Hustlers draw first blood in finals

Just a day after eliminating the Kautz Glass Glazers from the playoff picture to advance to the finals of the fall edition of the Saipan Major League, the Heinz & David North Stars fell one run shy of downing the defending champion Rep. Dave Apatang Hustlers in the start of their best-of-five finals series yesterday at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field.

The Hustlers got six solid innings of work from their starting pitcher Byron Kaipat, and three more in relief by Jonathan Camacho.

Kaipat allowed four runs off of eight hits and struck out three, while Camacho gave up a run off of two hits and fanned a pair of batters.

While the duo of Kaipat and Camacho ruled the mound for the defending champs, centerfielder Roy Celis ruled the plate. Celis went 3-for-4 with the bat, hitting a trio of singles and scoring twice. Teammate Manny Sablan also had a positive stint at the plate, as the all-star catcher went 2-for-4 with a single and a double.

The North Stars relied on the strong arm of Ricky Jones, but their offense failed to keep up with its end of the bargain. Jones went the distance in the contest, allowing five runs off of nine hits, striking out three, and walking three.

While the bats of the Stars were relatively quiet, centerfielder Clifton Silil had an inspiring night at the plate. Silil went 4-for-5 with three doubles, a single, and a score. Teammate Jonathan Tenorio had a solid game as well with two singles in four succesful attempts at the plate.

Following their triumphant rally at the end of the game that gave them the 9-6 come from behind win against Glazers, the North Stars seemingly had momentum on their side on Saturday afternoon, but it’s possible that their race to the finish sapped too much of their emotion as they were unable to answer the Hustlers seventh-inning, game-winning run.

The Hustlers took command of the game early on, as Celis crossed the plate in the bottom of the first inning to give his team the 1-0 lead. The North Stars got a rally going in the top of the third inning to tie the game at one apiece, and take the lead courtesy of a comedy of errors allowed Silil and Johnson Jones to score.

The lead changed hands again when the Hustlers got their next at-bats. After Jester Garcia was walked to first base in the bottom of the fourth inning, he made his way to third off of some errant pitching. The next batter, Vincent Sablan, was walked as well, and a single by Celis sent Garcia home to tie the game. After Luis Iguel lined out to shortstop Johnson Jones, Manny Sablan drove in Celis and Vincent Sablan with a double that gave the Hustlers a 4-2 lead.

The two-run advantage lasted until the top of the sixth inning, when Isidro Sablan crossed the plate after Anson Jones singled him in, and Johnty Jones scored off of a single by Silil.

The game changed again in the bottom of the seventh, as A.J Allen singled in Iguel for what proved to be the game winner.

Game 2 of the series takes place this weekend, as the Hustlers look to move a step closer to repeating as the champions of the fall league on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 10am.