Águilas Cibaeñas secure their spot in the semifinals with a 5-0 shutout over the Leones

Santo Domingo.– The Águilas Cibaeñas became this Thursday the first team to secure their classification to the semifinal of the Juan Marichal tournament, after defeating the Leones del Escogido 5-0 at the Cibao Stadium, in a game that registered delays due to power failures.

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Ezequiel Durán and Corey Joyce led the Aguilas offense with two RBIs each, while starter Jorge Tavárez (3-1) pitched five solid innings of two hits, one walk and one strikeout, to earn the victory. The save went to Burch Smith, his fifth of the campaign, entering at a critical moment with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Samuel Reyes (0-1) took the loss for the Escogido, after allowing one run in one and a third innings.

Eagles return to the postseason and seek to lead the regular season

With this triumph, the Cibao team secures its presence in the postseason for the second consecutive year, after having been left out in 2023.
Now, with a record of 28-11, they aim to win the regular season, a feat they haven't achieved since the 2012-2013 season. Meanwhile, the Escogido Lions, defending champions, fall to 16-24, further compromising their aspirations with only 10 games remaining in the regular season.

How the game was developed

The hawk attack began early:

• 3rd inning:
  Robert Moore led off with a double and was driven in by Ezequiel Durán's single for a 1-0 lead. In that same inning, manager Luis Urueta and catcher Elih Marrero were ejected after arguing with the umpires.
• 4th inning:
  After an error that allowed Jerar Encarnación to reach base, Juan Lagares singled and Corey Joyce hit a double to center field to extend the lead to 3-0.
• 5th inning:
  Moore drew a walk, stole second base, and scored on another single by Durán, who added his second RBI of the game (4-0).
• 7th inning:
  Encarnación singled, advanced on a passed ball, and subsequently Wilmer Difó, who replaced him as a runner, scored on a "balk" by Nicaraguan Carlos Teller for the final 5-0 score.

Dramatic Finish in the Ninth

José Cuas entered for the Águilas in the ninth, but loaded the bases after a walk to Sócrates Brito and walks to Franchy Cordero and Luis de los Santos. The manager Joel Noboa turned to closer Burch Smith, who struck out Alexander Canario and completed the shutout by forcing an out at second after a ground ball by Jonathan Guzmán.

Impeccable handover

After Tavárez, relievers Jean Carlos Henríquez, Jonathan Hernández and Richard Rodríguez took care of the sixth to eighth innings without allowing runs, setting the stage for Smith's save.