Ronny Mauricio collected two hits as Tigres del Licey won in dramatic fashion on Thursday night, besting Águilas Cibaeñas by a score of 6-3 in 11 innings. Box Score
Mauricio scored a run and also recorded his first steal of the LIDOM playoffs as Licey improved to a 2-2 overall record in the round-robin semifinal format.
Licey plays their next game against Gigantes del Cibao on Monday in a continuation of the round-robin format that extends through to the end of January. From there, the top two teams in the standings will play a best-of-nine series, with the winning team securing a national title and a spot in the Caribbean Series.
Meanwhile, Eduardo Escobar picked up a hit in Venezuelan League action for Tigres de Aragua, finishing 1-for-4 with a double as Aragua lost 7-2 to Tiburones de La Guaira. Box Score
Escobar is hitting .361 for Aragua and has put together an impressive past few months after emerging as one of the hottest hitters in baseball in the month of September.
There will be plenty of speculation throughout the offseason about how both Mauricio and Escobar fit into the Mets’ future plans after the team reportedly signed Carlos Correa. Francisco Lindor and Correa are both committed to mammoth deals, blocking the shortstop and third base positions respectively and limiting the opportunities for Mauricio and Escobar to contribute to the Mets’ offensive identity.
However, a strong showing by both players in winter ball is a welcome sight for a Mets team that can never have too much organizational depth. Mauricio was even named the Dominican Winter League MVP earlier this week, an outstanding feat for the young 21-year-old among a sea of current and former major leaguers in LIDOM.
