Granadillo, who batted a a combined .287 in 478 minor league games, also was among the league leaders with eight home runs, 10 doubles, 34 RBIs, 40 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 21 walks, and 97 total bases.

Baseball Navarra infielder Larry Infante, who played 306 games in the Anaheim Angels (2005-2008) farm system, paced the league with 16 homers. The Venezuelan slugger, who hit .379 with four long balls in 2009, finished second in the batting chase with a .425 mark.

Another former Red Sox farmhand, southpaw Jose Guanchez, posted a 6-0 record with a league-best 0.41 ERA for newly crowned Spanish champion Sant Boi. The 27-year-old scattered a paltry two runs, 19 hits, 17 walks and 59 strikeouts over 44 innings in 12 games.

BATTING AVERAGE
.477 – Tony Granadillo, San Inazio Bilbao .
.425 – Larry Infante, Baseball Navarra
.412 – Juan Manuel Salazar, Sant Boi
.410 – Richard Montiel, Tenerife Marlins
.407 – Nguyen Boulet, Tenerife Marlins
.403 – Marc Carrillo, Sant Boi
.402 – Orlando Diaz, F.C. Barcelona
.394 – Kevin Malone, Valencia Astros
.392 – Jose Luis Salazar, Sant Boi
.390 – Oscar Angulo, F.C. Barcelona

HITS
63 – Tony Granadillo, San Inazio Bilbao
55 – Richard Montiel, Tenerife Marlins
54 – Kevin Malone, Valencia Astros
53 – Sandel Cuevas, Valencia Astros
52 – Marc Carrillo, Sant Boi

RUNS SCORED
49 – Larry Infante, Baseball Navarra
48 – Emmanuel Febles, F.C. Barcelona
45 – Daniel Martinez, Sant Boi
44 – Kevin Malone, Valencia Astros
44 – Marc Carrillo, Sant Boi

RUNS BATTED IN
45 – Jose Luis Riera, Sant Boi
43 – Richard Montiel, Tenerife Marlins
40 – Orlando Diaz, F.C. Barcelona
40 – Marc Carrillo, Sant Boi

HOME RUNS
16 – Larry Infante, Baseball Navarra
11 – Richard Montiel, Tenerife Marlins
08 – Tony Granadillo, San Inazio Bilbao
08 – Marc Carrillo, Sant Boi
08 – Hector Perozo, Baseball Navarra

EARNED RUN AVERAGE
0.41 – Jose Guanchez, Sant Boi
0.55 – Hector Perozo, Baseball Navarra
0.89 – Junior Guerra, Sant Boi (pictured)
1.00 – Rafael Gomera, Vigo Halcones
1.14 – Ruben Fente, Sant Boi
1.17 – Jose Estebin Cruz, Sant Boi
1.65 – Victor Martinez, Baseball Navarra
1.68 – Juan Jose Lopez, Baseball Navarra
1.85 – Antonio Noguera, Tenerife Marlins
1.93 – Ivan Granados, Tenerife Marlins

STRIKEOUTS
156 – Juan Jose Lopez, Baseball Navarra
152 – Leslie Nacar, Tenerife Marlins
149 – Ivan Granados, Tenerife Marlins
140 – John Scott Dunn, Valencia Astros
125 – Marcos Castillo, Pamplona

INNINGS PITCHED
139.0 – Marcos Castillo, Pamplona
125.0 – John Scott Dunn, Valencia Astros
123.1 – Fidel Torres Mane, San Inazio Bilbao
123.0 – Juan Jose Lopez, Baseball Navarra
114.2 – Pedro Belmonte, F.C. Barcelona

Photo courtesy of Diego Lazaro

Sant Boi (32-3), which improved to 3-0 against Barcelona this season, came out of the gate quickly in front of a large crowd of 900 spectators. Juan Manuel Salazar reached on a one-out single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and sprinted home on Marc Carrillo’s two-base hit to give skipper Francisco Despaigne’s squad an early lead.

