Falcons soar past Jets

Falcons second baseman throws to first base during their Senior League game against the Jets last Sunday at the Francisco ?Tan Ko? Palacios Ballfield. (ROSELYN B. MONROYOA )

The Talaabwogh Falcons bagged their second win after bringing down the Jets, 12-2, in their Junior League game in the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball last Sunday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

The Falcons’ defense allowed the Jets to score only in the second inning to secure the early victory via the 10-run mercy rule. The Falcons are now in a tie for second to fourth place with the Jets and the Comets, as they have identical 2-2 records. The JPO Enforcers are in the lead with their 4-0 mark, while the Red Sox and Fielders are in the cellar with their similar 1-4 slates.

Shortsstop Benen Iguel led the Falcons against the Jets, as he went 3-for-4 at bat, contributing two runs and three RBIs. His RBI single at the top of the first inning put the Falcons on the board and his team managed to extend the lead to five after two innings. The Falcons got four more runs in the second inning off Kekuni Kainoa’s RBI single, two errors at leftfield, and a stolen dish.

The Jets also nailed a run off a Falcons’ miscue at the bottom third and added one more off Jerome Reyes’ RBI single to stay in the game, 2-5. However, the Falcons got back on defense in the last four innings and shut down the Jets anew, while stretching their advantage with a six-run top of the fourth. Iguel had a two-run single in the fourth inning and also reached home off an Ace Evangelista single, while the three others runs were courtesy of passed balls.

Red Sox 10, Comets 8
In the first Junior League game last Sunday, the Red Sox ended their three-game losing skid after slipping past the Comets.

A seven-run bottom of the sixth inning helped the defending champions Red Sox notch their first win in four matches and hand the Comets their second defeat.

Before the rally, the Red Sox faced a 3-8 deficit after five and a half innings. They got three runs in the first inning and were without a run in the next four innings, while the Comets scored in five of the first six innings to take the lead.

The Red Sox then grabbed the driver’s seat after tallying four runs off RBI walks, two off an error at second base and left field, and an RBI single from Ramon Agulto. The Red Sox went on to complete the come-from-behind win after stranding two runs at the top of the last inning, as closer Delin Resaura struck out Justin Indalecio for the last out.

Enforcers 6, Fielders 3
The JPO Enforcers remained undefeated after topping the Fielders.

The Enforcers scored only in the second inning, but their six runs were enough to give the team cushion against the Fielders. Ian Muna hit a two-run double in the second and also reached home plate off an error from Fielders shortsstop Jaden Tenorio. The Enforcers turned the Fielders’ two more errors into run, while Jordan Kosam contributed one run off Garnet Martin’s single for their 6-0 lead.

The division leader kept the advantage, as the Fielders only scored in two of the remaining five innings. The Fielders ended the drought in the third inning off Don Ada’s RBI single, but went scoreless anew in the next two innings before gaining two earned runs in the sixth. The Fielders’ last chance to extend the game then quickly ended when the first two batters sat back to the bench off 6-3 putout plays and third batter Sho Taguchi was struck out by relief pitcher Virgil Secharmidal.