Patriots pursue Little League pennant with top pitcher

The kids of the Saipan Little League Baseball Association have been having a blast all season as weekends at Tan Ge Field have been filled with smiles in the dugouts, cheers from all sides, and applause from the stands.

While all of the teams have enjoyed some measure of success, none have equaled the rise to fortune experienced by the Patriots. Under the watchful eyes of Thelma Mizer and Manny Sablan, the P-men have yet to lose a game and enjoy the first place seat at 6-0.

One of the reasons the Patriots have done so well is the performance of pitcher Joseph Palacios, who owns the league’s lowest earned run average with a miniscule 1.32.

Palacios has yet to lose a game in three starts and has given up just three runs through 13.2 innings of work on the hill. When he takes a breather, the Patriots still have an undefeated arm on the shelf in Brian Camacho.

With a 2-0 record and just five runs allowed through 13.1 innings, Camacho has the leagues fourth lowest ERA at 2.26. The duo is dong one heck of a job keeping opposing batters at bay, but sluggers Anthony Salas and Jonakin Deleon Guerrero are helping out on the offensive side of the ball with some pretty impressive numbers.

Salas is sporting a .563 batting average in 16 trips to the plate and Deleon Guerrero is an even .500, and they are a major reason for the Patriots rise to power as well.

Another team making a run at the pennant is the little nuggets of McDonald’s. Led by imposing pitcher Peter Tenorio, McDonald’s has cruised to a 5-1 start on the season, and Tenorio shows no sign of slowing down.

With a 4-0 record and a league leading 44 strikeout total, Tenorio had opposing hitters in the palm of his hand, and he has been performing well on the other side of the plate too with a .529 batting average and 10 runs batted in.

As impressive as his numbers are, Tenorio’s hitting prowess is still far behind teammate Jonah Villagomez’s .647. The V-man shares the league lead with six doubles as well as 10 runs batted in, but McDonald’s has yet another threat with Nathan Guerrero, who sports a .600 batting average in 15 trips to the plate.

At 5-2, the homesteaders have really turned their fortunes around as they are in third place thanks to a combination of strong pitching and consistent hitting. Richard Dela Cruz has been pitching his heart out with a 2.93 ERA, while teammate Ignacio Benavente is rocking with a 3.06 and the third highest strikeout tally with 33. He is also tied atop the league with three triples, while Dela Cruz is the co-leader in the homerun and RBI categories with three and 13, respectively.

Though the duo is making waves at the plate, they are being out hit by fellow Kagman 1-2-3 sluggers Benjamin Hocog (.533) and Regis Leroy (.478).

The Tanapag Braves are a half-game back in fourth place at 5-3, but they still have a pair of standouts in pitcher Lamarc Iguel and slugger Charito Kladikm. Iguel boasts a 3.99 ERA through 21.1 innings, while Kladikm has provided power with a pair of homeruns.

After winning it all last year, the Hustlers traded in the Silver and black in favor of the green, white, and yellow, and they are doing just fine at 4-2, thanks in part to the league’s top hitter Anthony Manalo and pitcher Joseph Daylinne.

Manalo has pounded opposing pitchers with an unrivaled .667 BA while Daylinne boasts a slim 1.80 earned run average. Green and yellow seems to suit the Toyota Matrix just fine too as the 3-4 squad has one of the league’s most dangerous weapons in Rocco Reyes.

Reyes leads the league in runs scored (14), doubles (6), triples (3), runs batted in (13), and has an impressive .545 batting average to boot. The Matrix also have big name pitchers in Harry Nakamura and Alvander Pua.

Nakamura has been knocking them down with 39 strikeouts and a 4.24 earned run average through 17 innings of work, while Alvander has a 5.60 ERA through 15 innings.

The Twins don’t brag about their pitching, but they have three sluggers on a mission for the batting title. Zachary Aldan (.643), Vince Castro (.625), and Diego Camacho (.500) are putting pitcher in fits, but they As Matuis team will have to get some defense to pull out of the 2-4 doldrums.

At 1-5, the Pirates and Ol’Aces have not had a whole lot to celebrate, but the Aces have a couple of players who have made names for themselves thus far though the season. Roky Matagolai (.571) and Rico Peter (.538) have been lighting up pitchers like the CUC and pitcher Kevin Yamada has been fanning batters like a champ with 30 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.

The Red Sox are bringing up the rear at 1-7, but someone has to do it. While they have come out of their games behind on the scoreboard, they have still managed to have a ton of fun at the Oleai Sports Complex, and that’s what Little League is all about.