SSA leaders have time to rest on laurels

In the last couple of weeks, the rain has become more of a fixture on Saipan than Mt. Tapaochao, and though the players of the Saipan Softball Association have been idle as of late, the statistics that they have compiled thus far into the season prove that they have been getting a lot of work done.

In the 2004 Men’s Island Wide Softball Slow Pitch League, the batters reign supreme, and no player connects with the softball with a higher average than Robert Bansil of Buddzz. Bansil is literally batting a thousand, as the slugger has gone a perfect 11-for-11 at the plate.

In second place sits La Chai’s speedy John Reyes, who has gone 17-for-18 for a .944, with three triples. Island Mix’s Tony Luzama (17-for-20, .850), is third on the A-list of averages, smacking five doubles and 18 runs batted in.

With .844 average, Mel Sakisat leads the league in runs scored (22), homeruns (14), and RBIs (44), and gone 27-for-32 at the plate for the first place Bud Light Chura. Teammate Craig Sanchez has crossed the plate 17 times thus far, and he provides added oomph for the 6-0 squad, slugging 17-for-21 at the plate for a mark of .810.

The format for the underhanded lobbing league is definitely designed to favor the hitters, as all of the players in the top 10 have averages above .700, but in the 2004 Men’s Softball Fast Pitch League, it’s a different story.

With underhanded canons, the ace pitchers of the blue darter league are the stars of the show, and their ability to keep the competition whiffing is what keeps their teams winning.

It is no coincidence that the top five pitchers in the league belong to the top five teams. Local legend Tony Satur leads the league with a 2.65 earned run average. The master of the mound has allowed 28 hits over the span of 21.1 innings to lead Proa into a tie for first place and a perfect 4-0 record.

While Greg Ada is second in the league with a 2.75 ERA, his Verizon Sluggers team has managed only a third place slot at 3-2, but it is the third place pitcher who has landed his team in second place.

Jess Peterson has a slightly higher ERA than Ada at a 3.88, but he has pitched the D-9ers into a tie with Proa, at 4-0. Peterson has surrendered 31 hits in 20 innings to earn the number three spot.

The fourth and fifth place teams in the standings have the pitchers with the fourth and fifth lowest ERAs respectively. Jess Manibusan of the Islanders (2-3), and John Camacho of the C-Bees “4” (2-4) have pitched 4.90 and 4.94, respectively.

While Proa and the D-9ers currently have five of the top six hitters on their rosters, John Sablan and his league leading .778 average belong to Verizon. Sablan has connected with more balls than his sponsor has calls, as he went14-for-18 at the plate in four games. Sablan also leads the league with four doubles, is second with 12 runs scored, and fourth with eight RBIs.

Behind Sablan is a stable of D-9ers led by the .722 of Mel Sakisat and his 13-for-18 at the plate. Jerome Delos Santos and Jonathan Tenorio round out the power plant for the D-9ers with .643 and .625 respectively. Though the tandem has posted some solid numbers for the 9, Tony Celis (.700) and Eric Lizama (.688) of Proa have bested the double Js, combining for 18 hits in 26 at bats.