Pirates' players and friends in a bit of winter league action on Wednesday and early Thursday:
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Bravos de Margarita 5, Cardenales de Lara 3 ...
Pirates' players and friends in Sunday's winter league action:
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Caribes de Anzoategui 2, Tigres de Aragua 1
Wil Ledezma took the loss as Los Caribes...
Checking in with Pirates' players and friends in Saturday's winter league action:
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Aguilas del Zulia 2, Bravos de Margarita 0
Diego Moreno pitched a 1-2-3...
After Monday off, the Winter Leagues are back in action, including some Pirates' players and friends
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Leones de Ponce 9, Criollos de Caguas ...
Pirates' players and friends in winter league action for Sunday; the Australians are off again until later in the week.
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Leones de Ponce ...
Not too much going on in the Winter Leagues tonight... the Australians play tonight (for them) or early morning (for us)
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Tigres de Aragua ...
Looking at some Pirates' players and friends in Winter League play.
DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Aguilas Cibaenas 8, Leones del Escogido 1
Los Aguilas put up 5 runs in...
Checking in on Pirates' players and friends in Winter League action:
DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Gigantes del Cibao 6, Toros del Este 5
A bottom-of-the-9th rally by Los Toros...
Pirates' players and friends in action in the Winter Leagues on Tuesday:
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Tigres de Aragua 2, Bravos de Margarita 1
Former Pirate LF Lastings Milledge...
Checking in with Pirates' players and friends in the Winter Leagues
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE
Venados de Mazatlan 7, Algodoneros de Guasave 5
Guasave took an early lead...
Catching up with a few days' worth of winter league playoff results:
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE Criollos de Caguas 7, Leones de Ponce 5 -- Los Criollos won the Puerto Rican League championship with a win in Game 7 of the series. Los Leones got onto the scoreboard first, scratching out a run in the top of the 1st. Los Criollos took a 4-1 lead in the 3rd, with an RBI double and a 3-run homer. Ponce answered with their own 3-run homer in the top of the 4th, tying the game. Each team scored one run in the 5th. Ponce loaded the bases with a walk and two singles, then had their run forced in with a walk. Los Criollos scored when SS Luis Figueroa led off with a single, raced to third on another single, and scored on a sacrifice fly. After two quiet innings, Los Criollos rallied again in the bottom of the 8th. A single and a fielding error put two runners on base, and a fly out and a stolen base moved both runners into scoring position. A line drive into right field for a single drove in the go-ahead run and an insurance run.
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Algodoneros de Guasave 5, Yaquis de Obregon 4 -- Los Yaquis took the early lead with a 2-run homer in the 2nd and a solo homer in the 3rd. They scored a 4th run in the 5th inning. Guasave got their offense going in the 5th inning with 2 runs, then tied the score with a pair of solo homers, including one by 1B Yurendell de Caster in the 8th. De Caster also singled in the game. In the top of the 9th, Gusave scored the winning run on a throwing error by the Obregon shortstop. That tied the series at 3 games each, and forced a seventh game.
Yaquis de Obregon 5, Algodoneros de Guasave 2 -- A 4-run 4th inning pushed Los Yaquis over Guasave. A lead-off homer, plus 3 more runs and a 2-RBI single drove in those 4 runs. Both of Guasave's runs came on solo homers by Marshal McDougall. The win gave the championship to Obregon.
Cheering for the Pirates' players and friends in the winter league playoff games on Saturday night...
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE Tigres de Aragua 5, Leones de Caracas 2 -- The Big Cats had to have a one-game playoff because they finished tied for second place in the round robin tournament. Former Pirate farmhand Ronald Uviedo made the start for Los Leones, and while he made it through the first inning, Los Tigres got to him in the next three innings. DH Hector Gimenez blasted a solo homer in the 2nd inning. A walk, a sacrifice bunt by CF Jorge Cortes, and two RBI's on a double and a single gave Aragua another 2 runs in the 3rd inning. LF Lastings Milledge started the 4th inning rally with a walk, moved to second on a ground out, and to third on a wild pitch. An RBI single plated Milledge, and sent Uviedo to the showrs. The Caracas reliever gave up a single to Cortes, then another RBI single gave Aragua their final run. Caracas scored their first run on a solo homer by LF Mike Ryan in the 2nd inning. Ryan also singled in the 7th inning, and came around to score from first base on 2B Jose Castillo's RBI double. Castillo singled in the bottom of the 9th, and C Carlos Maldonado reached base on an error, and was replaced by a pinch-runner. With two outs, Wil Ledezma came on to make the final out, earning a save. Los Tigres will now face Los Caribes in the championship series.
DOMINICAN LEAGUE Toros del Este 11, Estrellas de Oriente 2 -- Los Toros posted 14 hits as they ran over Los Estrellas, who hurt their own cause with 6 errors. The scoring began with 3 runs in the top of the 1st. SS Pedro Ciriaco began a rally in the 3rd with a lead-off single. He scored on a fielding error and a single, and an RBI ground out brought in another run. A walk, a single, and another error in the 4th made the score 6-0. Los Estrellas got onto the scoreboard with a solo homer in the 6th, and scored again with two singles in the 7th. Los Toros kept going, though, scoring 2 runs in the 7th on yet another error, a walk, and a double. Ciriaco walked in the 8th, and scored on a 3-run homer. Ciriaco singled in the 6th as well. Franquelis Osoria pitched the top of the 9th for Los Estrellas, and worked around his teammates' 6th error to keep Los Toros from scoring in that inning. Los Toros now lead the championship series 4 games to none, and need one more for the series sweep.
