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Hagu La’mun vs Tokahao in Belau softball men’s finals
Tokahao outfielders catch the last out of the game as they won over Asahi, 23-12 in the semifinals of the 2022 Budweiser Belau Softball Association League last Sunday at the Dandan Softball Field. (LEIGH GASES)
Hagu La’mun and Tokahao blasted through their respective opponents in the semifinals last Sunday at the Dandan Softball Field to seal a finals seat in the men’s division of the 2022 Budweiser Belau Softball Association League.
The mighty Sufa have fallen after Hagu La’mun defeated them, 13-10, in dramatic fashion. The Sufa’s bats were just not up to par during the game, with the lineup silenced in three innings, which allowed Hagu La’mun to capitalize.
While Sufa did have a six-run first inning, Hagu La’mun returned the favor and more in the second with eight runs. A solo home run was made by Glen Camacho, followed by his teammates that were greedy for runs after him.
Sufa’s Jun Salalila shot a two-run home run in the sixth inning, breaking their three-inning silence. However, Hagu La’mun’s pitcher Joe Celis stopped Sufa’s try for a rally, with Audie Maratita scoring their last point through a solo home run in the final inning.
Then, Hagu La’mun broke the 10-run tie in the last inning after three runs were scored by Dennis Cruz, Tim Wesley, and Camacho at the top of their lineup and took the W away from Sufa.
In the last semifinal bout of the day, Tokahao ended Asahi’s run to the championships, 23-12, in a run-ruled game.
Tokahao’s bats were ball magnets throughout the game as they clobbered Asahi pitcher Dominic Hideo into a drunken stupor after a 13-run third inning.
The game had the makings of a home run derby as back-to-back home runs were made by Tokahao with Jeff Cruz’s home run in the top of the third inning. He was followed by Jojo Attao’s home run, then Bruce Norita’s solo shot, and finally, a home run by George David.
Asahi’s Hector Efraim, Suo Matsutaro, and Marino Hiroichi also contributed home runs, but their team couldn’t catch up as they were already behind by 11 runs, with only one more run made in the last couple of innings.
Game 1 of the best-of-three championship is on Dec. 18 at 9am, with Game 2 at 10am. If needed, the tie-breaking third championship game is scheduled for 1pm.
Results of Game 1 of the women’s championship will be posted in the next issue of Saipan Tribune.
