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Manatees 8 Los Tigres 4
The Manatees completed a sweep of the 2012 seasons, adding the Spring title to their Fall 2011-12 championship. They jumped out to a 6-run lead in the first inning, and never looked back. Max Johnson, Emilio Vargas and skipper Brian Fitzsimmons, the first three hitters, all singled. Ryan McDonald drew a walk to drive in the first run, and with one out, Drew Davis was hit by a pitch to drive in another.
Dave Gariepy’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0, and after Danny Laperna was hit by a pitch, pitcher Mike Wood ripped a two run single to right, driving Tigers’ starter Joel Vazquez out of the game. Billy Campbell greeted Jose Acuna with an RBI single to cap the big inning for the Manatees, who came into the playoffs as the #2 seed.
The Tigres reached Wood for a run in the second and two more in the third to chop the lead to 6-3. The Tigers put together three hits, singles by Jose Espino, Carlos Arroyo and Ariel Adames, with Espino scoring on an infield roller by Melvin Bruno to make it 6-1.
Espino smashed a two run single to left to score Luis Mejia, who had singled and advanced to third on Richard Paulino’s double.
Acuna kept the Manatees quiet for 3 1/3 innings, but Max Johnson led off the fifth with a home run to left for a 7-3 lead.
The Tigres got a run back in the bottom half as Andres Rodriguez doubled, went to third on an errant pickoff attempt by Wood, and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Espino, his third RBI of the game and it was back to a three run deficit at 7-4.
Wilson Ciprian held the Manatees scoreless for three innings, allowing only a single by Campbell. However, the Manatees got an unearned run off him in the 9th on a two base throwing error, a groundout and wild pitch. A frustrating inning for the Tigers should have ended with a passed ball on a third strike pitch to Dave Gariepy. The pitch forced catcher Bruno to leave the game with a swollen thumb, Gariepy was safe at first, but Ciprian finally got out of it when Campbell flied out to center field with the bases loaded.
Fitzimmons gave up only two hits and no runs in three innings, with two strikeouts, to earn a save.
Max Johnson with an infield hit and a homer, Campbell with two hits and an RBI, and Wood, with a two run single led the Manatees.
Espino led the top seeded Tigres with two hits and three RBIs. Arroyo and Acuna also had two hits each.
Wood, whose pro career saw him pitch in the majors with the Florida (now Miami) Marlins, was selected as the championship game’s Most Valuable Player.
Blue Jays 7 Industriales 2
The Blue Jays scored five runs in the first three innings and Chris Saxton pitched the complete game victory to give the Jays their first league championship. The Industriales lost their second title game of the year, having lost to the Sugar Kings in the Fall of 2011-2012.
KJ Ventry, who went 4 for 4, led off the Blue Jays’ first with a ringing double to right field, stole third and scored on an infield roller by Khris Hanna.
The Jays added two in the second on hits by Kevin Menschel and Aziel Shea, a sacrifice bunt by Greg Kelm, a passed ball and a sacrifice fly by Saxton.
Two more runs in the third made it a 5-0 game. Ventry led this rally off as well, smashing a single up the middle and scoring on Chris Laforge’s long double to left field. After moving to third on Hanna’s groundout, Laforge scored on a single by Barry Kent.
The Blue Jays made it 6-0 with another run in the sixth. Ventry led off the frame with a single, Laforge doubled down the left field line, and Menschel’s sacrifice fly scored Ventry.
The Industriales finally broke through against Saxton for two runs in the top of the 7th. Jose Corea singled to right for his third hit of a four hit game. Hector Rivera singled, moving Carea to third. Carea took third on a fly ball to short right field caught by the Jays’ second sacker, Carlo Dominguez, and scored on Angel Javier’s RBI single. Rivera scored an unearned run when Saxton erred in an attempt to pick off Javier at first base, but that was all the Industriales could manage.
Saxton wound up with nine strikeouts, and kept nine hits well scattered. He did not walk a batter, hit Felix Armas with a pitch, but did not allow a runner past second base until the I’s got their two run in the 7th inning. He was selected as the game’s Most Valuable Player.
The Blue Jays got their final run in the bottom of the seventh. Kelm led off the frame with a double, and after pinch hitter Keith Buck, batting for Saxton, moved him to third, Kelm scvored on Dwayne Cabral’s deep sacrifice fly to left.
Ventry led all hitters with a perfect 4-for-4, a double, stolen base and three runs scored. Laforge had two doubles.
Carea led the Industriales with his four hits, a stolen base, and a run scored. He also registered four putouts in center field. Javier had two hits and drove in one run for the I’s, who came into the tournament as the number five seed. The Blue Jays were #3.
Laforge was playing his final game in the Palm Beach League before moving back to Dutchess County, New York.
