Angel Valdes | January 8, 2023
Misael Rivera pushed four runs and Steven Fuentes was dominant on the mound for the Federales de Chiriquí to whiten the Águilas Metropolitanas 8-0 and in this way achieve their qualification directly to the grand final of the Professional Baseball of Panama (Probeis).
The Federales mounted a seven-scoring rally in the seventh inning to secure the victory that gave them the long-awaited classification directly and now awaits the winner of the semifinal series between Atlánticos de Bocas del Toro and Colón that will face the Águilas Metropolitanas from next Tuesday, January 10 in a series of 3 games, where the one who wins 2 will advance to the final.
For Jose Mayorga, Manager of the Federales, the first goal in his goal of winning the championship is achieved “I think that pitching was our strength, our offense adjusted throughout the season, doing the work, we did a good job in the regular round We were in first place at the start and we have to continue doing things well”.
Misael Rivera went 1-for-4 with a double, driving in four runs for the Federales, Ariel Sandoval went 1-for-3 with a double, one run scored and three RBIs; Kevin Vicuña 3-2 with two doubles, one scored and one pushed. The winning pitcher was Steven Fuentes who worked five solid innings without allowing a run and only got four hits, a fan to one and a walk.
For the Eagles, Ariel Serrano 4-2; Isaias Velasquez 3-1; Gerald Chin 3-1 and Stravos Pilídes 3-1. The losing pitcher was Enrique Saldaña who in 5.1 innings allowed five hits, five runs, awarded five walks and struck out five batters.
Now the Federales are preparing for the Probeis Grand Final, waiting for their rival between Atlánticos and Águilas who start their semifinal series next Tuesday, January 10 from 9:30 am. The second game is on Wednesday the 11th from 7:00 pm and if necessary, a third game will be played on Friday, January 13 from 9:30 a.m.
