Omar overwhelms atop the mound

First place Bomsoro has plenty of reasons why it has remained undefeated in the Women’s Island-Wide Slow-Pitch Softball League through five games this season, and one of the major ones is quality pitching.

In the hitter-friendly game of slow-pitch, a talented pitcher can make a world of difference, and Jovie Omar has provided that edge to the top squad by hurling her team to four out of five of Bomsoro’s victories.

Before leading her team to their latest win against the Sai-Steve Rookies, Omar led the Saipan Softball Association’s underhanded arc-itects with a 4.05 earned run average. Through her first three games of the year, Omar allowed 11 runs off of 37 hits through 19 innings for a perfect 3-0 record. Bomsoro also had the trusty arm of Leilani Betevua, who notched their other win by allowing eight runs off of 20 hits through seven innings for a 8.00 ERA—good enough for sixth best among the women.

Its Okay also has a pair of pitchers that have helped them compete with the league’s elite teams, as Dolores Yanneris and Lucy Aldan led the way with solid play. Yanneris has the league’s second best earned run average at 4.08 after allowing seven runs off of 20 hits through 12 innings, while Aldan is eighth in the SSA with a 9.69 ERA after surrendering 18 runs of 41 hits through 13 innings.

Each member of the dynamic duo also holds court among the SSA’s strikeout queens, as Yanneris has nine and Aldan posted six fans.

Felisa Brel is a big reason for the Hitters’ 3-2 start, as she accounted for the league’s third lowest ERA before Tuesday night’s outing, at 4.15. The athletic Brel was 2-2 coming into the contest with Lady 8-ers, allowed 16 runs off of 63 hits through 27 innings, and recorded seven strikeouts.

The second place Mix-A-Lot attributed much of its success to strikeout queen Julie Omar, who sent 13 batters back to their dugouts empty handed. At 6.44, Omar holds the league’s fourth lowest ERA after giving up 23 runs off of 72 hits through 25 innings.

At an even 7.00, Remy Celis has the fifth lowest ERA among the hurlers who have seen seven innings or more duty at Tan Ge Softball Field, and the Pacific Amigas’ princess earned her tiara by allowing 25 runs off of 57 hits through 25 innings. Celis also did plenty of damage to would-be hitters by fanning 12 in four games.

The Lady 8-ers also have a top arc artist in Arlene Lekisap, as she holds the women’s seventh lowest ERA at 8.94. Through three games of work, Lekisap gave up 23 runs off of 56 hits over the course of 18 innings. Lekisap also added 11 strikeout to her resume—the league’s third highest total.