Winter League roundup: Pederson shows off power

Venezuelan Winter League

Lara 13, Zulia 5
Dodgers top prospect Joc Pederson continued his power display for Lara, slamming a two-run home run to break a scoreless tie in the third inning. It was the fifth homer for the 21-year-old outfielder, who is slugging better than .600 this winter. Fellow Dodgers prospect Nick Buss was one of three Lara players to notch three hits and at least two RBIs, along with Anderson De La Rosa and the Mariners' Jesus Montero. Raul Rivero tossed seven strong innings for the win, while Felix Perez produced three hits, including a three-run homer, for Zulia. Box score

Aragua 5, Magallanes 3
Hector Gimenez smacked a three-run home run off longtime big league right-hander Carlos Zambrano, breaking a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning and leading Aragua to the victory. Yohan Pino gave up two runs over six innings to pick up the win, outdueling Zambrano. Rangers No. 3 prospect Rougned Odor doubled in five at-bats for Magallanes but also flew out as the potential tying run to end the game. Box score

Caribes 5, Caracas 4
A ninth-inning rally came up short for Caracas, which got a two-run home run from Jesus Aguilar -- the Indians' No. 17 prospect -- to pull within a run. But with runners on first and third and one out, Lester Oliveros induced a game-ending double-play grounder from Astros prospect Carlos Perez. Caribes had taken the lead with a three-run eighth -- which included Jose Gil's two-run single -- and also got a two-run homer from Leslie Anderson in the first. Box score

Margarita 7, La Guaira 5
Caleb Joseph hit a three-run homer to give Margarita a five-run lead in the third inning and finished with four RBIs, as Margarita held on for the win. Breyvic Valera also notched three hits and scored three times for Margarita, and Bryan Price struck out two in a perfect inning to get the save. Alex Cabrera picked up three hits and two RBIs for La Guaira, which scored three runs in the seventh to pull within two. Box score

Mexican Pacific League

Los Mochis 2, Mexicali 0
Mexicali's bats were held silent on Friday, managing just two hits by Chris Roberson and Luis Juarez. Marco Quevedo got his first win of the season, allowing two hits in six innings. Javier Martinez took the loss, surrendering one run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. Box score

Culiacan 4, Mazatlan 2
Culiacan got its second straight win against Mazatlan thanks to a big three-run fifth inning that included a bases-clearing double by Luis Cruz. Omar Espinoza got his first win of the season, allowing one run on three hits in five innings. Alejandro Martinez took his first loss of the season, allowing three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. Box score

Hermosillo 5, Obregon 2
Jerry Owens and Heber Gomez led the way for Hermosillo. Owens went 3-for-5 with a triple and a run scored, while Gomez went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Juan Oramas improved to 4-0 on the season with a 1.80 ERA by allowing just two hits in five innings. Box score

Navojoa 10, Guasave 4
Navojoa's bats caught fire Friday night, belting 15 hits. Five players had at least two hits, while Rolando Acosta had the only home run of the night, hitting a two-run shot in the first inning. Manuel Flores took the loss, allowing seven runs on eight hits in 1 1/3 innings. Box score

Dominican Winter League

Escogido 5, Gigantes 2
A late rally in the ninth inning for Escogido proved to be the difference. Twins prospect Deibinson Romero broke a 2-2 tie when he belted a three-run home run to left, his second homer of the season. Escogido used 10 pitchers in the game, with Chris Martin eventually getting the save. Box score

Toros 5, Licey 2
Behind strong pitching and some timely hits, Toros got the victory. Jim Adduci had an RBI double in the second inning and Jose Ramirez had a two-run double in the sixth to break the game open. Seattle's Hector Noesi took his first loss of the season, allowing five runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Box score

Aguilas 4, Estrellas 2

Juan Lagares went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Danny Santana went 3-for-5 in the win. Yankees No. 6 prospect Zoilo Almonte also went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Angel Castro got his third win of the season, allowing one run on four hits in 6 1/3 innings. Box score

Puerto Rican Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente

Santurce 1, Caguas 0
The starting pitching and bullpens for both teams showed no rust in the first game of the season. Eleven pitchers combined to allow just 10 hits and one run in the game. Santurce's James Houser earned the win after allowing one hit in five innings. The lone run came in the sixth on a walk and back-to-back singles by Neftali Soto and John Rodriguez. Box score

Carolina 4, Ponce 1

Shuhei Fukuda led the way for Carolina, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in the win. Rene Garcia also went 2-for-3 with a double. Reliever Brett Brach got the win, while Ponce reliever Fray Martinez took the loss. Box score