Barcelona (31-4) drew three walks, and swiped a pair of bases to loaded the sacks in the bottom of the first off Guerra. However, the Venezuelan left-hander retired Miguel Mora on a lazy flyout to keep manager Aldo Tarife’s team off the board.

Salazar led off the third with his second hit of the game off Barcelona starter Delio Martinez (9-1), and following walks to Carrillo and Jose Luis Riera, William Domero stroked a two-run single through the right side. Daniel Sanchez added an RBI fielder’s choice to finish off the three-run frame.

Both pitchers worked in and out of trouble in the fourth. Martinez escaped a major jam after Sant Boi put two runners in scoring position with no outs, and Guerra surrendered a leadoff double – and hit a batter before – before denying the home side with a pair of strikeouts.

Sant Boi put together a two-out rally in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead. Sanchez doubled to the gap in right center before motoring home on a base hit up the middle by two-way standout Jose Estebin Cruz.

Sanchez started the eighth with his second two-base hit of the game, and moved up one base on a groundout. But the speedy second baseman, who stole eight bases this season in 11 tries, was gunned down at the plate by Barcelona shortstop Oscar Angulo trying to score on a groundball off the bat of Rafael Rivas.

Barcelona foiled the shutout in the ninth on an RBI infield hit by Emmanuel Febles, but it was too little, too late as Sant Boi wrapped up its first league crown in seven years.

Guerra (11-1) allowed a run and five hits to notch the title-clinching win. The lefty finished his first campaign with Sant Boi with 122 strikeouts in 91 innings, and surrendered just nine earned runs in 16 appearances.

Photo courtesy of Diego Lazaro

Sant Boi (31-3) reeled off 13 consecutive victories to open the season before dropping a 1-0 nailbiter to the Tenerife Marlins, and then put together a 12-game winning streak before suffering a 1-0 heartbreaker to Baseball Navarra. One week later, the Marlins knocked off skipper Francisco Despiagne’s squad again, 4-2.

FC Barcelona (31-3) won their first six games of 2010 before falling to Sant Boi twice. Coach Aldo Tarife’s troops rebounded to win their next 20 contests before crashing against San Inazio, 10-8, two weeks ago. Talented shortstop Oscar Angula & Co. must sweep Sant Boi this weekend to capture the league crown.

Saturday, July 10
Vigo Halcones at Tenerife Marlins
Sant Boi at FC Barcelona

Sunday, July 11
Vigo Halcones at Tenerife Marlins
Sant Boi at FC Barcelona

SANT BOI
Junior Guerra and Jose Gaunchez combined on a five-hit shutout to help Sant Boi blank Barcelona, 6-0, during the first meeting of the two title contenders. Guerra (10-1, 0.99 ERA) emerged as the staff ace for the league’s top-ranked pitching staff, which enters the final weekend of the season with an eye-popping 1.19 team ERA. Guanchez (6-0) leads the league with a sterling 0.41 ERA, while Jose Estebin Cruz (8-2, 1.24 ERA), Pedro Luis Peraza (5-0, 1.77 ERA), and Ruben Fente (2-0, 0.99 ERA) have also turned in solid campaigns.

Sant Boi prevailed in the second encounter against Barcelona, 2-1, as Cruz scattered a run and two hits over seven innings with eight strikeouts. Fente, who has notched three saves, collected the final six outs to seal the win.

Marc Carrillo and Jose Luis Salazar headline a cast of potent hitters who topped the league with a .348 batting mark. Carrillo, who batted .398 in 2009, is hitting .411 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs. Salazar, who batted .392 for Tenerife a year ago, is batting at a .407 clip with eight doubles.

Other top hitters for Sant Boi includes Juan Manuel Salazar (.398), Willian Domero (.379), Jose Luis Riera (.339), Daniel Martinez (.333), Daniel Sanchez (.330) and Rafael Rivas (.280).

FC BARCELONA
Pedro Belmonte enjoyed another stellar season for Barcelona on the hill after posting a 15-1 record last year. The right-hander, who limited Sant Boi to a pair of runs in his only loss of the season, is 10-1 with a 1.76 ERA in 14 starts for a pitching unit with a combined 1.96 team ERA.

