Pirates continue to sail through Junior League

The Junior Leaguers have been putting on a show at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field and the Pirates are looking like they will have a substantial contribution to this year’s all-star team as they have remained at the top of the standings through the first part of the 2006 season.

While the six-team race for the pennant may still be open to anyone, the Pirates have wasted no time in attaining the top spot in the standings with an unmatched 5-0 record and a solid three and a half game lead over the second place Hustlers.

One of the reasons for their success is their prowess at the plate. The fiercesome foursome of Donovan George, Joshua Jones, Eric Tenorio, and Ofero Taitano continues to rip through the pitchers of the Saipan Little League Baseball Association.

George leads the league with a .684 batting average, nine plate crossings, five triples, and 11 runs batted in. Jones has the second highest average on the team with a .500, while Taitano has a .400 and is tied with George with nine runs scored, and Tenorio has a .353 average and a pair of doubles.

Jones also touts quality numbers on the mound but as the top ranked pitcher with a 2.92 earned run average through 12 innings of work.

The Hustlers are one of the teams tied for second at 2-1, and they have gotten plenty out of rookie sensation Nokki Lizama. The most valuable player from the Majors in 2005 has the second-best batting average at .667, is one of only six players with a homerun, and is second with seven runs batted in. Though they suffered their first loss over the weekend, the Hustlers have been able to remain tough on the strength of Lizama, and the good news is that they saw the return of Anthony Rogolifoi Jr. to the hit list as he joined the league leaders with a .417 batting average.

The Dan Dan Jets joined the Hustlers in second place thanks to solid team play and the guts to keep them around in the close ones. It doesn’t hurt that they have one of the league’s top pitcher in Jonathan Salas.

In three games, Salas has a slim 2.95 earned run average through 16 and two-thirds innings and has fanned 19 would-be hitters. If they get some offense they stand a shot at giving the Pirates a run for their money.

The same could hold true for the Fielders. At 1-3, the Fielders have hard-hitting Tom Agulto among the league’s best with a .417 batting average and second in the league with a pair of triples.

Even better is that Agulto sports a 1-2 record, a 6.07 earned run average, and 15 strikeouts through 15 innings of work on the hill.

The Ol’Aces actually advanced into a tie for third while idle, but at 1-3 they still pose a threat on both sides of the plate. David Camacho (.545), Ben Taisacan (.500), Juan Iguel (.500), and Chris Meyers (.231) are among the 10 best at the plate, but the Aces have a couple of top pitchers as well.

Iguel is 0-2 through four games but has fanned the most batters (23) and the second lowest ERA at 5.36, while Camacho is 1-1 with the third lowest average at 5.90 and 12 strikeouts.

The Comets have none of the love this year. At 0-3, they are in the cellar and lack the star power to get the job done. The good news is that it is still early enough for them to come together as a team and alter their course for a collision course for the pennant.