5 Major division players stand out early

A Little Legals player waits for the pitch during their game against the Comets in the Major division game in the 2017 Saipan Little League Baseball last month at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Five players showed strong batting and pitching skills in the early stage of the Major division competition in the 2017 Saipan Little League Baseball.

In the batting category, the Braves’ Joel Borja was perfect in his team’s two wins in as many games at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield, going 4-for-4 at the plate. He leads 19 others in the batting race, which was based on three or more at bats and was updated last Feb. 26.

The Falcons’ Keoni Borja and McDonald’s player Lushawarr Reyes are tied for second place with similar batting averages of .600. Both went 6-for-10 with Serrano powering the Falcons to a 3-0 record, pending results of weekend’s matches.

Joining Borja, Serrano, and Reyes in the Top 10 were McDonald’s player Joel Deleon Guerrero (.500 batting average), the Comets’ Jason Reyes (.500), Bank of Saipan’s Anton Aguon (.500), and Isidro Lizama (.500), McDonald’s player Joseph Ada (.428), the Little Legals’ Gunner Sablan (.428), and the Braves’ Patrick Celis (.420)

Completing the batting leaderboard are the Braves’ Taisei Desebel (.400), Pirates 1’s Melvin Tudela (.400), Pirates 2’s Easton Cruz (.400), Bank of Saipan’s JeQuinn Lizama (.375), Little Legals’ Kaipo Dikito (.375), Falcons’ Noah Aguon (.375) and Jonathan Riungel (.375), Little Legals’ Delbert Sablan (.333), Bank of Saipan’s Jesus Tyquengco (.333), and the Comets’ Ronald Muna (.333).

In the pitching race, which was based on four or more innings on the mound, four players are on top with their 0.00 ERA.

Serrano is among the leaders after working the mound in 10 innings and giving up no earned runs. Pirates 2’s Gregorio Pangelinan also did not yield a single run in five innings pitched, while Jason Reyes and Tyler Fitial had the same feats in the 8.1 and four innings they stayed on the mound for their respective teams.

Isidro Lizama and Delbert Sablan joined the pitching leaderboard with their identical 0.75 ERA with the former pitching eight innings and the latter in 7.2.

Delbert has 20 strikeouts so far, matching Serrano’s output, while Jason Reyes and Isidro Lizama have 18 apiece. In the most runs category, Desebel has six, while Isidro Lizama leads in the RBI division with his four. In the doubles, L.J. Reyes and Isidro Lizama have two apiece, while only Alvin Hocog and Delbert Sbalan have circled the plate (once) this season.