Previous Story
Bears formally take pennant; SBL semifinals cast complete
The streaking Chalan Kanoa Bears secured the pennant in the 2018 Saipan Baseball League, while the semis cast was completed last Friday.
The Bears were handed a win via forfeiture against the Falcons last Friday to improve their record to 16-1 with one game left (versus the Indians) in the double-round-robin elimination. Their last match, which is set today as per the original schedule SBL organizers released last week, will not affect the Bears’ final standings, as the second-running Go See Mark could no longer catch the former at the top spot of the 10-team field. GSM holds a 13-3 slate with two games left in the elimination.
However, a win over the ousted Indians (2-14) would give the Bears a sweep of the second round and extend their streak to 17. The pennant champion’s lone loss this season so far was against the defending titlists Aces, who dominated the Bears in their first round game, 14-4, last March 9.
Meanwhile, with the Bears’ victory via default over the Falcons, the latter were eliminated and the Mariners and Aces moved into the semifinals, joining the league-leaders and GSM.
The Mariners hold an 11-6 record and would finish the elimination with a 12-6 mark once they are formally awarded the victory (forfeiture) in their last match against the Ballistics. The Ballistics would no longer play their remaining games after forfeiting two matches before the league took a break last month to give way to the 9th Micronesian Games.
The Aces, on the other hand, wrapped up the regular season last week with a 12-6 mark. However, their win-loss record is not yet official, as their victory over the Mariners last Aug. 9 was placed under protest by the latter. SBL has yet to make a final decision on the match under protest.
The Mariners and Aces’ final standings are important for the playoff pairings, as the No. 4 finisher will have to face the streaking Bears and the No. 3 will be pitted against the equally tough GSM.
Meanwhile, although the semis cast has been completed, the remaining matches in the regular season will still be played to determine the winners in the individual statistics.