Former Viladecans ace Delio Miguel Martinez, who finished 7-6 with a 2.20 ERA a year ago, is currently 9-0 with a 2.00 ERA. Jason Friedman (4-1, 2.30 ERA) and Oscar Gimenez (8-1, 2.38 ERA) also play key roles on the mound for Barcelona.

Angulo leads Barcelona with a .405 batting average with three homers and 39 RBIs after hitting .379 last year for Viladecans. Other capable hitters are Jesus Golindano (.402), Orlando Diaz (.400), Emmanuel Febles (.368), Felix isasi (.330) and Rafael Llames (.308).

Photos courtesy of Diego Lazaro

Sant Boi (31-3) plated four runs in the fifth to erase a one-run deficit, and added six late scores to beat the Vigo Halcones 10-5 in the front end of a twinbill. Junior Guerra (10-1) tossed seven innings of one-run ball to earn the win. Skipper Alfrdo Despaigne’s spanked the Halcones 15-0 in the second meeting to complete the sweep. Juan Manuel Salazar drove in four runs and Jose Estebin Cruz (8-2) worked five shutout frames.

FC Barcelona (31-3) whipped Viladecans 13-1 Saturday behind a strong outing by Delio Miguel Martinez (9-2), who allowed a lone hit and one run in five-plus inings. Miguel Mora led the offensive charge with four RBIs. The hometown team captured a 3-0 win on Sunday as Pedro Belmonte (10-1) tossed a five-hit, complete game shutout.

Franklin Tavarez homered twice and drove in six runs, and Leslie Nacar (10-5) worked five perfect frames to lead the Tenerife Marlins to a 15-0 drubbing against El Llano. The Marlins finished off the sweep with a 24-0 blowout win as Ivan Granados (13-2) scattered two hits over four scoreless innings. Lesther Galvan banged home four runs, while Nguyen Boulet, Javier Flores and Daniel Piva added three RBIs apiece.

Larry Infante smacked his 16th home run of the season but San Inazio Bilbao beat Baseball Navarra 5-3. Tony Granadillo homered and Edward Adames (2-0) went the distance to notch the win. Navarra used an eight-run seventh to salvage a twinbill split with a 12-4 triumph in the second game.

American John Dunn (9-7) punched out 12 in a complete game effort to help the Valencia Astros defeat Pamplona, 8-2. American Kevin Malone homered twice in a high-scoring twinbill finale as the Astros prevailed 19-17 to earn the sweep. Jonathan Castan (1-0) captured his first win of the year in a game that featured five long balls and 36 hits.

Photo courtesy of Diego Lazaro

Kelvin Marianucci and Asier Izaguirre drove in two runs apiece, while Edward Adames crossed the dish three times for San Inazio. Emmanuel Febles tallied four hits and Jesus Golindano added a three-run homer for FC Barcelona.

Fidel Mane Torres (8-7) went the distance to claim the win, while Oscar Gimenez (8-1) suffered his first setback.

Pedro Belmonte (9-1) tossed a complete game six-hitter to help FC Barcelona salvage a twinbill split with an 8-2 victory in the second encounter. Albert Diaz collected three RBIs and Miguel Mora scored a trio of runs for the first-place visiting squad.

SANT BOI BLANKS VALENCIA
CB Sant Boi moved back into a first-place tie with FC Barcelona with a pair of wins against the Valencia Astros. Marc Carrillo and Daniel Sanchez combined for two homers and seven RBIs to lead Sant Boi to a lopsided 14-0 victory in the first part of a doubleheader. Junior Guerra (9-1) limited the Astros to just two hits in five frames to nab the win. Jose Estebin Cruz (7-2) scattered three hits and nine strikeouts over eight innings to help Sant Boi complete the sweep with a 3-0 win in the second game.

