Falcons clinch playoff berth in Juniors

 The Natibu Sports Association-Talaabwogh Falcons secured a spot in the Saipan Little League Junior Division playoffs after a 12-10 comeback victory over DPS-Dare Program-Leep-Enforcers (5-6) last Thursday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

The win was the Falcons’ seventh in 11 games and gave them an automatic bid into the playoffs with top-ranked Haiwaya Technologies, Inc.-Ol’Aces (10-1) and the Bank of Saipan Red Sox (8-3). The final spot is still up for grabs between the Enforcers and the Saipan Shipping Company-Jets (5-6).

This Sunday at Tan Ko Field the Enforcers run into the Red Sox, while the Jets finish up against the Falcons at 9am and noon, respectively.

Meanwhile in other results, the Ol’Aces fended off the Jets, 6-5, on Tuesday, while this past Sunday, the Falcons shellacked the Division of Youth Services-Ramon S. Basa- Frederick P. DL Guerrero-Kagman Lions (0-11), 26-8, in five heavy frames.

Little League opening playoff rounds for the Junior and Senior divisions are scheduled for Thursday, May 17.

The Top 2 seeded teams of each age class will battle it out for a bye. The Junior League game starts at 4pm between top-ranked Ol’Aces and Red Sox followed by the Senior pairing at 6:30pm featuring Docomo Pacific Ol’Aces (10-0) taking on Juan Santiago’s Jets II (8-3), the Falcons (8-3), or the IT&E Fielders (8-3).

The official playoff matchups will be confirmed upon completion of the remaining regular schedule.

The playoffs will utilize a page system format among the Top 4 place finishers of each division. Games will continue over the weekend leading up to the respective championship and consolation games, which are slated for May 22 and May 24.

The Big Division’s opening playoff match will be held on May 19 at 3pm between this year’s pennant champion and 2011 defending champion Docomo Pacific Ol’Aces (8-4) against the Paradise Island Animal Hospital-Hustlers (7-4).

JUNIOR DIVISION

Falcons 12, Enforcers 10

The Falcons took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning off three hits. James Kintaro smashed a two-RBI single.

Then after both teams mustered a run in the second, the Enforcers knotted it at 4-all in the third inning from a two-RBI triple by Darrion Jones. He was later driven in by P.J. Sablan.

Falcons’ Derek Naog singled home Franklin Lizama in the fourth inning to reassume control, but Enforcers’ Cedric Camacho got it back off a couple of errors in the bottom of the fifth.

Enforcers’ Caleb Takao made some noise with a three-run inside-the-park home run to close the sixth inning that gave his team new life, but the Falcons dug deep late in the match and somehow cranked out a seven-run charge in the last inning of regulation.

Notably, Enforcers reliever Jones pitched 4 1/3 solid innings from when he first stepped to the rubber to close the last out of the second frame.

He left the game with zero outs and a man on third base in the last inning. The Enforcers held an 8-6 edge at that point as Jones allowed one run to the dish off a passed ball earlier in the frame.

Jones’ replacement Sablan found a couple of quick outs but paid for them with runs off a wild pitch and an error as the Falcons would just not go away. Now locked up at 8-apiece, the Falcons went on to load the bases for a clutch three-RBI double by Kintaro.

An extra run trotted home from an RBI walk and the Falcons’ Naog held the Enforcers to just two runs in the final stand.

Falcons 26, Lions 8

Believe it or not, the Falcons trailed, 1-2, after the first inning, but they quickly turned things around in the second frame with eight runs acquired through help from five walks and a bean ball that went with a pair of doubles by Ian Norita and Juan Quitugua (RBI). Six runs came home off wild pitches in the inning.

The Lions responded with three runs in the top of the third, but the Falcons remained on fire and screeched ahead, 21-5, in the bottom frame.

They loaded up the base path right away and kept things rolling with a two-RBI base rip by James Kintaro and a three-run inside-the-park home run by Derek Naog.

With two outs still to burn, the Falcons were not nearly finished and immediately boarded three more men for an additional two-RBI smash by Barry Sunumai followed by an RBI single by Kintaro and a two-RBI triple by Chris Sablan during the birds’ second time through the lineup.

The Lions were able to produce three runs in the fourth from Perry Celis and Juden Joyner, but the pride simply fell too far behind.

The Falcons stood up the Lions with ducks on the pond after the early damage and obliged with another handful of runs in the bottom of the fourth before packing up early.

Some more early walks and errors set the table for three pay-off hits for the Falcons including an RBI single for Sablan, while the other runs came in off wild pitches.

The Lions threw everything they could at the flock, however all five of their pitchers experienced some control issues.

As a group, the Falcons drew 15 free passes to match their total hit production.

Ol’Aces 6, Jets 5

The Jets worked out an early 3-0 edge in the first three innings from an RBI single by Ben Maratita in the opening frame and from a passed ball and an error in the third.

Jets’ Franco Nakamura was plunked with two outs and moved to second after K.J. Deleon Guerrero looked at ball four. Nakamura stole third and scored off a pitch in the dirt, while a bobbled ball up at shortstop later enabled Deleon Guerrero to break for the plate.

The Ol’Aces woke up in the fourth inning and salvaged a pair of runs from a two-RBI base knock by Denny Jepen that scored Kenji Yamagata and Terson Eina.

The Jets escaped with the bases loaded, but could not capitalize off the stand in the bottom frame and the Ol’Aces’ top of the order moved them in front, 5-3, in the fifth inning off four hits; Verlance Secharmidal led off with a hit and scored off a wild pitch, Jessie Brel swung his way on and later stole home, while Mike Muna and Eina followed with RBI singles.

Jets’ Nakamura hammered a leadoff inside-the-park homer in the bottom half in effort to ignite a rally, but his teammates went 1-2-3 after his feat thanks to Ol’Aces’ reliever Brel.

The Ol’Aces drew a blank in the top portion of the sixth and the Jets briefly tied the match at 5-all in the bottom half from Peterson Rengiil, who led off the inning with a triple and scored off a passed ball.

In the end, however, Ol’Aces’ Yamagata crushed a lead-off inside-the-park blast for the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and his closer Eina willed his way to get the save in the final stand.