Mendiola pitches Dreams to win

Shane Mendiola won a pitching duel against Hyung Joo Kim to lead the Korean Dreams to an 8-5 win over Komoro in last week’s game in the 3rd Annual Budweiser-Saipan Major League at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field.

Both pitchers combined for 44 strikeouts, which can be considered as the most in the SML’s 25-year history. They each had 22 strikeouts as they nearly matched the 23 made by Komoro’s Jae Young Kim on March 6.

J.Y. Kim set a new SML single-game strikeout record but failed to lead Komoro to victory in their 2-8 loss to D9ers. He pitched in no relief and had 23 strikeouts to break single-game record of 20 set by Joe Atalig and Tony Benavente in different years.

Atalig established the record of 20 strikeouts on Oct. 17, 1982, while Benavente duplicated the feat on March 26, 1999.

Mendiola pitched a complete game giving up three earned runs on three hits hitting three batters by a pitch and walking six more. He held Komoro to a 3-for-30 batting or a .100 average.

Only J.Y. Kim managed to sneak in three hits against Mendiola as he went 3-for-4 with two runs, two stolen bases, and one RBI. He had a lead-off double in the second inning and singles each in the fourth and sixth before Mendiola forced him to fly-out to center fielder Justin Reyes to end the seventh.

John Reyes, who struck out in his first at bat, went 3-for-5 against H.J. Kim scoring one run and had a seventh-inning RBI triple. He had four RBIs and a stolen base.

Jason Reyes only went 1-for-2 slapped a two-RBI single that highlighted the Dreams’ four-run fourth inning that broke a 1-1 tie.

On April 28, 2005, champions Ford Rangers stunned reigning titlist Tanapag Falcons, 14-4.

Pete Tenorio, after giving up three runs one of which is earned, settled in after that pitching four two-hit and scoreless innings to earn the win. The Falcons scored again in the sixth when J.D. Dikito, who got on base on an error by right fielder J.J. Laniyo, scored on a J.R. Suel single.

Tenorio retired the next three batters he faced in the bottom of the seventh. He walked Dustin Quitano, who advanced to second on a pass ball but the Falcons’ second baseman was gunned down on a 2-6 putout play as CNMI all-star catcher Robert Bansil threw to shortstop Jess Iguel, who tagged Quitano as he tried to steal third base.

Tenorio then struck out Ned Norita then walked Falcons designated hitter Mike Pangelinan. Falcons’ manager Doru Camacho then made an offensive change replacing Pangelinan with pinch runner Henry Reyes.

But Camacho’s ploy did not materialize as Tenorio picked off Reyes at first base to end the game.

The Falcons played a sloppy game committing a season-high 15 errors, which is unusual for the defending champions. The Rangers’ scored eight times with those errors.

Mel Sakisat led the Rangers’ hit parade going 3-for-4 with four runs, a double, three stolen bases, and two RBIs. Iguel went 3-for-5 and scored twice while Bansil went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Laniyo going 2-for-5 with one run.

Tenorio gave up one earned run on four hits in the game shortened by the 10-run mercy rule. He also had one strikeout and six walks while forcing the Falcons to hit grounders, fly outs, line drives, and infield fly, which was fielded cleanly by the Rangers defense.

The D9ers were playing Kabur at press time. No results were available as of this writing.