Rangers rally past Falcons in BSML

The Ford Rangers continue to have Tanapag Falcons’ number after rallying to a 6-5 10th-inning win against the defending champions in Game 1 of their best-of-three semifinal series in the 2008 Budweiser Saipan Major League Wednesday night at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field.

After Clifton Silil and Robert Bansil crossed home plate to tie the count at 5-5 on fielding errors by the Falcons on the eighth, the Ford Rangers stole the game in the 10th inning when Mario Sablan took advantage of yet another error by Tanapag’s outfielders to race home for the winning run.

It was an unexpected turn of events for the Falcons as they led the game practically all the way before the eight-inning malady brought the contest to extra innings.

They were the first team to get a score when homerun king Mike Pangelinan reached on an error by Rangers shortstop Greg Sasther.

The lead ballooned to 5-0 in the top of the fourth when Manny Evangelista brought in Ken Kalen, Evangelista and B.J. Sablan scored on an error by Rangers third baseman Ray Guerrero, and Henry Iguel touched home plate on an RBI by J.R. Suel.

The Joeten Motors Corp.-sponsored team finally got on the board in the bottom of the inning when Ben Taisacan’s single scored Robert Bansil and consecutive balks by Falcons starting pitcher Pete Teigita allowed Mel Sakisat and Ben Taisacan to trim Tanapag’s lead to 5-3.

The score would stay that way as starters Teigita and Rangers’ Dung Tenorio finally zeroed in on the strike zone.

That was until the fateful eighth when Silil’s and Bansil’s plate-crossings knotted the score up at 5-all and Teigita’s and Tenorio’s replacements—J.P. Sablan for the Rangers and Darson Camacho for the Falcons—pitched a scoreless ninth.

But as providence would have it, Mario Sablan gave the Rangers a lead-off runner in the 10th when he singled off Camacho. With Silil on the batter’s box, Sablan would successfully steal second before a single by Silil advanced him to third.

But the Division of Sports and Recreation employee wasn’t done as the Falcons’ rightfielder bobbled the ball and Sablan quickly took advantage and sprinted to home plate for the winning run.

Benwachi Taisacan, who tied Pangelinan in this season’s homerun race with two apiece, led the Rangers in the win by going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Mario Sablan, Silil, J.J. Laniyo, and Guerrero also had a hit each for the Rangers. Tenorio and J.P. Sablan also combined for three strikeouts in the win.

For the Falcons, Kalen went 1-for-2 with a run and a double. Their pitchers Teigita and Camacho recorded two strikeouts.

A week ago the Rangers broke its tie against the Falcons when it pummeled them 14-8 in a game that saw Ford’s Bansil and Pete Tomakane and Tanapag’s Ned Norita hit homeruns, a first in SML history.

The Rangers and Falcon resume their semifinal series tonight at the Oleai Sports Complex. The continuation of Game 1 of the best-of-three semifinals between pennant champion and perfect Rock Steady and fourth-place D9ers, meanwhile, was played last night, but results were still not available as of press time.