3 enjoy solo lead in batting race

A Falcons batter has all eyes on the Red Sox pitcher during their first round game in the Junior League last month at the Francisco ?Tan Ko? Palacios Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Three players are alone at the top spot in the batting race of their respective divisions in the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball League as of last Friday.

In the Big League division, the Padres’ Lancaster Secharmidal is ahead of 14 others with his .533 batting average. He was 8-for-15 after their 8-7 win over the Lions last Tuesday to place ahead of teammate A.J. Lizama in the batting chart and four Braves slugger in the Top 5.

Lizama went 5-for-13 in five games with the Padres for a batting average of .384, tying the Braves’ Jeremy Atalig. Atalig’s teammates Haini Blas (5-fo-14/.357), Lucio Kalen (4-for-12/.333), and Jun Rabauliman (5-for-16/.312) rounded out the Top 5.

Completing the batting leaders list, which was based on 12 or more times at bat were the Padres’ T.J. Sablan (.266), the Lions’ Davie Matagolai (.250) and Keene Leon Guerrero (.250), the Braves’ Frankie Lieto (.235), the Lions’ Cedric Ada (.214) and Justin Santos (.214), and the Padres’ Ray Tenorio (.200), Steven Cabrera (.200), and Thomas Reyes (.200).

In the runs category, Kalen is on top with his 10, followed by Johan Delos Reyes, who has seven so far. Frankie Lieto and Cabrera are tied in the most doubles scored with two apiece, while four players have made one triple each so far this season. In the RBIs race, Frankie Lieto has 10 to lead Lizama, Sablan, and Tenorio, who have four apiece.

In the Senior League, the Jets’ Kenji Yamagata hit 7-for-12 in four games for an average of .583. He was the lone slugger to record a batting average of at least .500, as the second-ranking Nathan Camacho, also of the Jets, holds .466 off a 7-for-15 performance at bat.

Two Red Sox players occupy the No. 3 and 4 spots with Jhace Palacios recording .444 (8-ffor-18) and Jobe Reyes registering .400 (6-for-15). The Jets’ K.J. Deleon Guerrero also has a batting average of .400 to tie Reyes in fourth place.

Others on the list are the Enforcers’ Verlance Secharmidal (.375), the Red Sox’ Craig Aguon (.375), the Jets’ Jesse Brel (.375), the Red Sox’s Vincent Leon Guerrero (.375) and Jerald Cabrera (.357), the Jets’ Devyn Flores (.357), the Enforcers’ Fred Songao (.333), the Lions’ Cary Camacho (.333), the Fielders’ Kainoa Wanket (.307), and the Enforcers’ Peyton Lizama (.307), Darion Jones (.285), and Cedric Camacho (.285).

Jerald Cabrera has the most runs so far with eight, Franlin Lizama and Jones lead in doubles with two each, while Secharmidal is on top of triples scored with two, and Palacios has a field-best eight RBIs.

In the Junior League, the Falcons’ Benen Iguel nosed out the Jets’ Nathaniel Torres for the batting race lead, as the former logged .541 against the latter’s .521. In seven games, Iguel went 13-for-24, while Torres was 12-for-23.

Joining the Top 2 on the list are the Falcons’Don Fejeran (.423), the Jets’ Brandon Pua (.423), the Comets’ Aurel Mendiola (.375), the Jets’ Noel Cabrera (.347), the Comets’ Austin Hocog (.347) the Enforcers’ Virgil Secharmidal (.333), the Comets’ Austin Indalecio (.333), the Falcons’ Oscar Lizama (.333), the Fielders’ Kimo Angailen (.272) and Don Ada (.269), the Enforcers’ Ethan Babauta (.269), the Falcons’ Ace Evangelista (.227), the Enforcers’ Nathan Nogis (.227), and the Falcons’ Jay Kalen (.181).

Besides making it to the Top 2 of the batting chart, Iguel and Torres also have the most runs so far with 11. Iguel is on top of the doubles and RBIs categories, too with two and eight, respectively.

Meanwhile, results in the pitching races in the three divisions will be reported in Saipan Tribune later this week.