CULIACÁN, SINALOA. In a tightly contested preseason matchup played behind closed doors in the Sinaloan capital, the Tomateros de Culiacán Baseball Club defeated the Venados de Mazatlán 3-2, sealing the victory in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Culichi offense broke the ice in the fourth frame, staging a two-run rally to take the initial lead.
With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Lorenzo Bundy’s squad mounted the final threat by loading the bases. Pinch-runner Kevin Robledo took advantage of an errant throw from reliever Elkin Alcalá, coming home on a wild pitch to score the game-winning run.
On the bump, Manny Barreda delivered a solid performance in his preseason debut. The right-hander started the game and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out two.
Following Barreda's outing, the bullpen saw action from Norge Ruíz, Sasagi Sánchez, David Gutiérrez, Miguel Vázquez, and American pitcher Seth Shuman, who threw his first innings in a Guinda uniform.
This Sunday, Tomateros will travel to the port city to complete the home-and-home series against the Venados de Mazatlán at 3:00 PM at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal. Right-hander Luis Cessa is scheduled to take the mound as the starting pitcher for Culiacán.