Matrix magic miffs McDonald’s 4-1

The Toyota Matrix took advantage of a series of McErrors on Saturday to shock the little nuggets out of McDonald’s and pull off the upset of the day in the process as they scored a thrilling 4-2 victory at Tan Ge Field to earn their fourth win of the Saipan Little League Baseball Association season.

Paul Baron’s green and yellow fellows exploded inside the dugout after Kevin Villagomez grounded out to second to end the game to give the Matrix their most exciting outcome of the year.

Harry Nakamura and Rocco Reyes split duty on the hill and came up big at the plate to lead the much maligned Matrix squad past McDonald’s, but they did so by racking up only a handful of hits on a day when offense came at a premium.

Nakamura allowed just one run off of one hit and fanned seven through his three innings on the mound and went 1-for-3 with a single and a run batted in, while Reyes gave up just two hits and fanned three in the final three and went 1-for-4 with a single and a stolen base.

After tying the game at one apiece in the top of the third when L.J. Helmsley crossed home plate, the Matrix moved ahead of McDonald’s when Charley Ingram scored on a catching error in the top of the sixth.

They added a little insurance when Helmsley scored again followed by D. J. Smith to take a 4-1 lead, and Reyes took care of the rest to seal the deal.

Hustlers 6, Ol’Aces 4

Anthony Manalo was one-man wrecking crew from the hill and at the plate to lead the Hustlers to their eighth win of the season with a narrow 6-4 win over the Ol’Aces at the Oleai Sports Complex.

Manalo gave up four runs off of six hits and fanned 11 through five and two-thirds innings on the mound and picked up the bat to smack a single and a triple on the day as well.

The multi-threat was a menace for the Hustlers before A.J. Lizama fanned the final batter, but he wasn’t the only player who was big in the clutch, as catcher Marvin Ngeskebei went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and Raymond Saralu went 1-for-2 with a run batted in.

After trailing 1-0 through three and a half, the Hustlers exploded with a four-run fourth and added a two-run fifth to take the lead. The Ol’Aces rallied with a three-run sixth, but the late-game surge was too, little too late.

As Matuis Twins 14, Pirates 4

The As Matuis Twins evened their record at 5-5 on Saturday after pounding the Pirates for 14 runs in three at bats before the umpires sent everyone home early by invoking the 10-run mercy rule.

Pitcher Diego Camacho gave up four runs off of five hits and fanned a pair before Steve Limes took over to dispatch the remaining Pirates by serving up a strikeout and a hit in the final inning and a third.

Camacho went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI triple for the Twins and shortstopper Ben Lizama went 2-for-3 with a single and a base knock run batted in, while infielder Brandon Babauta went 1-for-2 with a double.

JUNIOR LEAGUE

Dan Dan Jets 15, Comets 12
The Dan Dan Jets prevailed by sticking to their strengths as they piled up a slew of runs to beat the Comets, 15-12, in front of an emotionally exhausted crowd at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field on Saturday.

The Junior League’s first-place race received another team looking for the pennant, but the Jets blew an 8-0 lead early on by surrendering nine runs in the bottom of the second that cost Nathan Kintol his starting pitching role. Jonathan Salas took over for Kintol midway through the inning and went the remaining five and a third for the Jets allowing five runs off of six hits and racked up nine strikeouts.

Though rocked from the mound, Kintol rocked at the plate to lead his team from the batter’s box by hitting 4-for-5 with three singles, a double, and five runs batted in. Salas also chipped in a pair of singles and an RBI to finish 2-for-4 on the day.

SENIOR LEAGUE

Hustlers 10, Fielders 3
After falling behind early, the Hustlers put together a super stretch of slugging by piling up 10 runs through the final three innings to foil the Fielders at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field, 10-3, in continuation of Senior League action.

Vicente Sablan gave up three runs in the first four innings and John Mafnas fanned seven to keep the scoreboard clean through the final three, while the Hustlers offense finally checked in for duty with three runs to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth.

First baseman Joshua Arriola went 3-for-4 with a pair of singles and a three-run triple, while Luis Arriola drove in a pair runs by getting plunked twice.

The win gave the Hustlers sole possession of first place at 4-1, while the Fielders continued to slide further into obscurity by joining the Marlins in last place at 1-4.