TENERIFE TROUNCES PAMPLONA
Richard Montiel slugged his 10th and 11th home runs of the season to help the Tenerife Marlins crush CD Pamplona 13-0 in the front end of a twinbill. Montiel tallied four RBIs while Nguyen Boulet homered and drove in a game-high five runs. Leslie Nacar (9-5) fanned seven in five shutout frames to capture the win. The Marlins took the second matchup 11-2 as Lesther Galvan homered and Nestor Perez drove in three runs to help Ivan Granados (12-5) notch the win.

VILADECANS SWEEP VIGO
Eric Segura homered and Camilo Gonzalez had three hits to lead CB Viladecans to a 12-1 victory in the first game of a twinbill. Fabian Marques (3-8) tossed one-run ball over six frames to earn the win. The hometown squad finished off the sweep with a tension-filled 5-4 win in the second game as Marc Jodar (2-1) worked five strong innings.

NAVARRA DUMPS EL LLANO
Juan Jose Lopez (10-4) fanned a whopping 20 hitters as Baseball Navarra shutout El Llano 6-0 en route to a doubleheader sweep. The visitors plated 10 first-inning scores in an 18-2 victory in the twinbill finale. Juan Miguel Marte drove in four runs with four hits to help Diego Armando Perez (2-2) get the win.

Photo courtesy of Diego Lazaro

FC Barcelona (28-2) capitalized on 11 walks and used a four-run second to cruise to a 10-0 victory in the twinbill opener. Orlando Diaz went 2-for-3 with three RBIs to aid Jimemez (8-0), who scattered a hit and six strikeouts with three walks over six innings.

Diaz led a 14-hit onslaught in the second game as FC Barcelona completed the sweep with a 15-0 victory. The designated hitter drove in three runs with a trio of hits, and Miguel More added a two-run homer in a contest stopped after five frames due to the 10-run rule.

Pedro Belmonte (8-1) limited El Llano to just a lone single while striking out five to earn the win.

TENERIFE, SANT BOI SPLIT WEEKEND SET
Leslie Nacar capped a pivotal two-run fourth with an RBI single, and Lesther Galvan added another insurance run with a solo homer in the seventh, as the Tenerife Marlins salvaged a weekend split with a 4-2 win Sunday against Sant Boi.

Galvan paced the Marlins with two RBIs on a pair of extra-base hits, while Marc Carrillo homered for Sant Boi. Ivan Granados (11-2) allowed six hits and struck out 10 in a complete game outing to notch the win.

Sant Boi took the series opening game a day earlier, 4-3, as William Domero raced home with the game-winning score on a throwing error by Tenerife shortstop Nestor Perez in the top of the ninth.

Jose Luis Salazar drove in a run with two extra-base hits for Sant Boi, while the Marlins Richard Montiel went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Junior Guerra (8-1) tossed a seven-hit complete game with nine strikeouts to pick up the win.

VILADECANS SWEEPS SAN INAZIO
David Porcar drove in two runs and Fabian Marquez (2-8) overcame a whopping eight walks to lead Viladecans to a 3-1 victory Saturday against San Inazio Bilbao. Rainny Peguero had two hits and Denny Nino reached base three times to help the home team claim its third consecutive win.

Viladecans broke open a one-run affair with a four-run eighth, and then survived a late rally by the visitors to finish off the sweep on Sunday with a 7-5 victory. Porcar and Aderly Grullon combined for three RBIs and four hits. Pol Llopis (7-6) got the win and Mark Jodar tallied his second save.

VALENCIA KNOCKS OFF VIGO
John Dunn (8-7) tossed five scoreless relief innings and the Valencia Astros topped the Vigo Halcones 5-3 in the first game of a twinbill. Sandel Cuevas delivered a go-ahead base hit in the fifth to drive in two runs, and the Astros added an unearned score in the sixth on a dropped flyball.

Valencia completed the sweep with a convincing 9-0 victory in the second matchup. Jordi Valles (5-6) struck out seven in a complete game shutout. Eddie Alexander reached base on two hits and a pair of walks, and tallied two RBIs for the Astros.

