Comets, Enforcers, Rays, Falcons advance to semis

 Pennant champion Rep. Joseph P. Guerrero-Dandan Comets, the DPS Dare Program-Enforcers, the Pacific Amusement-Rays, and the Natibu Sports Association-Talaabwogh Falcons advanced to the post season of the 2012 Saipan Little League’s Majors Division after the conclusion of the opening playoff round held over the weekend at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield.

The Comets shut out IT&E, 11-0, and the Enforcers survived the Attorney Robert T. Torres-Kagman Little Legals, 7-5, on Saturday, while last Sunday the Falcons snuck past the IT&E Ol’Aces, 5-4, and the Rays slammed the door on As Matuis Twins, 5-1.

The Enforcers are set to face the Falcons at 9am on Saturday followed by the Comets against the Rays at noon. Then Saturday’s winners will each vie for the championship scheduled for 1pm on Sunday preceded by the 9am consolation match.

Falcons 5, Ol’Aces 4

Ol’Aces started strong with an early 3-0 advantage off two hits in the first inning with Mathew Higgins bagging an RBI single.

Falcons pitcher Kekuni Kainoa settled down after a shaky start and held Ol’Aces scoreless for the next four innings.

Falcons’ Ave Evangelista drove in Don Fejeran in the bottom of the second and the birds brought around four gifted runs in the fifth frame off four walks and some extra throws around the infield. The only credited hit in the pivotal inning was an RBI single by Fejeran.

Kainoa held strong on the mound late in the game and contained Ol’Aces to just one run in its final stand. His teammates also backed him up with a nifty double play to end the game.

Winning pitcher Kainoa allowed four runs to the plate, none of them earned, off four hits and two walks with three strikeouts through all six innings.

Ol’Aces hurler Virgil Secharmidal left the mound with a 3-1 lead upon exceeding his pitch count with one out in the fifth inning; he also batted 2-for-3 with two runs.

Rays 5, Twins 1

Rays leadoff man Kody Omengkar drew a leadoff walk and scored off a wild pitch and teammate and Manuel Celis reached on a single and later stole home to give their team an early 2-0 edge.

The early runs turned out to be huge as this match quickly turned into a pitching duel between Rays’ Nathaniel Torres and Twins’ Richard Atalig.

The Twins were held in check for three innings, but Randy Tudela was issued a free pass to the plate as Torres ran into some trouble in the top half of the fourth.

Rays’ Nnes Siech came to the mound with bases loaded to close the final out of the frame. He walked in the run, but recovered quickly and went on to finish the game in convincing fashion.

His teammates picked him up later in the game after Twins’ Atalig exceeded his pitch count with two outs in the fifth inning. Rays’ Omengkar scored off another wild pitch and Celis tripled in Jay Kalen and came around to score off an overthrow to third base. The Twins came up empty in the final stand.

The Rays managed four hits in the game compared to the Twins’ three. Rays’ Celis batted 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs.

Comets 11, IT&E 0

Comets were in true form and made light work of IT&E in four innings.

Comets broke the ice in the first inning as Aurel Mendiola hustled his way on and around after leading off the game with a strikeout.

Teammate Kody Rabauliman doubled in Austin Indalecio and stole the plate to give their starting pitcher Erik Cruz a 3-0 cushion.

Comets then added a handful of runs off four hits in the third inning to put the match out of reach.

Cruz busted an RBI double and scored off a wild pitch, while teammates Austin Hocog and Norman Villagomez set the table for a three-run homerun by Mendiola.

Comets went on to add the needed for the early decision as Cruz dealt from the mound.

Cruz pitched a one-hit shutout in four innings with a walk and 12 strikeouts.

Mendiola batted 2-for-3 with three RBIs, another run, and two stolen bases. Ethan Babauta went 2-for-2 with two runs, a base on balls, and a stolen base. Hocog swung 2-for-2 with a run, a base on ball, and a stolen base.

Enforcers 7, Little Legals 5

Enforcers worked out an early 3-0 lead in the opening frame primarily from a pair of doubles by Joaquin Saralu and an RBI by Travis Camacho.

Little Legals’ Quinton Deleon Guerrero got a run back off a wild pitch and the count became locked at 4-all after the fourth inning.

The Legals mustered three runs in the top half off an RBI double by Pedro Maratita and a pair of walks with the bases loaded, but Enforcers’ Shakobe Rangamar singled and scored off an error in the to close the frame.

Legals’ Deleon Guerrero bashed a one-out single and scored off a passed ball in the fifth, but the Enforcers went ahead, 7-5, with three runs in the bottom frame off four hits. Kier Agda bagged an RBI single and the Legals went 1-2-3 in the final stand.

Enforcers’ Saralu swung 2-for-3 with two runs.