CNMI sluggers fall short in ASPAC

The CNMI All-Stars’ participation in the 2011 Asia-Pacific Little League Regional Championship at the Northern Region Sports Complex in Dededo, Guam was the biggest event last week and unfortunately, the Commonwealth bets bowed out of the competition.

The Randall Aguon-coached squad had a wining debut in the ASPAC after shutting out the Philippines, 10-0. However, that was the only time the CNMI youth sluggers won, as they dropped their last three games in Pool B.

In the second day of the tournament, the CNMI Little League All-Stars lost to eventual Pool B finisher Korea, 0-8, and suffered back-to-back losses after bowing to Hong Kong, 5-8,

Then in a must-win game against Guam, the CNMI led, 4-0, with only one inning left, but the host rallied to eke out an 8-4 triumph.

Pool A top finisher Chinese-Taipei eventually clinched the ASPAC championship after beating Korea in the rain-delayed finals, 3-1. It was Chinese-Taipei’s third straight title in the ASPAC, while the CNMI extended its drought to five years after having won the division the last time in 2006. Chinese-Taipei will now represent Asia-Pacific to the World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, next month.

In other significant events last week, CNMI athletes heading to off-island competitions were upbeat about their participation in international contests, while in a local tournament, the BANMI women’s league had its second round of games.

Swimmer Rezne Wong and biker Matthew Mancao are heading to Shenzhen, China, next month for the World University Games and are excited to be the first ones to represent the Commonwealth to the FISU-sanctioned competition.

Also bound for off-island events are athletics’ Yvonne Bennett and Orrin Joseph Ogumoro Pharmin and Grace Kimball. The two CNMI sprinters will participate in the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, Korea, next month, while Kimball will join Wong and Victoria Chentsova in the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China this week.

In football, the CNMI U15 Team left Saipan for a mini camp in Japan and a stint in the 2011 East Asian Football Federation U15 Youth Tournament in Taiwan.

In basketball, only the BANMI women’s league being played at the indoor TSL Sports Complex pushed through with its games, while other competitions were rescheduled due to heavy rains.