luis Matos, who delivered Comerío’s first Double-A title since 2003.