3-peat for Falcons in Junior League

Falcons players and official Manny Evangelista pose with their championship trophy after beating the Comets, 8-2, in the Junior League division finals of the 2017 Saipan Little League Baseball last Saturday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Talaabwogh Falcons took their third straight championship in the Junior League division after downing the Comets, 8-2, in their title showdown in the 2017 Saipan Little League Baseball last Saturday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

The Falcons finished strong in the winner-take-all finale, scoring five of their total runs in the last two innings to continue their reign in the division. The Falcons began their string of titles with a 3-2 finals win over the IT&E Fielders in 2015, while last year they pulled off a come-from-behind 10-7 triumph over the Enforcers.

In the 2017 title match between the Falcons and the Comets, the former were just ahead by one after four complete innings, 3-2, but managed to widen the gap in the closing stages of the game after making two runs in the fifth and adding three in the sixth, while holding their foes scoreless in the final four innings.

Before their meltdown, a two-run top of the fourth kept the Comets in contention. Bing Nakamura gave the Comets their first run off a Joel Norita wild pitch, while Sab Saures recorded the other run off the Falcons’ miscue to cut the deficit to one, 2-3.

The Falcons once led at 3-0, thanks to Isaiah Teigita and Nickson Smith’s runs off the Comets’ errors at the bottom of the first and an A.J. Sanchez’s wild pitch that brought home Jericho Jones in the second inning. The Falcons failed to score in the third and fourth inning, allowing the Comets to stay in the game.

The three-time champion then broke their silence at the bottom of the fifth with Cruz’s single driving Norita in and Zach Reyes reaching home off a wild pitch from Saures. Earlier at the top of the fifth, the Comets had a 1-2-3 inning, no thanks to Norita’s two strikeouts and 6-3 putout play on Sneak Sumor. The Comets also finished the top of the sixth inning early as their second, third, and fourth batter flied out, leaving Nakamura, who led off with a single, stranded at first.

While the Comets continued to struggle offensively, the Falcons did not as they added three more runs at the bottom of the sixth. Teigita reached off a wild pitch from Nakamura, Aven Evangelista was driven home by Smith’s double and the latter also scored off Norita’s single to boost the Falcons’ title bid, going into the seventh and last inning.

At the top of the seventh, the Comets were pressured to score at least six runs to extend the finale and they had a good chance with their runners reaching second and third base with only one out. Leadoff batter Justin Magofna flied out to first base, while Terrence Changar singled, reached second on a wild pitch, and stole third. Zeph Limes was next at bat for the Comets and walked before stealing second, while fourth batter Sumor was struck out by Norita for the second out. Limes and Changar were eventually left stranded and the Falcons took the title win after Reid Teregeyo went down on a 4-3 putout play.