[jksander]

APRIL 15, 1963 . . . Onward to play the Manzanillo Cattleman at Cattleman Field! Jose Guzman (1-2, 5.79 ERA, 32.2 IP, 7 K’s, 1.84 WHIP) went up against Jose Martinez (2-3, 4.76 ERA, 34.0 IP, 19 K’s, 1.59 WHIP). It didn’t start out like we’d hoped ... bases loaded, bottom of the first, the Cattlemen picked up an RBI triple that drove in three runs, giving them a 3-0 lead heading into the top of the second. Fernandez hit us an RBI double to get on the board in the top of the fourth, and we added another off a groundout at first that still drove a runner in from third. In the top of the fifth we loaded the bases without an out, but came out empty, heading into the bottom of the inning trailing still 3-2. Brisset hit a run-scoring double in the top of the eighth to tie it finally at 3-3, and Guzman hit one that rolled into the corn and led to a ground-rule double and gave us a one-run lead! Cantimori hit an RBI single to add on, giving us a two-run cushion heading into the bottom of the eighth. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Guantanamo got a run back on a groundout to first, but Guzman held our ground and got us into the top of the ninth still leading by a run. But we weren’t able to hold on, and the Gators walked it off in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run double as they stole this one from us 6-5.

Guzman now stands at 1-3 on the season, pitching 8.1 innings tonight in a complete game with 11 hits, three walks, two strikeouts and six earned runs, keeping his ERA at 5.71 through five starts and more than 41 innings of work. We outhit them 15-11 and had this one well in hand, so it’s frustrating that we couldn’t close it out. Alcaraz had three hits but never got anywhere, but Flores hit four times and scored a pair of runs, continuing to hit .442 through 12 games played. Cantimori and Fernandez each hit twice as well.
 
APRIL 16, 1963 . . . Ludovic Peltier (2-2, 4.24 ERA, 34.0 IP, 17 K’s, 1.47 WHIP) got the start in game two as we hoped to wipe the memory of the last-second loss in the first matchup against the Cattlemen. They started Ramon Melendez (1-0, 2.53 ERA, 21.1 IP, 11 K’s, 1.22 WHIP), and the duel was on early as both pitchers showed their best skills early in the contest. Peltier got into a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the third but got out of it unscathed, but we couldn’t buy a hit either. The Cattlemen picked up a run off a sac-fly in the bottom of the fourth, and they added another in the bottom of the fifth thanks to an RBI double. Repeatedly we got runners into scoring position and then left them stranded, like we’d forgotten how to score. Peltier did well under those circumstances, keeping us within striking distance if we could just make contact. Finally in the top of the seventh, with one out, Brisset brought in a run with a double, and we brought in Logan Holmes to pinch hit for Peltier -- Holmes laid down a perfect shot into center, driving in the tying run with a single, but we weren’t able to take the lead.

We brought in Roberto Diaz, who started two days ago, to try and power our way through the rest of this one. He got us through the seventh and eighth safely, and after they walked our first two batters of the frame, Brisset knocked in the go-ahead run with a double! We brought Juan Flores in to hit for Diaz, no outs, and he walked the bases loaded, and they walked Victor Diaz as well to extend the lead! Giordano Cantimori hit a run-scoring single to add to the fun, and we went into the bottom of the ninth leading by three runs! Edward Aguirre came in out of the bullpen to get us the rest of the way, and he got a quick out, but then gave up three hits in a row, allowing a run to score. A flyout to right gave us out number two, but he loaded the bases with a hit batter, before mercifully getting their final batter to ground to short, with a quick throw to first ending this one as a 5-3 win!

Peltier gave us six solid innings with just four hits and two earned runs, striking out a pair and walking four. Diaz, the 18-year-old rookie, improved to 1-2 with a two-inning stretch with one hit and two strikeouts, improving his ERA to 5.40, while Aguirre gave us all visions of a heart attack before escaping his inning with three hits, one walk and one earned run, giving him a 1.80 ERA through five bullpen innings, along with his first save of the year! We managed to outhit them 9-8, led by our shortstop Samuel Brisset, who hit three times, scored a run and drove in two more! Cantimori hit twice and drove in a run as well, and Holmes pinch-hit in an RBI, giving him a .667 average through nine at-bats.

APRIL 17, 1963 . . . Time for the series’ rubber match! Jose Guzman (1-3, 5.71 ERA, 41.0 IP, 9 K’s, 1.80 WHIP) started against Manzanillo’s Luis Ayala (0-2, 9.47 ERA, 25.2 IP, 8 K’s, 2.38 WHIP). In the top of the third, Victor Santos gave us a 1-0 lead with an RBI single, and Guzman had a no-hitter until the bottom of the fourth, but kept them scoreless despite a walk and a hit to get us out of the frame. Brisset hit a run scoring double in the top of the sixth, and Victor Diaz batted one in with a single. Juan Castro hit an RBI single of his own as we built momentum, sending us into the bottom of the sixth with a 4-0 advantage! Victor Diaz hit an RBI single in the top of the eighth to add a run, and though he walked more batters than I would have liked, Guzman held tough to preserve his complete game shutout as we beat the Cattlemen 5-0!

Guzman has his best game yet, improving to 2-3 with a three-hitter, striking out three and walking seven but holding them scoreless to improve his ERA to 4.68! We hammered them with 11 hits ourselves, led by Victor Santos with three hits and two RBIs, while Jose Alcaraz hit twice and scored a run. We won the series two games to one, and will now head to play the Santa Clara Saints on the road for three games (see their home field below), with a day off for travel and rest before it begins. We’ll then have a day off and then a three-game set against the Cienfuegos Cubanos, also on the road. We currently trail both those teams in our division by a single game, so this will be a big stretch for us.