Omar caps stint with another title

Veteran ballplayer Jovie Omar capped her local softball stint with another championship, helping the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs complete a repeat in the women’s division of the Inter-government Softball League.

DCCA’s win at the Miguel Basa “Tan Ge” Pangelinan Field last Friday night was a fitting send off for Omar, who left for Kent, Seattle, early Saturday morning.

She checked in at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport at 6am with her plane set to fly off to the mainland at 8am.

Omar decided to leave Saipan for good to tend to her ailing mother, who is already in Seattle. “I am leaving for medical reasons. I want to help my sick mother to recover.”

Before she left, the many-time CNMI All-Star helped DCCA score a two-game sweep of Northern Marianas College-Proa in their three-game finals on Friday. DCCA won Game 1, 18-14, and scored a 13-10 come-from-behind win in Game 2 to secure their title defense.

Omar said this was the second time that she became part of a team that came back to win the title. “It was just like last year when the Island Girls came from behind to win the championship.”

In last year’s Islandwide Softball League, Omar made the game-winning play by stretching out her left arm far enough to make a catch of an Angela Ngirbedul line drive for the third and last out. That helped preserve an 8-7 Island Girls win over the Hitters to close out their best-of-three series.

Omar collapsed on the mound after making the catch as she was mobbed by her teammates after making the winning play. She put on MVP-like numbers going 5-for-8 in the three-game series and hitting two home runs along with three RBIs and also pitched in all three games of the series losing only in Game 2.

The Island Girls finished fifth in the regular season and swept the Rookies in the playoffs scoring a 3-1 win in Game 1 and an 11-2 triumph in Game 2.

Omar won five individual awards while playing for the Island Girls to add to her collection she earned in various leagues she played on Saipan. She also suited up for the CNMI in the last five Micro Games and was part of the Commonwealth All-Star squad that saw action in the 7th Palau South Pacific Mini Games held in Koror in 2005.

“I will surely miss my job at the Division of Sports and Recreation and all of my friends here on Saipan when I leave,” said Omar before joining her team in celebrating their title win on Friday.

Omar said she also hopes to play softball in Seattle but first she has to get to know the community she will become a part of.