15-Nationals

Tigres 7 Manatees 1

The Tigres won their 6th AAA title in a row and 14th overall, besting the Manatees in the title game at Santaluces.  The Tigres, behind the strong pitching of winner and Most Valuable Player Juan Mejia scored two in the 2nd inning, added three in the fifth and two more in the 8th.  Mejia, meanwhile, mowed down the Manatees on no hits for six innings until Ryan McDonald led off the seventh with a solid single to left.  Mejia left after seven, allowing just that one hit, and one walk, and striking out four.    Hard throwing lefty Francisco Rondon went the last two, giving up two hits and a run, walking one and fanning five.  Former Montreal Expos’ farmhand, Trovin Valdez, led all hitters, going 3 for 5 with a two run double in the 5th.  He also had a pair of singles. Cory Shaver also had a two run double in the second and later added a single and scored two runs. Jose Acuña also had two hits, including a two run single in the 7th.  Melvin Bruno and Jose Mojica added a base knock each.  The Manatees played  with only nine players as holiday trips left them short.  Mike Wood had a single, and skipper Brian Fitzsimmons’ sinking line drive base hit to left drove in the only run.  Steven Hibbs went all nine (11 hits, 6 runs, six earned, five walks and eight strikeouts.    

Athletics 5 Mets 1

The A’s “big game” pitcher, Paul Chassie, was not available, but Josh Mowrey pitched them to a complete game victory at Santaluces.  It was their 2nd AA championship in a row, third overall for the franchise, which also won a title as Blue Jays.  Mowrey went the distance, kept nine hits well scattered, walked none and struck out three.  The A’s scored an unearned run in the first inning.  Eric Gandossy walked with the bags loaded. Two hit batters and an error produced two more in the fifth, and they closed it out in the 8th on hits by Sawyer Ijams and Greg Kelm and a two bagger by Chris Saxton.  Sawyer Ijams had three hits, two RBIs for the A’s.  Gandossy was 2 for 3 with an RBI.  Kelm, Saxton and Keaton Ijams had a hit each.  Luis Martinez was 4 for 4 in a losing cause for the Mets.  Hector Gerena and Rob Romero had two hits apiece, Jose Resendiz one. The Mets’  ace Joshua Rivera was plagued by a lack of support defensively and offensively, but pitched well.  The A’s were 4th in the AA American Division, while the Mets captured the AA National top seed. A’s manager Dominguez announced his retirement.  Saxton is expected to take  over as skipper.