Unión Laguna comes back and sweeps

aron Altherr hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning, to complete a comeback after losing by 4 runs, so that the Algodoneros del Unión Laguna beat the Dorados de Chihuahua last night with a score of 7 to 5 and completed the sweep in the inaugural series of the season, in another full one at the Estadio de la Revolución.

The teams attacked the respective starters early, who suffered damage from the very first inning. Venezuelan left-hander Rito Lugo appeared with the Algodoneros and after the first out, he received a triple from Leobaldo Piña with a weak hit through right field, which barely landed by centimeters on fair ground. Although Sebastián Elizalde was dominated with a fly ball to the infield, Venezuelan Diego Rincones hurt his countryman with a hit on the second base bag, so that Piña, the race “of the pool,” could ring without problems.

But the Guindas responded immediately, at the close of the opening episode, Allen Córdoba gave the voice of attack with a double against the visiting starter, the left-handed Porfirio López, who then dominated Jonathan Villar with a grounder to the pitcher himself, but in the play Córdoba took advantage to reach the third base, from where he scored on a “step and run” after a sacrifice fly, the work of Didi Gregoruis. The Dorados offense put men on base constantly, but they were unable to hit the right hits, a constant problem during this opening series.

But the Chihuahuan threats became reality at the beginning of the fourth inning, when they completed a four-run attack: with one out, Ricardo Valenzuela detonated a double to deep center field, to immediately score with a similar hit, courtesy of Veracruz native Héctor Mora. After a walk to Khalil Lee, Lugo said goodbye to the mound, relieved by Miguel Vázquez, who was hit by Leobaldo Piña with a tube to make Mora ring and the attack was crowned with a sacrifice fly, by “Tano” Elizalde, to that Lee scored the visitors’ fourth goal.

The Algodoneros shone defensively to prevent the score from moving in the subsequent innings, until they managed to get closer during the bottom of the fifth inning, in which Albert Lara hit a double, advanced to third base with a balk by López and scored on a grounder. Julián León, who appeared in the Guinda uniform. The Dorados recovered that run during the opening of the fateful seventh, on José Torres, who allowed a single by Elizalde, took him to second with a balk and from there he struck, driven by a single by Rincones.

At the close of the episode came the furious response of the Guindas, to tie the game against the relief of Wendell Floranus from Curacao, who received a hit from Nick Torres and although he got a couple of outs, he walked the pinch-hitter Julián Escobedo and received a hit from Alejandro Flores, also as a pinch-hitter, hit that allowed Torres to score the third local run and Escobedo to reach third base, where he scored with a wild pitch. After walking Allen Córdoba, left-hander Liarvis Breto took over and was received by Jonathan Villar, who hit his first hit of the season, a high-bouncing drive to left field, with which Flores scored the tying one.

The stellar moment for the home team would come in the bottom of the eighth inning, on pitches from Brian Schlitter, Jonathan Schoop reached first base after grounding out to third base and a bad throw from Drew Mendoza, so that Aaron Altherr immediately hit a powerful bomb by all the left field, his first home run of the season and his first as Algodonero, put the Laguneros ahead 7 to 5. Thomas McIllraith came in to close the game in the ninth and hit the zero after four batters to complete the sweep.

Jake Jewell was the winning pitcher, in relief of a scoreless inning, with just one hit; The loss went to Brian Schlitter, who also relieved an inning, but he got 2 runs that made the difference. Unión Laguna will rest today, but starting tomorrow they will visit the Toros de Tijuana, on their first tour of the season.