Tigres del Licey beats Navegantes de Magallanes 4-2
MIAMI (AP) Rymer Liriano hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the ninth inning, and Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Republic Winter League beat Navegantes de Magallanes of the Venezuelan Winter League 4-2 in an exhibition on the second day of the inaugural Serie de las Americas on Sunday at Marlins Park.
Logan Moore, a Triple-A catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, drove in Liriano, an outfielder in the San Diego Padres' farm system, with a sacrifice fly for an insurance run.
Arizona Diamondbacks minor leaguer Gabriel Arias got four outs for the win. The teams combined to use 12 pitchers.
Frank Diaz, who spends his summers in the Mexican League, tied it at 2 with an RBI single in the eighth for Navegantes.
Tigres earned a consolation win after each team lost on Saturday to opponents from their native countries.
Venezuela's Cardenales de Lara and the Dominican Republic's Aguilas Cibaenas square off in the tournament championship on Sunday night.
Licey featured Raul A. Mondesi, son of former major league All-Star and 1994 Rookie of the Year Raul Mondesi.
Raul A. Mondesi made his debut for Tigres in the tournament roughly a month after his major league debut in the World Series with the Kansas City Royals. After coming in as a defensive replacement and getting a hit on Saturday, Mondesi started Sunday and had a double in four at-bats.
''The World Series was a great experience,'' he said. ''It also will help me a lot to (play winter league) and do my job.''
Mondesi is expected to be added to the Tigres' winter league roster when the team returns to the Dominican Republic.
Tigres starter Jenrry Mejia, a right-hander for the New York Mets, gave up a run in three innings.
Mitch Atkins, who made 10 appearances over three seasons with the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles, pitched three shutout innings in relief of Mejia.
Enderson Franco, a right-hander in the Marlins' system, started for Navegantes and pitched four innings, allowing one run and two hits.
Both managers came away pleased with the inaugural event.
''It was perfect, marvelous,'' Navegantes manager Carlos Garcia said. ''The fans really embraced the spectacle of these three games thus far. It was all healthy competition. We got a chance to familiarize ourselves with a team from the Caribbean, which has major league stars and a lot of tradition.''
