Crabbers, Senators, Indians & Giants earn victories in LBPRC

Calvin Estrada scores a run for the San Juan Senators in the opening game of a doubleheader against the Mayagüez Indians at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Hato Rey on Sunday. San Juan (8-15) took the first game 3-1, while Mayagüez (11-11) won the nightcap 2-1.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Santurce Crabbers, San Juan Senators, Mayagüez Indians and Carolina Giants all secured victories on Sunday in Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (LBPRC by its initials in Spanish) play.

The Crabbers (Cangrejeros) swept a doubleheader against the Caguas Criollos, winning 9-3 and 3-2.

With those two victories, the Crabbers now have a 16-8 record atop the LBPRC standings. They extended their lead to 3.5 games over the Ponce Lions (Leones), who are in second place at 12-11. The Criollos, meanwhile, saw their four-game winning streak snapped and dropped back to fifth place in the standings with an 11-13 record.

In the first game, outfielder Nelson Velázquez picked up where he left off the previous night, driving in the Criollos’ first run in the first inning with a single to left field. However, it didn’t take long for Santurce to respond. In the top of the second, the Crabbers scored two runs on a double by Juan Centeno and a sacrifice fly by Rubén Castro to take a 2-1 lead.

Santurce pulled away in the third inning, scoring four runs to make it 6-1, courtesy of singles by Shed Long Jr. and Jack López, a wild pitch by Caguas reliever Brendan Cellucci, and a fielding error by shortstop Luis Vázquez. The Criollos scored once more with a single by José Miranda to make it 6-2 in the bottom of the inning.

Santurce added three more runs in the fifth inning with a single by Edwin Arroyo and a double by Spencer Packard, while Caguas scored their final run when José Miranda hit a sacrifice fly, making the score 9-3. Blake Abeyta improved his record to 5-0, earning the win after pitching one scoreless inning. Criollos right-hander Paolo Espino (0-1) took the loss after allowing two of the Crabbers’ nine runs in his two innings of work, in his first game of the season.

In the second game, the Crabbers took the lead with a three-run rally -- resulting from a bases-loaded walk and a single by Roy Morales -- in the third inning. The Criollos narrowed the gap when Velázquez hit his third home run of the season to make the score 3-2.

Right-hander Case Matter (1-0) earned the win with one inning of work, while Duane Underwood Jr. (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing three runs in two and two-thirds innings pitched in his return to the Criollos. Robert Gsellman recorded his fourth save.

In Hato Rey, the Senators (Senadores) and the Indians (Indios) split a doubleheader played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. The Senators won the first game 3-1, and the Indians prevailed in the nightcap, 2-1.

The Indians now have an 11-11 record. The Senators are 8-15.

In the first game, a home run by Matthew Lugo over the left field fence at the beginning of the first inning opened the scoring for the Indians.

Later, the Senators took the lead with three runs in the fourth inning. San Juan’s first and third runs came off an RBI line drive to center field by import player Narciso Crook that tied the game at 1-1. Then, an error by Indians third baseman, Emmanuel Rivera, and a double by Alan Marrero drove in two more runs to give the Senators a 3-1 lead. Import pitcher Brady Tedesco earned his first win of the season for San Juan, allowing one run in five and one-third innings. The right-hander, who improved to 1-3, struck out four and walked three. The loss went to left-hander Héctor Hernández (0-1) after he allowed three runs, one earned, in five innings. Right-hander Minato Aoyama earned his first save.

In the second game, Crook hit a solo home run to give San Juan a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The Indians answered in the fourth inning with a two-run double by major leaguer Martín “Machete” Maldonado.

This time the win went to reliever Derek West (1-1), who did not allow any hits or runs in one inning pitched. The loss went to Yanzel Correa (0-2) after he allowed two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Right-hander Jorge López earned his first save.

Finally, the Giants (Gigantes) extended their winning streak to four games by defeating the Ponce Lions (Leones) twice, 4-3 and 6-0, at Francisco “Paquito” Montaner Stadium in Ponce.

Despite setbacks, Ponce remained in second place in the standings with a 12-11 record. Third-place Carolina improved to 12-12.

The Lions’ first two runs came courtesy of Giants’ Japanese import starting pitcher Kazuo Ohno. The right-hander walked Edwin Díaz with the bases loaded in the third inning and threw a wild pitch that allowed Sammy Hernández to score in the fourth.

The Giants tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fifth on a home run by Ryuta Hirose and a single by Johnathan Rodríguez.

An RBI double by veteran Jesmuel Valentín put Ponce ahead 3-2 in the sixth. In the next inning, the Giants took the lead for good when Hirose and Rodríguez scored on a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly, respectively.

Right-hander Osvado Berríos (2-0) earned the win, allowing one run on three hits and striking out two in two innings. Julio Torres Jr. (1-1) took the loss, giving up two runs in one-third of an inning.

The second game was dominated by Carolina right-hander Matt Givin (1-1), who pitched all seven innings without allowing a run.

A single by Rodríguez combined with a walk to Josh Hatcher gave the Giants their first two runs in the first inning. In the seventh inning, Deniel Ortiz drove in a run with a powerful line drive to make it 3-0, and before the inning was over Carolina had added three more runs for what would be the final tally.

The loss went to veteran Freddie Cabrera, who allowed two runs in four and two-thirds innings. The right-hander gave up five hits, walked two and struck out one.