Behind a masterful performance on the mound by Enny Romero and a productive afternoon from infielder Cristhian Adames, the Leones del Escogido defeated Puerto Rico’s Cangrejeros de Santurce 5-3 on Monday, 2 February in the Caribbean Series taking place in Jalisco, Mexico. The victory marks the second straight win for the Team DR that is undefeated at the top of the standings in the 2026 Caribbean Series.
Romero, a key reinforcement for the Lidom champions (he played with the Estrellas Orientales), silenced the Puerto Rican bats over five scoreless innings. The left-hander allowed only three hits while striking out one and walking another, utilizing a sharp sinker to keep the Cangrejeros off balance at Estadio Panamericano.
“I just kept working my fastball and commanding the zone with my sinker,” Romero said following the game. “I was selective with breaking pitches to utilize movement against their offense.”
The Dominican offense wasted no time, striking in the bottom of the first inning. Junior Lake continued his hot streak with an RBI single to open the scoring. Moments later, Adames doubled the lead with an RBI hit of his own, and Aderlin Rodríguez extended it to 3-0 with a sacrifice fly.
The Escogido added insurance runs in the second and fifth innings. Shortstop Erik González roped an RBI double down the right-field line to make it 4-0, and Adames struck again in the fifth with an RBI double off the left-field wall, scoring Lake to push the lead to 5-0.
Puerto Rico mounted a late-inning rally in the sixth, capitalizing on a bases-loaded error and a double play to cut the deficit to 5-3. However, the Dominican bullpen slammed the door. Relievers Luis Frías, Deury Carrasco, Jefry Yan, and Alex Colomé combined to hold the line before Jimmy Cordero entered in the ninth to secure the save, punctuated by a line-out to third base to end the game.
With the win, the Leones del Escogido improve to 2-0 as they pursue a historic back-to-back Caribbean title. Puerto Rico drops to 1-1. The Dominican squad will look to continue their momentum on Wednesday when they face Panama’s Federales de Chiriquí.
The next games are:
Tuesday, Feb. 3
3pm – Panama vs. Mexico (Green)
8pm – Mexico (Red) vs. Puerto Rico
Wednesday, Feb. 4
3pm – Panama vs. Dominican Republic
8pm – Mexico (Green) vs. Mexico (Red)
Thursday, Feb. 5
3pm – Puerto Rico vs. Panama
8pm – Dominican Republic vs. Mexico (Green)
Friday, Feb. 6
3pm – Third Place vs. Second Place – Semifinal 1*
8pm – First Place vs. Fourth Place – Semifinal 2*
Saturday, Feb. 7
8pm – Championship Game
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Lidom
3 February 2026