Winter League roundup: 3 HRs for Minor Leaguer Lisson
B. Abreu goes 4-for-4 with a dinger, while Rockies' Morales throws six scoreless
Venezuelan Winter League
Magallanes 11, Caribes 5
Giants Minor Leaguer Mario Lisson homered three times, as Magallanes roared back from an early deficit for a decisive victory over Caribes. The win pulled the two clubs even at 4-1 atop the round-robin playoffs -- 2 1/2 games ahead of their nearest challenger. Lisson tied the game with a two-run home run in the sixth inning, before mashing a three-run shot an inning later to give Magallanes its first lead. He added a solo bomb in the ninth to cap a six-RBI night. Ramon Hernandez, who had signed a Minor League deal with the Royals earlier in the day, also homered and went 3-for-4. Box score
Caracas 12, La Guaira 2
Veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu went 4-for-4 with a homer, as Caracas pounded La Guaira to move into third place in the round-robin playoffs. Jesus Guzman, who was dealt to the Astros last month, went 3-for-6 and scored twice for Caracas, while Rockies left-hander Franklin Morales struck out eight and allowed three hits over six scoreless frames. Jose Gonzalez had two hits for La Guaira, which dropped to fifth in the five-team pool. Box score
Puerto Rican Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente
Caguas 3, Mayaguez 1
Caguas handed Mayaguez its first loss of the round-robin playoffs behind a solid pitching performance from starter Efrain Nieves. The Blue Jays prospect tossed five shutout innings, allowing just three hits, while striking out five. Offensively, Andy Gonzalez and Neftali Soto each went 2-for-4 with an RBI, as Caguas plated all three of its runs in the fifth inning. The loss dropped Mayaguez to 3-1, just a game ahead of Caguas. Box score
Carolina 3, Ponce 0
Five shutout innings from Felix Diaz helped propel Carolina to its first win of the playoffs. Diaz allowed just three hits and struck out five, and five relievers combined to hold Ponce (2-2) scoreless over the final four frames. Anthony Garcia went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored, and Rene Garcia added a pair of hits and a double, as well. Box score