CULIACÁN, SINALOA. Driven by an early offensive surge and a dominant start from Manny Barreda, the Tomateros de Culiacán defeated the Charros de Jalisco 7-2 to win the rubber match and secure the series two games to one at Estadio Tomateros.
The home team wasted no time solving right-hander Luis Iván Rodríguez. In the very first frame, JP Martínez sparked the offense with an extra-base hit to right field to reach second base. After being advanced to third by Ramiro Peña, the Cuban outfielder came around to score the opening run on an infield hit by Jon Singleton.
In the second inning, the Guinda lineup put together a three-run rally. With Orlando Martínez running at second, Luis Verdugo lined an RBI single to center to bring home Culiacán's second run. With both Verdugo brothers on base, JP Martínez struck again with a two-run double, expanding the cushion to 4-0 for Lorenzo Bundy's squad.
Culiacán put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth. Joey Meneses led off the frame with a single to center, and moments later, Orlando Martínez turned on a pitch for a two-run homer over the right-field wall—his second of the campaign—to make it 6-2. The seventh run scored following a pitcher's throwing error on a pickoff attempt at second, allowing Luis Verdugo to cross the plate from third base to set the final 7-2 score.
Right-hander Manny Barreda earned his first victory of the season after delivering a quality start, shutting down the Guadalajara offense over six scoreless innings while yielding just four hits and striking out four. The bullpen tandem of Robert Gsellman and Tony Rossi came on to lock down the victory for Culiacán.
With this win, the Tomateros secure the series in front of their home crowd and prepare to hit the road for Hermosillo, where they will take on the Naranjeros starting Tuesday in the latest edition of the Liga Mexicana del Pacífico Banamex Classic.