Pirates sink opposing pitchers in SML Fall

After taking the runner-up in the pennant race, the Pirates have a lot to prove when they return to the Kan Pacific Baseball Field in Marpi to face the Tanapag No Zone in the playoffs, and they have plenty of firepower to get them into the finals.

Despite their second place finish, the Pirates have four hitters that posted stellar stats from the batters box with Top 10 averages.

J.P. Sablan led the Fall League with an outstanding .475 batting average for the Bucs. He hit safely in 19 of his 40 at bats, and inflicted plenty of damage along the way. Sablan led the league with 13 runs scored and 11 runs batted in, tied Timo Mafnas for second with four doubles, and was second in the league with a pair of three baggers.

If Sablan ever took a game off, the Pirates could still rely on a steady stick from the league’s second leading hitter, Jesse Iguel, who went 14-for-33 with a .424 batting average.

Iguel trailed only Sablan with 11 runs scored, was third in the league with eight runs batted in, and only he and James Villacrusis hit a homerun.

The Pirates roster was bolstered by another free-swinging Iguel, as Luis racked up the SML’s fourth leading batting average after wrapping up the season hitting four doubles, scoring 10 runs, and going 11-for-28 for a .393 batting average.

If the talented trio wasn’t enough to tip the scales, the Pirates possessed another topnotch hitter in Dwight Quitano. After scoring 10 runs and smacking 11 hits in 34 attempts, Quitano earned the league’s ninth spot on the batting average chart with a .324 batting average.

One of the CNMI’s top catchers also made his mark for the Pirates as Robert Bansil drove in seven runs and smacked four doubles on the year to help propel the Pirates prosperity at the park.

While they only managed to win three games during the season, the Tanapag No Zone had some decent representation when the SML statisticians released the yearend batting totals, as Henry Iguel and Jordan Suel cracked the Top 5 list.

Iguel was third overall after connecting with 11 balls in 27 at bats for a .407 batting average, while Suel as fifth at the plate with a 13-for-34 .382. Suel led the league with three triples, tied Jesse Iguel for second place with 11 plate crossings, and smacked seven runners home.

The No Zone also got mention when Clint Quitugua took the doubles title by cranking out six two-baggers on the season.

Sam Babauta and Randy Rabago put the D-9ers in the spotlight as Babauta hit three doubles and went 10-for-30 for a .382 batting average. Rabago went 10-for-34 for the eighth-best batting average at .294.

Despite a lack of representation in the stats, the Hustlers played solid team ball all around the field to get them the top billing in the playoffs when they face the D-9ers on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006. The action continues at noon when the pennant runner-up Pirates tango with the Tanapag No Zone.