Falcons bring down Pirates

A Falcons runner gets ready to run from second to third base, while a Pirates pitcher throws from the mound during their Majors division game in the 2018 Saipan Little League Baseball yesterday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Falcons capitalized on the Pirates’ struggles on the mound in the closing stages of their Majors division game in the 2018 Saipan Little League Baseball to score an 11-5 victory yesterday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield.

The Falcons had nine runs at the top of the fourth and fifth inning, turning a 2-4 deficit to an 11-4 advantage en route to their third win in as many games. The Falcons got two runs in the fourth off a wild pitch and base on ball, while the two others were courtesy of Christopher Gonzales’ RBI single. Then in the fifth inning, the Mike Cruz-coached Falcons took three more runs on base on ball and off an RBI single each from Achilles Evangelista and Chris Pangelinan.

The Falcons registered the combined nine runs in the pivotal fourth and fifth inning against three Pirates pitchers.

The Pirates, before their pitching meltdown, led after three complete innings, 4-2, thanks to Charley McDonald’s two-run homer at the bottom of the third and Noah Iguel’s RBI single in the second. The Falcons, posted their first two runs off Gonzales’ RBI single in the first and Noah Aguon’s run off an error in the third.

After a slow start, the Falcons then got their rhythm with the help of the Pirates’ erratic job on the mound to grab the lead. The Falcons’ defense also stepped up, with Aguon taking over from Gonzales at the bottom of the fourth and delivering three strikeouts in that period, while stranding a Pirates runner at third base.

Aguon tallied two more strikeouts in the fifth inning and left a Pirates runner at first. Then in the sixth inning, with the Pirates pressured to score eight runs to win the game, Aguon made up for a single he gave to Destiny Pangelinan and an RBI single to Memrino Eliesar by striking out Iguel and Joey Dela Cruz to end the match. Eliesar was earlier caught out at second base for the second out.

Besides his steady performance on the mound, the Falcons closer also scored three runs for the winning team, while Alfonso Taitano and Leandre Sablan added two each.

Meanwhile, the Braves got off to a strong start to beat Bank of Saipan, 19-12.

The Braves logged seven runs at the top of the first—five earned—against only one from Bank of Saipan to take control of the game.

Bank of Saipan tried to mount a comeback, as it collected 11 runs in the third and fourth inning to move within two, 12-14, however the Braves retained the driver’s seat after countering with five runs in the sixth and shutting down their foes in the last two.

Jylon Sablan, who closed out for the Braves after relieving Angel Igitol, had a rough time in the fourth inning, but redeemed himself in the fifth and sixth. He pitched 1-2-3 at the bottom of the fifth and struck out Bank of Saipan’s leadoff batter Jess Stole in the sixth before walking Ezra Ada. He then fanned out Kian Helgen to set up the game-ending double play, as catcher Joel Borja threw to Igitol at second base and the latter tagged out Ada.