Baseball Champions League Americas: Cougars and Diablos Rojos advance to semifinals undefeated

The Kane County Cougars (American Association) and Mexico City Diablos Rojos (Mexican Baseball League, LMB) won their games against the Las Tunas Leñadores (Cuba's Serie Nacional) and Chinandega Tigres (Nicaragua's Pomares Championship). They will play the Baseball Champions League Americas 2025 semifinals on Saturday, April 12. Las Tunas and Chinandega will compete for a spot in the semifinals with the Florida Titanes (Puerto Rico Superior Double-A League) and the Santa Maria Pirates (Curaçao Double-A League).

Day 3 Results

Cougars-Leñadores 19-15
Diablos Rojos-Tigres 6-4

The Standings

GROUP A Diablos Rojos (2-0), Tigres (1-1), Titanes (0-2)

GROUP B Cougars (2-0), Leñadores (1-1), Pirates (0-2)

Diablos Rojos-Tigres

Six pitchers limited the Nicaraguan lineup to three hits, including two home runs. Daniel Straily earned the Diablos Rojos win, pitching a perfect fourth and fifth.

Mexico City wasted no time against Chinandega starter Juan Carlos Ramirez, taking the lead on a one-out three-run home run by Aristides Aquino. Ramirez left after allowing five earned runs on 11 hits.

Starter Justin Courtney pitched two perfect innings before allowing a third-inning leadoff home run to Jesus Lopez. Relievers Straily, Conner Menez and Gerardo Reyes limited the Tigres to a pair of hits through the seventh.

The Diablos Rojos added a run on Eduardo Antonini's RBI double in the top of the sixth. They took the comfortable 6-1 lead into the eighth, when Chinandega got to Richard Karcher. The reliever hit the leadoff hitter, walked the next batter, and pinch hitter Rodolfo Bone turned the first pitch he saw into a three-run homer.

Brandon Leyton doubled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, making the following batters the potential tying run. Tomohiro Anraku retired the side in order and picked up the save.

BOX SCORE

Cougars-Leñadores

Day 3's first game resulted in a slugfest, with the two teams combining 42 hits, including five home runs. Four defensive errors hurt Las Tunas.

The game included a pair of eight-run rallies. The Cougars scored eight in the bottom of the second against Albert Valladares and Keniel Ferraz. The Leñadores had their eight-run at-bat in the top of the sixth against relievers Colten Davis, Jordan Martinson and Logan Nissen, tying the game at 11.

The game was tied at 14 in the middle of the seventh, when the Cougars broke the score open against Frank Medina, scoring five runs on six hits, including Max Murphy's RBI triple and Shed Long Jr.'s two-RBI double. Long topped the lineup with five RBIs. He had four hits, including a home run. Dayson Croes also contributed with four hits.

The Cougars used eight pitchers. Aniel Bies earned the win pitching a scoreless seventh.

BOX SCORE

DAY 4 Schedule

14:00 Pirates (starting pitcher Alvaro Seijas)-Tigres (Dilmer Mejia)
19:30 Titanes (Jean Perez)-Leñadores (Yoennis Yera)

All times are local