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Proa preserves pristine pennant possibility
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Posted on Oct 07 2004
The pummeling powers of Proa were able to withstand an early barrage from the D-9ers to emerge victorious in the battle of undefeateds, when they scored a run in the top of the eighth inning and the D-9ers were unable to answer in last Tuesday’s Saipan Softball Association Men’s Islandwide Fastpitch League held at the Oleai Sports Complex.
In a marathon game that lasted deep into the night, Tony Satur went the distance on the mound to pick up yet another win for Proa. Along the way, Satur picked up nine strikeouts, gave up 18 hits, and walked three en route to keeping the perfect season dreams alive.
After being down 4-0 heading into the fourth inning, Proa’s offense finally began to come alive when Eric Lizama and Tony Celis crossed the plate to make the score 4-2. The D-9ers added another run in the bottom of the inning, but both team’s bats were held silent in the fifth.
Proa roared back into the game and took a 9-5 lead on the strength of a seven-run sixth inning that featured eight hits and three homers. The D-9ers answered with five runs off of six hits in the bottom half to retake the lead 10-9.
The game got a little more exciting when Proa returned with a five-run salvo in the top of the seventh to retake the lead, 14-10. The D-9ers forced extra innings in the bottom of the seventh when they rallied for cuatro off of six hits to knot it up at 14 apiece.
After an error by the pitcher allowed Tony Celis to take first base, Elmer Sablan laid down a nice sacrifice bunt. Add in Satur’s two Ks and a pop out against the D-9ers in the bottom, and that was all she wrote.
Elmer Sablan provided plenty of power to Proa’s offense going 4-for-5 with three doubles, four ribbies, and a clutch sacrifice bunt in the eighth. Jason Gaye pitched in with a pair of dingers and four RBIs, and Manny Sablan smacked another homer as well.
All of the action of the SSA continues next Monday, as the underhanded lobbers of the slow-pitch league get their triple-header underway at 6pm.
