In a bit of ironic synchronicity, each of the four first-round series was closed out this Saturday with the winners claiming victory over their respective opponents, four games against two.
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SERIES: Los Naranjeros de Hermosillo defeat Los Venados de Mazatlan; 4-2
BOXSCORE Game Six 1/9/2021 - At Estadio Sonora, Los Naranjeros de Hermosillo whitewashed the Venados de Mazatlan by a slim, 1-0 margin of victory. Hermosillo starter Ryan Verdugo yielded just three hits and four walks with a pair of strikeouts through seven innings pitched for the win, his second of the series. Four relievers joined together for two scoreless innings to complete the shutout, Robinson Leyer picked up his second save. With two outs in the bottom of the second, third baseman Luis Alfonso scored from third on a play to first for the only run of the game. Venados starter Francisco Rios pitches well in defeat, yielding the one lone run on just four hits and two walks with five strikeouts through seven innings.
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SERIES: Los Yaquis de Obregon defeat Los Charros de Jalisco; 4-2
BOXSCORE Game Six 1/9/2021 - Yaquis starter Dallas Martinez limited Jalisco to just a hit and three walks with nine strikeouts through 4.2 scoreless innings pitched but did not figure in the decision. Four Obregon relievers joined to yield just one unearned run on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts over the final 4.1 innings. Southpaw Miguel Aguilar picked up the victory, his second of the series. Los Yaquis got a home run from designated hitter Jonathan Aranda in the seventh. Right fielder Leandro Castro was 1 for 4 with two runs batted in and second baseman Carlos Sepulveda was 2 for 4 with a run batted in, all en route to a commanding 8-1 series clincher over the Charros de Jalisco at Estadio de Los Yaquis.
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SERIES: Sultanes de Monterrey defeat Aguilas de Mexicali; 4-2
BOXSCORE Game Six 1/9/2021 - A big four-run outburst in the sixth inning ensures victory for Los Sultanes. Monterrey center fielder Paulo Orlando opened the scoring with a two-run home run off Aguilas starter Lavier Solano in the third. Mexicali's first baseman Luis Juarez put the Aguilas on the board in the fifth, then drove in his second run of the game in the seventh, to no avail. Los Sultanes added one last run in the eighth en route to a 7-2 margin of victory. Monterrey utilized seven different pitchers who all helped limit the Aguilas to a pair of earned runs on eight hits and four walks with six strikeouts. Right-hander Francisco Moreno picked up the victory for tossing a scoreless sixth.
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SERIES: Tomateros de Culiacan defeat Algodoneros de Guasave; 4-2
BOXSCORE Game Six 1/9/2021 - Guasave took a prompt 1-0 lead in the first inning against the defending league champion Tomateros. That lasted until Culiacan's three-run rally in the fifth. Center fielder Yoelkis Guibert doubled home a pair of runs, and second baseman Ramiro Pena singled home Guibert for a 3-1 lead. Pinch-hitter Alejandro Ortiz knotted the game at three with a two-run double in the seventh. But the defending champs push one last run across in the eighth on third baseman Michael Wing's hit through the left side. Southpaw Alberto Baldonado pitched the final 1.2 innings to preserve the victory and earn the save. Culiacan starter Manny Barreda yielded one earned run on just one hit and three walks with seven strikeouts through six innings but exited to a no-decision.
FINAL FOUR
- Naranjeros de Hermosillo
- Yaquis de Obregon
- Tomateros de Culiacan
- Sultanes de Monterrey
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