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No Ka Oi is trophy bound
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Posted on Nov 08 2005
Some of the Saipan Softball Association’s top players are just a day away from leaving the Commonwealth for the beautiful nation of Palau as the sluggers of No Ka Oi will be going head-to-head with the best from Guam and Belau during this weekend’s King of the Diamonds tournament at Airai Field.
Tomorrow afternoon team captain John Reyes, Joey Dela Cruz, Mario Sablan, Tony Camacho, J.R. Suel, Jerome Delos Santos, Nick Castro, Mel Sakisat, Paul Reyes, J.J. Laniyo, Frances George, Roy Celis, Dwight Quitano, Jonathan Delos Santos, and manager Roque Celis will be heading to the Rock Islands with umpire Brian Adeldai to represent the CNMI, and they are confident that they’ll return with some hardware.
“We’re good, we’re ready to go, and I think we’re going to win because this is the team to beat, bro,” said Sablan.
According to their captain, the lords of the longball have got a distinct advantage over their competition because their power-packed team has already enjoyed success and has continued to stick together.
“This is a really strong team so we’re gonna bring it back—it’s a guarantee! Don’t worry about that, in the past tournaments we’ve been taking Guam and all so I know we’re gonna win this. We’ve stuck together through every tournament and we know how to play together—that’s out advantage,” said Reyes.
Reyes and Sablan aren’t the only ones expressing their anticipation of victory in the South Seas as veteran baseball and softball manager Tony Rogolifoi said that he expects to see 15 happy faces coming off the plane when the boys return to Saipan.
“We have a solid team and we’re looking forward to them bringing back the trophy with them,” he said.
No Ka Oi will be facing one team from Guam and a pair of teams from Palau in the tournament, and they said that they will be bringing a bunch of fish back with them as well as trophies.
Reyes said that another reason for their determination is that they will be dedicating this tournament to their beloved sponsor and friend Lee Delos Santos. While they have spent plenty of time on Tan Ge Softball Field practicing in Susupe, the squad is planning to pay a visit to Delos Santos tonight before leaving tomorrow.
