RED SOX OR ATHLETICS

TIGRES 13 BLADES 1 (7) The Tigres won their 16th NABA Palm Beach championship, and completed their second unbeaten, untied season in routing the Blades 13-1 at Santaluces March 5, 2017. They wound up with 16 victories, twelve during the regular season and two in the post season. They enjoyed one previous unbeaten, untied season in 2005.

The Tigres left little doubt about this one, scoring in the first inning on a two out double by Osvaldo Pedroso, chasing in Danny LaPerna who had drawn a base on balls. In the second, Eduardo Godinez powered a long 3-run home run to left field, scoring Cory Shaver, who reached on an outfield error and Raudel Torres, who singled, one of his three hits for the game. They added two more in the third, six in the sixth and closed it out with a run in the seventh, resulting in a 12-run rule victory. Godinez, with two hits, was chosen as the title game’s Most Valuable Player.

The Tigres used a quartet of talented pitchers to hold the Blades to just five hits and one unearned run. Luis Guzman pitched four innings of shutout ball, giving up three hits, walking one and striking out four. Lefthander Gabriel Feliz pitched the fifth, yielding two hits and an unearned run, and nothing a strikeout. With Guzman coming up an inning short of qualifying for the pitching win, the decision went to the third Tigres’ pitcher, Juan Mejia with a 1-2-3 inning. Keisi Portoral closed it out with a hitless 7th inning, and registering one strikeout. Torres led all hitters, going 3 for 4 and knocking in three runs. Rob Conver cracked a pair of doubles and drove in a run. Lester Jova had two hits, two runs bstted in, one on a bases loaded walk. Pedroso had a double, two RBIs and Shaver a single and an RBI., Nick Adames doubled in a run, and Mike Melendez chipped in with a double.

Mario Alvarez and Carlos Jimenez both had two hits each for the Blades. Alvarez scored the only run on an RBI hit by Jimenez. Hector Rivera, Reol Alvarez and skipper Yordany Martinez had one hit apiece. Joshua Rivera was the starting and losing pitcher. He pitched three innings and surrendered nine hits and nine runs, including the three run homer by Godinez. He walked three and struck out three. Leonel Gonzalez also worked three innings, giving up eight hits and four runs. He walked one, with no strikeouts. The Blades, also known as the Gators, have won two AA championships.