The Gigantes del Cibao won their second LIDOM championship and first in seven years by defeating the Estrellas Orientales in Game 5 of the Dominican Winter League championship series on Saturday, 8-3. The Gigantes rode a six-run third inning highlighted by a three-run homer from Marcel Ozuna to back five scoreless frames from starter Raul Valdes before the left-hander turned things over to the bullpen.

After the Estrellas took the opener in the best-of-seven series, the Gigantes rallied to win four straight to capture the LIDOM title. Here's a recap of the Serie Final:

Game 1: Estrellas 5, Gigantes 4 (11 innings)
The Estrellas pulled off a dramatic walk-off win in extra innings in Game 1. After losing a two-run lead in the top of the ninth on a go-ahead three-run homer, the Estrellas rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth on Gustavo Nuñez's single, then won in the 11th when Nuñez stole third and scored after the catcher's throw sailed into left field.

Game 2: Gigantes 6, Estrellas 3
One night after saving most of the excitement for the later innings, almost all of the offense in Game 2 came in an action-packed third inning. The Estrellas jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, thanks to a bases-loaded walk followed by Jeremy Peña racing down the line to beat out a run-scoring infield single. The Gigantes answered with a five-run bottom half of the inning, with all five runs coming with two outs. That proved to be more than enough, as Gigantes starter Tyler Alexander tossed six innings of two-run ball before turning it over to the bullpen to slam the door and even the series.

Game 3: Gigantes 10, Estrellas 5
The Estrellas appeared poised to grab a series lead after putting up a five-spot in the second inning and knocking out opposing starter Elian Leyva after just 1 1/3 innings -- but the Gigantes wasted no time battling back. They responded with three runs in the third and two more in the fourth before taking command on Carlos Peguero’s bases-clearing double in the sixth. Peguero led the way with four RBIs, while Hanser Alberto continued his impressive season by going 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored.

Game 4: Gigantes 5, Estrellas 3
This was the "Kelvin Gutierrez Game." The third baseman went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a two-run double and a sacrifice fly to drive in four of the Gigantes' five runs and bring them a victory away from the LIDOM championship. Left-hander Enny Romero started and tossed 5 2/3 strong innings for the Gigantes, yielding a run on a Gustavo Nuñez homer to lead off the game, but nothing thereafter beyond a Christian Bethancourt double in the third and a pair of walks. Jenrry Mejia, Ryan Kussmaul, Enrique Burgos and Reymín Guduán combined to give up one run over the next 2 1/3 frames before turning the ball over to Juan Minaya, who closed out the game despite giving up a run in the ninth on a Domingo Leyba RBI single.

Game 5: Gigantes 8, Estrellas 3
Marcel Ozuna sparked a six-run third inning for the Gigantes by launching a three-run homer to left field off Estrellas starter Andy Otero. The next batter, Wilin Rosario, followed with a single to chase Otero from the contest. Reliever Ramon Santos took over and was promptly greeted with a Moises Sierra single. Santos walked the next batter, Carlos Paulino, and then uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded, enabling Rosario to score the Gigantes' fourth run. Richard Ureña then delivered a two-run single to cap the third-inning outburst. The Gigantes added single runs in the fourth and seventh innings on a Sierra RBI double and a Hanser Alberto RBI single, respectively. The Estrellas' three runs all came in the seventh, courtesy of RBI singles from Robinson Canó and Domingo Leyba, as well as a run scored on a double-play groundout from Ramon Flores.

About the two teams

The Gigantes went 23-17 in the regular season to finish in first place among the six LIDOM teams. The Estrellas, who are managed by former big leaguer Fernando Tatis Sr., went 22-18 to finish second.

The two teams reached the finals by advancing out of the first round-robin playoff stage, which was made up of the top four teams in the standings (the other two were Tigres del Licey and Aguilas Cibaeñas).

Prior to this year's championship, the Gigantes won their only LIDOM title in the 2014-15 season. They reached the finals last winter, but they lost to Aguilas. The Estrellas are three-time LIDOM champions, having most recently won in 2018-19.