The Aguilas Cibaeñas defeated the Toros last night in their home base, Santiago, to move ahead in the standings and tie with the Escogido Lions in second place. Rookie Nelio Rodríguez pitched seven innings for the Estrellas Orientales, allowing only four hits, and was the winner of the 6-0 game against the Licey Tigers. As of 18 December, the standing was: Licey in the lead, followed by the Escogido and the Aguilas, two games behind; next are the Estrellas five games away, closely followed by the Azucareros (Toros), 5.5 games away and the Gigantes, 6.5 games away. Julio César Franco, with a .448 average, is the leading batter.
