IP&E, Laolao keep playoff hopes alive

IP&E Rockies’ Dai Podziewski has his bat up while waiting for a pitch from Laolao Bay during an earlier Major division game in the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Laolao shut out the Jets in a make-up game last Tuesday, 14-0, while IP&E slipped past McDonald’s in extra innings, 5-4, last Saturday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfiled. Laolao improved to a 7-4 record for a tie for fifth place with the JPO Enforcers, while IP&E moved up to ninth place with its even 6-6 slate. Only the Top 8 teams in the 15-team field will advance to the playoffs after the single-elimination regular season and the division is past the halfway mark of the preliminaries so teams are pressured to start collecting important wins.

IP&E got one from McDonald’s, which absorbed back-to-back losses after winning six straight. IP&E handed McDonald’s another setback when Matthew Richardson reached home in the bottom of the seventh inning off a McDonald’s error at second base. Richardson led off for IP&E in the last inning, had a walk and made it to second off a passed ball. Delvin Ada was next at bat, but grounded out at first, while Brandon Delos Reyes hit his target with the ball dropping to second and McDonald’s Kiku committing a fumble, giving Richardson time to run home for the win.

IP&E had to go through extra inning to thwart McDonald’s, which came back from a 1-4 deficit after racking up three runs at the top of the sixth inning. IP&E led right away in the first inning, 2-0, off Tyrese Camacho’s RBI single and Dai Podziewski’s run from McDonald’s error at short stop. McDonald’s also nailed a run off IP&E’s miscue in the second inning to move within one, but the latter gained some cushion in the third inning, bagging two more runs off the former’s lapses. However, IP&E failed to keep the driver’s seat at the end of the regulation, as McDonald’s fought back at the bottom of the sixth to extend the game.

While IP&E went the distance to beat McDonald’s, Laolao Bay took the short route to victory over the Jets. Laolao secured the lopsided win after only three and a half innings. Back-to-back five runs in the first two innings helped Laolao take the early decision, as it turned the Jets’ miscues to seven unearned runs. The three earned other runs came in the first inning off J.P. Celis’ RBI triple and Franco Namauleg and Jun Celis’ RBI singles. Laolao also drew an RBI single from J.P. Celis and three more runs off the Jets’ errors in the third inning.

J.P. Celis and Justin Ada pitched for Laolao and combined for a two-hitter, four walks, and eight strikeouts.

Comets II 12, Twins 4

In last Saturday’s second game, Comets II won the battle of the teams at the bottom half of the team standings.

With the victory, Comets II snapped its seven-game losing skid, while the Twins absorbed their 12th in as many games. Both teams are out of the playoffs and are just aiming for a decent record at the end of the regular season.

Down 0-1 after one and a half inning, Comets II took control of the match at the bottom of the second, scoring eight runs. Comets II notched five earned runs in the pivotal inning to grab the lead and never lost it, as the Twins could not get their acts together in the last four innings.