NAVARRA SWEEPS PAMPLONA
Juan Jose Lopez (9-4) struck out 11 in a four-hit complete game effort to lead Baseball Navarra to a 1-0 victory against Pamplona last Saturday. Larry Infante smacked his 14th home run of the season for the lone score of the game.

Navarra finished off the weekend sweep the following day with a 5-1 victory. Diego Armando Perez (1-2) broke a scoreless deadlock with an RBI triple in the third, and tossed one-run ball over seven innings on the hill, as the home team cruised to the win.

Photo courtesy of Diego Lazaro

The Navarra staff ace and Sant Boi starter Junior Guerra (7-1) exchanged zeroes for five innings before the visitors took a lead they would never relinquish. Eduardo Sanchez drove home Larry Infante with an RBI single in the sixth for the lone score of the game.

Lopez (8-4), who induced 12 groundouts, limited Sant Boi to just three hits in a complete game gem to jumble the league title race.

Sant Boi (26-2) regrouped to take the second game 6-1 to salvage a split. William Domero’s bases-clearing double highlighted a four-run seventh that blew open a tight one-run affair.

Ruben Fente (2-0) worked seven innings of one-run ball to pick up the win.

BARCELONA SWEEPS PAMPLONA
FC Barcelona moved into a tie for the Spanish League top spot with two wins against C.D. Pamplona. Jesus Golindano and Oscar Angulo both homered to help the visitors roll to a 13-1 victory in the first contest. Delio Miguel Martinez (8-0) tossed one-run ball over six frames to notch the win.

Barcelona (26-2) picked up its 20th consecutive win with a 13-0 triumph in the second game as Angulo smacked a grand slam, and Oscar Jimenez (7-0) and Jose Carreras combined on a one-hit shutout.

TENERIFE WALLOPS VALENCIA
The Tenerife Marlins busted out for a whopping 40 hits in a doubleheader sweep against the Valencia Astros. Franklin Tavarez had five hits in a 12-1 win in the opening game, and the trio of Richard Montiel, Cristian Remedios and Nguyen Boulet all homered in support of Antonio Noguera (1-1).

The Marlins (19-7) rolled to a 11-0 victory in the second matchup behind a five-hit effort by Lesther Galvan. Southpaw Ivan Granados (9-2) fanned 13 in eight shutout innings to earn the win.

SAN INAZIO SWEEPS VIGO
San Inazio Bilbao pounded out 25 hits to extend its winning streak to six games with a pair of road wins against the Vigo Halcones. Fidel Torres Mane (7-6) tossed a seven-inning complete game shutout in a 10-0 victory in the twinbill opener.

Alberto Magallon (6-5) scattered two runs over six innings to complete the sweep with a 11-2 win in the second game.

Photo courtesy of Diego Lazaro

Navarra (16-11) scored quickly on Larry Infante’s two-run homer in the opening frame, and added a pair of scores an inning later to take a 4-1 lead. Kevin Malone sparked a three-run third for the Astros with a one-out RBI base hit, and Mendez tied the score moments later with a two-run single off Navarra starter Juan Jose Lopez.

The home side regained the lead in the fourth on an RBI goundout by Inaki Alfonso, and stretched the lead to 6-4 in the fifth when Infante smacked his 12th home run of the season with the bases empty.

Valencia (12-15) made it a one-run game in the seventh on a run-scoring single off the bat of Malone. Both teams went down quietly in the eighth to set the stage for the Astros late-inning heroics.

John Dunn (7-6) went the distance allowing nine hits and six runs with nine strikeouts to post the win.

Navarra built an 8-3 lead in the twinbill finale and then survived a four-run eighth by the Astros to escape with a narrow win. Infante hit his league-leading 13th home run and Hector Perozo drove in a pair of scores.

Mendez continued swinging a red-hot bat with two hits and a homer, and Sandel Cuevas homered and collected for RBIs in a losing cause.

Juan Miguel Marte (4-1) tossed two-run ball over five innings to earn the win.

