Brewers, Yankees hammer blowout wins

 The Tan Holdings Brewers and the Northern Yankees both notched lopsided wins to remain ahead of the pack in the standings as the Saipan Major League 2012 season rounds to a close at the Francisco Tan Ko Palacios Ballfield.

The Brewers pummeled the Masters, 18-1, last Monday, while the Yankees chewed up the D-9ers, 25-6, last Wednesday.

Both matches lasted only seven innings and both frontrunners still share identical win-loss records of 3-1.

Defending champion St. Michael’s Medical Response Angels (2-1) and the Ol’Aces (2-1) are still in firing distance while the Fielders (2-2), Masters (1-3), and D-9ers (0-3) are trying to turn things around.

Brewers 18, Masters 1

Monday’s game started after a slight rain delay and was then interrupted a second time by a brief power outage during the second inning side change.

The Brewers established an early 2-0 lead in the first inning off an error and an RBI base smash by Mike Pangelinan.

The Masters’ lone run came shortly after the second inning from an RBI single by Manny Tenorio, and although they hung around for longer than what the final score suggests, they simply could not string together enough hits to ignite a rally.

The Brewers shot ahead, 7-1, in the third off four hits including a two-RBI single by Pangelinan.

Masters pitcher Ben Duenas was not discouraged despite not receiving any run support. He also could have used cleaner play by the defense who had trouble getting under fly balls all night.

He kept the Brewers at bay through the fourth and fifth innings, however the Masters stranded a runner in scoring position in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.

The writing appeared on the wall in the top of the sixth inning when the Brewers piled on seven runs off four hits. Roy Celis cracked a two-RBI double and Byron Kaipat an RBI triple.

Kaipat came to the mound to finish for starter Ota Noboyuke and had little trouble securing the save.

His Brewers went on to add four more runs in the top of the seventh off four more hits and a pair of sacrifice flies by Manny Sablan and designated hitter Murphy Namelo. Kaipat bagged an RBI single in the mix as well.

Winning pitcher Noboyuke gave up zero earned runs off two hits, four walks, and a bean ball with four strikeouts through five innings.

Brewers’ Pangelinan swung 3-for-4 with three RBIs, three runs, a stolen base, and a hit-by-pitch. Sablan batted 3-for-4 with an RBI, two runs, and a base on balls.

Northern Yankees 25, D-9ers 6

Surprisingly, the D-9ers grinded out an early 4-3 edge in the opening frame. They loaded the bases and worked one run to the plate in the process, which eventually set the stage for a base-clearing double by Chad Atalig.

Northern Yankees’ Dave Jones was tapped to relieve Jared Camacho after another run crossed the plate early in the second inning. Jones pulled the plug on the D-9ers’ offense for the next four frames after which he gave the ball to Greg Camacho to close the last two frames.

At the plate, the Yankees seized control, 8-5, in the bottom of the second inning thanks to three walks, some errors, and an RBI double by Jerome Delos Santos. Joshua Jones also reached with a single and touched all four.

Then the Yankees pulled ahead, 12-5, in the third as Chris Camacho drove in Ben Jones and scored off an error and Jerome Delos Santos lifted up a two-run home run that brought Gary Cruz to the plate with him.

The game was well out of reach at that point, but the Yankees nailed up a couple of runs in the fifth off errors and then piled on eight more in the sixth off three hits, an error, three walks, a bean ball, and a sacrifice fly by Camacho. Ben Jones bagged an RBI single and Tom Agulto stamped the exclamation point to the end with a base-clearing, three-RBI base smash.

The Yankees then put up its final four runs in the seventh off another five hits.

Dave Camacho Jr. led off with a triple and scored off a wild pitch, while Delos Santos drilled a two-RBI single before being brought to the dish by Joshua Jones.

Winning pitcher Dave Jones gave up one hit with seven strikeouts through four scoreless innings.

Yankees’ Delos Santos batted 4-for-5 with seven RBIs, three other runs, and a base on ball.