Tanapag topples Toyota, 16-6

Charito Kladikm was a little man on a not-so little mission as he led the Tanapag Braves to a lopsided 16-6 victory over the Toyota Matrix in continuation of the Saipan Little League Baseball Association at Tan Ge Field on Sunday morning.

Kladikm was a force on both sides of the plate as he allowed four runs off of five hits and fanned five through two innings of work on the hill and smacked a triple and an inside-the-park homerun to get the northern squad another win in the books.

Jotham Camacho took the mound to get the save with a two-run, two-hit, five strikeout performance in the final two innings. The duo limited the beleaguered Matrix to seven hits while their offense pounded the green and yellow fellows with 16 runs off of 11 hits.

Catcher Peter Lieto led all hitters with a flawless 3-for-3 outing that yielded a string of singles and a pair of runs batted in.

OL’ ACES 14, TWINS 11

The Ol’Aces finally had reason to smile as they outscored the Twins in a wild 14-11 thriller that kept the fans on the edge of their seats on what was an otherwise lazy Sunday morning.

After early morning rains threatened to cancel the day’s activities, the Ol’ Aces rattled off 16 hits led by shortstop Noky Matagolas, who went 3-for-4 with a pair of singles, a double, and a pair of runs batted in.

Second baseman Peter Ricco went 2-for-4 with a single and a triple for the Aces, while Kevin Yamada drove in a pair of runs off of a single and a double. Not to be outdone, catcher Matt Lisua went 2-for-4 with a single, a double, and three runs batted in.

KAGMAN 1-2-3 13, PIRATES 7

Ignacio Benavente was nearly unstoppable on Sunday as he picked up a complete game win on the mound and drove in a pair of runs to power Kagman 1-2-3 to an impressive 13-7 win over he Pirates.

Benavente went 3-for-4 with a single and two three-baggers at the plate and allowed seven runs off of four hits through six innings on the hill. The hurler fanned 11 on the day, but he walked a dozen to take a little away from what was an otherwise strong showing.

JUNIOR LEAGUE

PIRATES 11, JETS 6

After trailing 4-0 through one and a half innings, the Pirates erupted for eight runs in the bottom of the second to wrest control of the game from the Jets en route to an 11-6 win at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball field.

Donovan George continued his perfect season at the plate with his second consecutive 4-for-4 performance. This time around the slugger hammered out three singles and a triple while driving in a pair of runners and stealing a base.

When he wasn’t hitting and running, George was pitching a solid game, as the all-around athlete allowed five runs off of seven hits while fanning six through five innings before handing the ball to Ofero Taitano for the save.

Infielder Alex Benavente provided the most excitement of the day when he smacked an inside the park three-run homer in his lone hit of the day.

BIG LEAGUE

FIELDERS 4, BRAVES 2

The Fielders broke open a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fifth inning with a three-run outburst and held on the rest of the way to beat the Braves, 4-2, in continuation of the Big League at Francisco M. Palacios field on Sunday afternoon.

Pitcher Joshua Dela Cruz allowed two runs off of seven hits sprinkled throughout six innings to go the distance for the Fielders and fanned a half-dozen, while hard-hitting left fielder Daryl Brennan went 3-for-4 with three singles and seven runs batted in.

Shane Mendiola was a champ at the plate as he went 2-for-2 and drove in a run for the Fielders, while Jose Santos and Peter Tenorio each smacked a pair of singles.