CULIACÁN, SINALOA. Powered by a massive third-inning rally and an emphatic display of offense throughout the night, the Tomateros de Culiacán defeated Navojoa 12-3 to take the opening game of the Pink Series (Serie Rosa).
The Culiacán bats erupted in the third frame. JP Martínez and Fabricio Macías kicked things off with back-to-back singles to set the table. Moments later, Ramiro Peña lined an RBI single to right field to drive in the opening run and record his first RBI of the season. Jon Singleton followed with a hit to center to extend the lead to 2-0. With the bases loaded, Orlando Martínez drew a walk to force in a run "de caballito." The attack didn't stop there: Rosman Verdugo drove in two more with a single to right, and to cap off the lethal six-run rally, Ichiro Cano knocked an infield hit to bring home another.
The home team kept its foot on the gas in both the fourth and fifth frames. JP Martínez punished Mayos pitching with a towering home run to right field—his third blast of the campaign—while in the fifth, Cano singled to center to drive in the eighth run for Lorenzo Bundy’s squad.
In the seventh inning, the Guinda squad mounted another fruitful attack. Cuban outfielder Orlando Martínez led off with a triple to right field, and Rosman Verdugo brought him home with a single to center. Moments later, an infield hit by Ponchito Ruiz added another run to the tally. To put the cherry on top, Fabricio Macías launched his first home run as a Guinda player—a two-run shot to left field—to set the final 12-3 score.
Cuban right-hander Norge Ruiz earned his first win of the season after pitching five complete innings. The bullpen combined to protect the lead, with David Gutiérrez, Robert Gsellman, and Axel Sauceda parading out of the relief corps behind Ruiz.
With this commanding victory, Tomateros de Culiacán take Game 1 of the series at Estadio Tomateros. Action continues tomorrow with Game 2, featuring a pitching matchup between RJ Martínez for the visitors and Manny Barreda for the home side.