Rangers rally, Kings come back

The Saipan Major League continued its march on the 2006 season with a pair of exciting match-ups over the weekend as the defending champion Ford Rangers and the youthful Bud Kings scored wins under the sun at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field.

The most valuable players from last season’s playoffs came up big for the Rangers on Saturday afternoon as pitcher Craig Sanchez pulled off a complete game win, while John Reyes worked his magic at the plate.

Sanchez allowed five runs off of 11 hits and fanned through nine innings atop the hill while Reyes drove in three runs off of a pair of singles, a double, and a triple to finish 4-for-5 on the day.

Reyes also showed his speed on the base path with a pair of stolen bags and two runs scored, but the spry shortstop wasn’t the only hitter who added to the mix.

Left fielder Jeff Diaz went 3-for-5 at the plate with two singles and a triple, while both first baseman Ed Kapileo and right fielder J.J. Laniyo went 2-for-4.

The Yankees drew first blood with a run in the top of the first and two more in the second before finally surrendering a run to the Rangers in the bottom of the third. After trailing 3-1 midway through the game, the Rangers fired off a three-run salvo in the fourth to take a 5-1 advantage and never looked back.

The teams traded runs in the fifth inning but the Rangers slammed the door closed on the Yankees with another three-run burst in the bottom of the eighth.

BUD KINGS 11, TOYOTA 10

The youthful Budweiser Kings ripped off a win in thrilling fashion on Sunday afternoon as Tino Mafnas’ walk-off single sent Jerome Delos Santos running across home plate to end their 10 inning affair with Toyota, 11-10.

With one out and runners on second and third, Mafnas racked up his only hit of the day to win the game as the Kings crowned Toyota in the bottom of the 10th like a team of seasoned veterans.

The addition of a little experience to the Bud team paid off as Dane Lizama led the weekend whackers with a 5-for-6 performance at the plate that yielded five base knocks and a pair of runs scored, while MVP third baseman Tony Celis went 4-for-6 with three singles and a triple.

Center fielder Jonathan Villagomez went 2-for-4 with a pair of base hits, and while Delos Santos suffered a frustrating 1-for-6 outing, it was wiped away when he scored the final run of the day.

Mafnas’ late-game heroics would not have come into play were it not for the “never say die” attitude of the young gunners as showed midway through the extra innings event.

After trailing 7-5 through the first three innings, the Kings watched as Toyota added a pair of runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to take what seemed to be a commanding 10-5 lead, but they second year team was not to be denied.

One by one, the Kings brought their runners home until they tied the game with a five-run rally in the bottom of the fifth, 10-10. Neither squad was able to add another tally through the next four and a half innings, but Mafnas eventually found a way to make Toyota pay.