Close games mark season opener

A nice set of evenly matched teams clashed in the Saipan Little League Baseball’s 2012 season opener held over the weekend at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

When the dust cleared, the Junior Division Natibu Tanapag Falcons edged defending champion IT&E Fielders, 7-6; the Big League Paradise Island Animal Hospital Hustlers fended off reigning champion Docomo Pacific Ol’Aces, 4-3; then the Big League IT&E Fielders trumped the Kagman Lions, 6-4, on Sunday; while Big League Ol’Aces picked off the St. Michael’s Medical Response Hunters, 5-3, on Tuesday.

The only lopsided match was held between the Senior Division’s Fielders and the Marianas CableVision Kagman Lions, which the former seized, 17-5, on Saturday.

Monday’s games were cancelled due to rain and conflicts with the umpires’ schedule. Details of the Seniors match between the Docomo Ol’Aces and Natibu Tanapag Falcons along with the Junior DPS DARE Program LEEP Enforcers’ meeting with the Saipan Shipping Company Jets will be released over the weekend.

The season continues today at 4pm with a junior pairing between the Bank of Saipan Red Sox and the Kagman Lions.

JUNIOR LEAGUE

Falcons 7, Fielders 6

The Falcons broke the ice with a run off errors in the first inning and added another in the third off a double by James Kintaro, but the Fielders completed a four-run tear in the bottom of the third inning.

Falcons’ J.J. Lifoifoi struck out two batters but also gave up three walks to start the third that set up an RBI single by Kainoa Wanket and a two-RBI double by Austin Roberto. The Falcons managed to get one back in the bottom frame to trail, 2-4.

The Falcons remained patient and its top of the order reassumed control, 6-4, in the fifth inning off three hits, a walk, and a pair of bean balls. The runs came in off errors, a passed ball, and a double by Barry Sunumai.

They would add another in the final frame as Derek Naog ripped a leadoff triple and trotted home off an error and escaped with the win after containing the Fielders to two runs in its final stand.

Wanket managed nine strikeouts from when he stepped on the rubber to start the fourth inning, but also allowed five hits and four free passes.

Winning pitcher Kintaro came to the mound to close the final out of the third frame and went on to allow a pair of unearned runs off just two hits and three walks with a bean ball in four and a third innings.

SENIOR LEAGUE

Fielders 17, Lions 5

It was knotted up at 2-2 after four innings, when the Fielders jumped all over the Lions at the start of the fifth frame.

The Fielders’ first four batters all bagged hits and soon after knocked Lions pitcher Justin Reyes off the mound.

Fielders’ Davin Ada singled home a run, while James Aldan brought in two more with a double. The rest came off sketchy pitches; the Lions responded with just one run in the bottom half.

Aldan then hammered a two-RBI triple in the next frame as the Fielders trudged ahead, 11-3, after six and held the Fielders to just two runs in the last frame.

Aldan swung 2-for-2 for four RBIs, two runs, a stolen base, and a base on balls.

Winning pitcher Keoni Kaipat gave up just three hits, two earned runs, and eight walks in five innings.

BIG LEAGUE

Hustlers 4, Ol’Aces 3

The Hustlers established an early 3-0 lead in the first inning off errors and a pair of hits, including an RBI triple by cleanup man Brian Camacho, who later scored himself off a wild pitch.

Then the count shifted to 3-2 after four innings as the Hustlers were gifted an RBI walk in the top frame.

However, Ol’Aces fired back to pull within a run in the bottom half off four hits and a sacrifice fly by Harry Nakamura; Felipe Litulumar cranked an RBI single, but the Ol’Aces would leave them loaded.

Notably, Nakamura was called to the mound to start the fourth inning and aside from the shaky start, he escaped the fourth with the bases loaded and went on to retire nine of the next 10 batters he faced, but his teammates came a run shy of forcing extra innings in the final stand.

Hustlers pitcher K.J. Villagomez bagged the decision and gave up two earned runs off four hits with eight strikeouts and three walks in five innings.

Fielders 6, Lions 4

IT&E Fielders managed a slim 4-3 edge after four innings and added two more in the fifth before containing its rivals to just one run in the final two innings.

IT&E broke the ice in the opening frame with two hits, an error, and a wild pitch. IT&E then added another run off errors in the second inning, but the Lions roared back and knotted the score at 2-all with four hits, including a pair of doubles by Shota Castro and Leroy Regis.

IT&E’s Peter Lieto led off the fourth with a double and scored off an error to reclaim the lead, 4-3.

Unfortunately for the Lions, its defense crumbled in the fifth and the pride could not make up for it at the plate in the later innings.

Nathan Guerrero edged Lions’ Regis on the mound and limited Kagman to three runs off eight hits with eight punch-outs and two walks in six innings. Regis also went the distance and gave up just one earned run off four hits with six strikeouts and a walk.

Ol’Aces 5, Hunters 3

The Hunters struck in the first inning with a run off an error, but Ol’Aces countered with two runs in the bottom frame off three hits. Rocco Reyes and Keoni Lizama belted RBI singles each.

The Hunters briefly locked it at 2-2 off another error in the fourth inning, but the Ol’Aces tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fifth off a triple by Diego Camacho, a sacrifice fly by Lamarc Iguel, and errors.

From there the Ol’Aces limited its opponents to just a run in the bottom half of the inning and held on for the win.

Ol’Aces’ pitcher Iguel went the distance and gave up zero earned runs and just three hits with six strikeouts, a walk, and two hit batsmen. His teammate Lizama batted 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI.