Winter Leagues roundup: Espino leads Caribes to win

Tuesday's results in the Winter Leagues:

Venezuelan Winter League

Caribes 7, Aragua 1
Caribes scored three in the second and got a two-run homer off the bat of Cory Aldridge in the third before cruising to victory. Indians farmhand Paolo Espino, who finished the season with Triple-A Columbus, went 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out six. Veteran infielder Luis Maza went 2-for-4 in defeat, boosting his average to .381.
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Lara 4, Margarita 2
Paulo Orlando's RBI single in the top of the ninth inning gave Lara a one-run lead and Robert Perez added insurance two batters later with an RBI single of his own. In a battle of bullpens, Lara's Luis Chirinos and Margarita's Anthony Vasquez each held his opponent to one run over five innings. Margarita's Adam Duvall, a third-base prospect for the Giants, went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
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Magallanes 5, Caracas 2
Navegantes del Magallanes had a four-run fourth inning to propel themselves past Caracas and remain in first place. Former Twins utility man Lew Ford led the way with three hits, including a double and a homer. Mitch Lively, who spent all of 2013 with Triple-A Fresno (Giants), tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Jesus Aguilar, the Indians' No. 17-ranked prospect, continued his torrid start to the campaign, going 1-for-2 with a double and two walks in defeat.
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Zulia 7, La Guaira 3
Freddy Parejo's pinch-hit grand slam capped a five-run sixth inning as Zulia cruised past La Guaira despite being out-hit 10 to five. Rangers No. 2 prospect Luis Sardinas had two hits for La Guaira, as did C.J. Retherford, Cesar Suarez and Miguel Gonzalez. Philadelphia's Freddy Galvis had an RBI single in the third inning for Zulia.
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Dominican Winter League

Licey 7, Aguilas 3
In a battle of the Dominican Republic's top two teams, Tigres del Licey made a statement with their victory over Aguilas. Cincinnati's Juan Francisco hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning that put Licey on top for good, and Baltimore's Yamaico Navarro hit a three-run shot an inning later. Brewers left-hander Chris Narveson picked up the win, allowing one unearned run in five innings.
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Gigantes 5, Estrellas 2
Consecutive RBI singles by Houston's Jimmy Paredes, Toronto's Moises Sierra and Seattle's Carlos Peguero led to three eighth-inning runs. Estrellas mustered only four hits against a solid Gigantes pitching staff led by left-handed starter Rudy Owens of the Astros' organization. Sierra was the only player from either team with a two-hit game.
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Escogido 10, Toros 5
Texas' Robbie Ross made his first start for Toros del Este and it wasn't pretty. The left-hander retired just one of the seven hitters he faced before being removed in the top of the first inning and had a final line of four runs on four hits in one-third of an inning. Veteran infielder Julio Lugo and Indians shortstop prospect Erik Gonzalez each had three hits for Escogido, which pulled itself back to the .500 mark. Leones del Escogido went 9-for-17 with men in scoring position.
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Mexican Pacific League

Mazatlan 2, Los Mochis 1
Veteran outfielder Henry Mateo went 2-for-4 with a triple for Venados de Mazatlan. Mauricio Lara tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits as he recorded his first win of the season. Catcher Saul Soto, who spent time in the Dodgers organization a decade ago, had two hits for Los Mochis.
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Obregon 3, Culiacan 2
Cubs Minor Leaguer Christian Villanueva -- the club's No. 14-ranked prospect -- reached base three times for Yaquis de Obregon. Villanueva led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a double and scored two batters later on a two-bagger by Carlos Valencia, putting Obregon ahead. Cal State-Long Beach grad Steve Hammond allowed two runs, one of them one earned, over five innings, and right-hander Oswaldo Martinez, formerly of the Cubs organization, tossed two hitless frames for the win.
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Guasave 5, Hermosillo 4
Algodoneros de Guasave dealt first-place Hermosillo its second defeat of the season as Ivan Araujo's seventh-inning single proved to be the difference. Orioles Minor Leaguer Zelous Wheeler hit his fourth homer of the season for Guasave. Both Jesse Gutierrez and Luis Garcia went yard for Hermosillo, which went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
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Navojoa 3, Mexicali 2
Luis Suarez's two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth tied the game at 2-2, and it chased Navojoa starter Hector Velazquez, who was solid over five innings, allowing just three hits. Neither team scored again until the 15th inning, when Genaro Andrade hit an RBI single.
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