SPANISH LEAGUE SCOREBOARD:
FC Barcelona 11,10 – Vigo Halcones 1,5
Valencia Astros 8,7 – Baseball Navarra 6,8
C.B. Viladecans 8,12 – C.D. Pamplona 2,5
San Inazio Bilbao 10,16 – El Llano 0,0

Photo courtesy of Diego Lazaro

The champions are coached my manager Francisco González and assistant coaches Manrique Pérez and Diego Piva.

The championship team includes Jeisson Gutierrez, Diego Gonzalez, Leonardo Manuel Melendez, Christian Afonso, Christian Javier Alvarez and Jorge Arteaga.

Other team members are Aaron Galvan, Luis Guillermo Hernandez, Christopher Lankhorst, Audie Andres Nunez, Antonio Cesar Piedra, Juan Pablo Rabelo, Diego Rodriguez and Robert J. Vargas.

Congratulations to all players and the competition directors, José Peña and Nestor Pérez, for the great work on a well-organized tournament.

We also want to congratulate the Government of Canarias, its Council of education, universities, culture and sports and their general sports management, and thank you for your support and confidence in our athletes that gave them the opportunity to compete in the Spanish Championship.

Photo courtesy of Prensa Federacion Canaria de Beisbol y Sofbol

Sant Boi started quickly against San Inazio starter Alberto Magallon. Daniel Sanchez led off the game with a single, and crossed the plate on a passed ball to give the league front-runner the early lead. An RBI double by Yaeko Vazquez in the second, and a two-run single by Daniel Martinez an inning later put the visitors on top, 4-0.

San Inazio, trying to end a four-game slide, tied the score in the bottom of the third. Tony Granadillo followed a walk and a single with a run-scoring base hit before Kelvin Marianucci delighted the hometown crown with a three-run bomb. However, Sant Boi took the lead for good in the fourth on a solo home run by Jose Luis Salazar.

An RBI sacrifice fly by William Domero in the sixth gave Sant Boi a two-run cushion, and Sanchez singled home a score in a two-run ninth to seal the victory.

Jose Estebin Cruz (6-1) scattered seven hits and four runs with nine strikeouts over seven innings to gain the win.

Sant Boi rolled to a lopsided 15-1 victory in the first game behind an almost flawless outing by Junior Guerra. The southpaw allowed just one hit and a lone walk with six strikeouts in five innings to improve his card to 7-0.

Cruz and Marc Carrillo both tallied three hits, while Vazquez and Juan Manuel Salazar both homered and drove in three runs apiece.

Fidel Torres Mane (5-6) was knocked around for 10 runs and eight hits in just three frames to get charged with the loss.

VILADECANS, ASTROS SPLIT TWINBILL
The Valencia Astros rebounded from a loss in the opening game to salvage a split with Viladecans. Camilo Gonzalez had three hits and two RBIs to lead the home team to a 5-1 victory in the twinbill opener. Pol Llopis (5-5) allowed one-run over seven frames to earn the win. The Astros scored seven runs in the first inning and cruised to a 12-5 win in the second game. Kevin Malone and Jose Liste drove in two runs apiece, and Jordi Valles (4-5) worked six effective frames to nab the win. Luis Galicia tallied the final nine outs to register his first save.

PAMPLONA STOPS EL LLANO
Pamplona captured a pair of entertaining road wins against El Llano last Sunday. Marcos Castillo (2-10) scattered one-run over seven innings in an 11-1 victory in the twinbill opener. Gabriel Guerrero and Daniel Celaya combined for five hits, two doubles and six RBIs. Pamplona finished off the sweep with a wild 13-11 win in the second encounter. Juan Latienda reached base six times and Jose San Martin (1-0) worked two scoreless relief innings to get the win.

SPANISH LEAGUE:
1-Sant Boi (23-1) 2-Barcelona (20-2) 3-Tenerife (15-7) 4-Navarra (16-8) 5-Valencia (11-13) 6-San Inazio (10-12) 7-Vigo (7-15) 8-Viladecans (7-17) 9-Pamplona (6-18) 10-El Llano (1-23)

Photo courtesy of Diego Lazaro