MLB.com

By Doug Miller / MLB.com

Culiacan shortstop Benji Gil was mobbed by reporters and fans after a 3-for-5 day at the plate in Mexico's win. (Doug Miller/MLB.com)

Caribbean Series gallery: Day 3

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Mexico came into the Caribbean Series with a chance to win the title because of its pitching, but in Tuesday's game against Puerto Rico, the Mexicans brought out the lumber at the right times.

For the second straight game, the Mexican champion Culiacan Tomato Growers reached double-digits in hits and coasted past the Puerto Rican champion Ponce Lions, 10-4.

Ponce (0-3) is now on life support in the six-game round-robin tournament. Each team (Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela and the host Dominican Republic) plays the other twice over the course of six days, and the team with the best record at the end wins. The Dominicans beat Puerto Rico for the title last year.

Mexico, meanwhile, is right in the thick of the race for the title with a 2-1 record. Its 15-hit attack against Puerto Rico shows that Mexico might be heating up at the right time. They square off against the favored Dominicans in a key fourth-game matchup Wednesday night.

Melvin Nieves and Mario Valdez singled in succession, setting the table for Adan Amezcua, who tripled them in for a 2-0 lead.

Rodrigo Lopez   /   P
	Height: 6'1" Weight: 180 Bats/Throws: R/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Orioles site

That didn't last long, however. Puerto Rico tied it at 2-2 in the top of the third off Mexico starter Rodrigo Lopez of the Baltimore Orioles when errors on consecutive plays led to RBI singles by Hiram Bocachica and Luis Lopez.

Mexico put the game away in the bottom of the third with another two-out uprising, this one for four runs.

After Jose Macias flied out and Luis Carlos Garcia lined out, the Mexicans ripped five straight hits, chasing Fernandez in favor of reliever John Burgos.

Culiacan tacked on four more with two-run outbursts in the seventh and eighth innings, including a solo home run by Benji Gil, who led the Mexican attack by going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. He is hitting .462 for the Series.

Lopez gave the pitching-rich Mexicans a brilliant start, going six innings and giving up two runs -- although neither were earned -- and striking out four.

Raul Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to give the Puerto Ricans their third and fourth runs.

Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.