Team Kliq is King of the Diamond

Team Kliq celebrates after winning the championship of the King of the Diamond Labor Day Softball Tournament yesterday at the Capitol Hill Ballfield. Kliq beat Klal Boys in two straight games to win the title. (MARK RABAGO)

Kliq beat erstwhile undefeated Klal Boys in the first game and then proved it wasn’t a fluke by repeating in the second to win the championship of the King of the Diamond Labor Day Softball Tournament yesterday at the Capitol Hill Ballfield.

Down 12-7 entering the top of the sixth and last inning, Kliq leaned on a grand slam by Eli Aughenbaugh and stout defense at the bottom of the sixth to force extra innings.

In the seventh inning, Patrick Tenorio and Thorn Sablan touched home plate to break the tie, 14-12. Klal Boys were down to their last out with one runner on second base for the tying run. Unfortunately, Jun Palacios grounded out to the pitcher to end the game, as Kliq’s players celebrated in the field.

Klal Boys led 4-2 after the first inning of the rubber match before Kliq took the driver’s seat, 5-4, in the second with their own three-run salvo punctuated by a homerun by Tenorio.

It was 6-all after three innings as Poland Masaharu went yard for Kliq and Shane Yamada brought Ben Jones and himself home with a deep shot of his own.

It was in the fifth inning that Klal Boys appeared to blow the game wide open when six runners crossed home plate aided by a homerun from Jesus Iguel to make it 12-7.

Then in the sixth, Aughenbaugh made the miraculous shot that tied the count and it was curtains an inning later for Klal Boys.

It was a sorry loss for Klal Boys who went undefeated before losing two straight to the eventual champions Kliq. Kliq, meanwhile, had to go through the proverbial eye of the needle just to reach the finals.

Kliq beat Pues OK 4Nate and Alapatiw Alongaal in the loser’s bracket earlier in the day just to earn the right to face Klal Boys, which last saw action Sunday evening against Alapatiw Alongaal.

In the first game, Kliq repulsed a late rally by Klal Boys, 12-11, to force the do-or-die game. The latter’s bats were silent majority of the game before homeruns by Darion Jones and Jesus and Mike Iguel made it close.

Kliq manager Tony Tenorio attributed the team’s come-from-behind victory to never giving up even when the chips were down.

“It’s 100% team effort and that’s all you need in life. When you go against adversity you just have to go through that little hump and everything is possible. You don’t keep yourself in a small spot. Anything is possible. Just play hard!” he said.

Aughenbaugh, for his part, said he was sure he hit a homerun when the softball left his back in the top of the sixth.

“I was thinking grand slam and I said after I hit it to ‘let’s go!’ We needed that. Honestly, I thought I was going to hit it,” he said.

By winning the Diamond Labor Day Softball Tournament, Kliq players went home with $1,000 plus a set of 12 uniforms. Runner-up Klal Boys settled for $750, while third place Alapatiw Alongaal got $500 for third place. Pues OK 4Nate pocketed $350 for taking fourth place.

The Diamond Labor Day Softball Tournament was sponsored by Budweiser, Saipan Select, AllStar Sporting Goods, Power 99, and Marianas Variety. For more information on the Roil Soil Marketing event, call Ikluk Masayos at 287-7979 or Shayne Villanueva at 285-4269.