Senators and Criollos open playoffs with victory in LBPRC

San Juan and Caguas defeat Santurce and Mayagüez to open the semifinal series of the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (LBPRC)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The San Juan Senators began the postseason with a 4-0 shutout over the Santurce Cangrejeros, on Tuesday, at the start of the semifinal series of the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (LBPRC).

It was a LBPRC day in which the visiting teams won, as the Criollos de Caguas obtained a 10-1 victory over the Indios de Mayagüez.

The Senators wrote the history of the game in the third inning against Jhonathan Díaz, when Kevin Santa produced the first score with a hit. After the second out, Cornelius Randolph hit another RBI hit to make it 2-0. A double by Ramón Rodríguez contributed two more lines to San Juan’s cause for 4-0.

Díaz (0-1) took the fall after allowing the Senators’ only runs in his two and two-thirds inning performance. In addition, he allowed five hits and struck out four.

The victory belonged to reliever Alexander Castro (1-0) as he allowed only one hit in his two-inning performance, in which he struck out and reached one batter.

Right-hander Alex Sanabia pitched a three-hit ball, while Kennys Vargas and Nelson Velázquez went to the street, so that the Criollos de Caguas obtained a 10-1 victory over the Indios de Mayagüez.

Sanabia also struck out three Indians batters in his six-inning start to earn his first win of the postseason. Carlos Espinosa (0-1) suffered the defeat by allowing Caguas’ first four runs in two innings.

In addition to the long-range hits from Vargas and Velázquez, the Criollos had an almost perfect night from Vimael Machín, who went 4 for 5 with two runs scored and another three RBIs. On the other hand, imported Devin Mann went 4-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI.