CNMI beats Italy as World Series starts

The CNMI Senior All-Stars, representing the Asia-Pacific region in the 2015 World Series for 13-16-year-olds Little Leaguers, won its debut last Sunday (Monday on Saipan) with a 10-5 victory over Europe-Africa champions Lazio, Italy.

The CNMI Senior All-Stars currently have a 1-1 win-loss record in the 2015 Senior World Series in Bangor, Maine. It defeated Italy, 10-6, in its first game but succumbed to host team Old Town, 6-2, in its second. (www.worldseries.bangorinfo.com)

According to the 2015 Senior World Series official website (www.worldseries.bangorinfo.com), bats were out in full force at the Shawn T. Mansfield Stadium in Bangor, Maine when the CNMI faced Italy in the opening day’s second game.

The CNMI, which swept all its games in Asia-Pacific Regional Tournament held on Saipan, and Italy combined for 18 hits.

The Commonwealth, which is making its second straight appearance in the Senior World Series, used small ball as an advantage to get runs early and throughout the game.

The team coached by manager Greg Camacho and head coach Lawrence Camacho had a couple of hits to start the game. A sacrifice bunt by Henry Lizama scored the first run for the CNMI, which exemplified the team’s versatility at the plate.

The CNMI struck for three runs in first inning and then put five runs on the board in the fifth inning off hits from Joaquin Chong, Franklin Lizama, and Roke Tenorio. This made the game 8-3 after four innings.

The World Series’ official website reported that many of the runs allowed by Italy were unearned, as they finished the game with five errors.

“Throughout all of the tournaments before this we never had that many errors. I don’t know if it was jet lag or nerves, but we need to improve,” Italy manager Fabrizio Piraino was quoted by worldseries.bangorinfo.com.

CNMI assistant coach Juan Manibusan, meanwhile, told the World Series’ official website how proud he was on how his boys performed on and off the field.

“We are visitors, and we like to give respect to the players, coaches volunteers, and everyone here,” Manibusan said. “We just want our guys to focus, give 110 percent and have fun. We come here for the fun of the game.”

On Tuesday, Monday on Saipan or a day after Typhoon Soudelor battered the CNMI, a heartbroken CNMI team succumbed to host team Old Town, 2-6.

According to a report from Bangor Daily News, Old Town were quite impressed with how friendly the CNMI team was especially when the Asia-Pacific qualifiers gave the host team native necklaces before the game.

Later in the game when Old Town’s Cole Daniel was hit by a pitch from the CNMI’s Virgil Secharmidal, the latter immediately walked over to first base to shake Daniel’s hand.

“That’s a great group of kids to be around,” Old Town manager Troy Sheehan was quoted by Bangor Daily News after the game. “I don’t know if you saw me during the game but I was talking to them more than I did to my own kids.”

Their sportsmanship on the field, however, couldn’t hide the fact that the CNMI players had their hearts and minds drifting to events back home where Soudelor’s 105mph winds badly hammered Saipan.

“This typhoon really hit us hard,” said CNMI manager Greg Camacho during an emotional news conference after his team’s game. “A lot of our kids’ homes were destroyed, their houses got flattened and they’re without power and water.

“From the information we got as well as the clips that we saw, it’s really bad.”

Members of the CNMI traveling party at the Senior League World Series became aware of the typhoon late Sunday (Monday on Saipan).

“We got wind of it last night before midnight,” Camacho was again quoted by Bangor Daily News as saying. “We kept trying to make contact back home and we couldn’t get through until after midnight.

“When we heard of it we all gathered up and said a little prayer, and so far none of the kids families’ are injured so we’re thankful for that.”

According to Bangor Daily News the CNMI Senior All-Stars did consider leaving the World Series to return home but decided against it in part because of feedback they received from the island.

“Our families back home advised us, ‘No, no, no, we’ll take care of things, we’ll deal with it, just go ahead and finish what you guys started over there and don’t worry about it,’” he said. “They were the ones that advised us to go ahead and finish up and then come home.

“We told the kids last night that we’re here for a purpose, let’s just try to concentrate on that and play. A couple of them did break down because of what they had heard, but I told them that as much as possible try not to think about it. I’m sure their families are safe, so just hang in there.”

“This one is worse,” Bangor Daily News quoted Camacho. “[With] the one we went through that cut our regional tournament short, the eye of the storm didn’t hit us directly, it went south of us. This one, the eye did pass straight above Saipan.”