Weekend victories by the Leones del Escogido, combined with twin losses by the Tigres of Licey have made tonight’s game in the Estadio Quisqueya “Juan Marichal” a guaranteed full-house event. The Leones started the weekend off poorly, losing to the Tigres del Licey on Friday night, 4-2 and to the Azucareros from La Romana , 7-3 on Saturday. David Ortiz, the “Big Papi” of the Boston Red Sox was the major disappointment of the evening as he struck out three times with men in scoring position. Nonetheless, the Leones came back on Sunday, defeating the Azucareros 8 – 2, as Angel Pena provided three runs batted in.
Meanwhile, the Aguilas Cibaenas were enjoying a four-game winning streak that guaranteed the team the first place in the Round Robin tournament. In what was, for one fan, a heart-stopping game on Thursday night, the Aguilas came from behind in the last inning to leave the Tigres del Licey on the field, winning 7-6. One fan, who had been advised by his doctor to avoid exciting situations, suffered a fatal heart attack as the Aguilas tied the game in the ninth inning. The following night, the Aguilas went to La Romana and dispatched the Azucareros 9 – 3. Major League All-Star Miguel Tejada of the Baltimore Orioles provided three hits, including a home run and drove in four runs. The victory guaranteed the Aguilas a spot in the finals. On Saturday night, the Aguilas scored six runs in the ninth inning to break open a tight game and win 10 – 3 over the Tigres del Licey. Once again, Victor Diaz was the hero with four runs batted in. Sunday’s 2 – 1 victory over Licey was the icing on the cake, and tonight’s game in Santo Domingo between the Tigres and the Leones will be a treat for all baseball fans. Should Escogido win the game, there will be one more game between the Aguilas and Escogido to make up a game that was rained out earlier.
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