Winter League roundup: Licey, Gigantes set for playoff

Dominican Winter League

Gigantes 6, Aguilas 5
Gigantes pecked away at the lead, eventually scoring two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning for a victory in the final game of round-robin playoffs. The win forces a tiebreaker game on Saturday between Gigantes and Licey with, the winner advancing to the Dominican Series to face Escogido. Leury Garcia went 3-for-5 with a double, and Hector Gomez went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. Box score

Licey 6, Escogido 1
Royals utility player Emilio Bonifacio was on fire, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs to lead Licey to a pivotal victory over Escogido. The win moved Licey (9-9) into a tie with Gigantes, and the two clubs will play a one-game playoff on Saturday at Gigantes for the right to advance to the finals against Escogido. Three other Licey players had two hits. Francisley Bueno delivered six innings of one-run ball for his second win of the playoffs, while Graham Godfrey took his second loss. Box score

Puerto Rican Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente

Ponce 4, Mayaguez 3
Ponce earned a victory in the final game of the round-robin playoffs thanks to some timely hitting. The offense was led by Geraldo Valentin, who went 4-for-4 with two RBIs, and Jose Lozada, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Jesus Del Rosario got the win, while Hector Hernandez took the loss. Even with the Ponce victory, it's Mayaguez who will advance to the Puerto Rican League championship series against Caguas. Box score

Carolina 9, Caguas 1
Carolina dominated Caguas from the first pitch in this round-robin playoff matchup. Three Carolina players had three hits, including Jobduan Morales, who went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Felix Diaz got his first win of the playoffs, while Fernando Hernandez took the loss. Caguas will open the finals on the road, as it finished one game back of first-place Mayaguez. Box score

Venezuelan Winter League

Caracas 14, Caribes 13

In a spectacular comeback Friday night, Caracas scored five runs in the ninth inning for a walk-off victory in the round-robin playoffs. The late rally was pieced together by four singles, a walk, a wild pitch and a game-winning double by Alex Gonzalez. Box score

La Guaira 13, Magallanes 5
La Guaira may have entered the day as the bottom seed in the round-robin playoffs, but the team didn't play like it. Belting out 18 hits, La Guaira was led by Cesar Suarez and Joe Thurston, who each had four hits. All but one starter had at least one hit. Box score