Jones, Iguel are Seniors MVPs

Jets teammates Juan Iguel and Joshua Jones won the regular season and playoff MVPs of the Senior division of the 2008 Saipan Little League Baseball Association.

Iguel was named MVP of the regular season after leading the age group in two divisions—batting and runs.

The budding track star finished with a .537 success rate from the batter’s box and rounded the bases for league-leading 27 last season.

Jones, meanwhile, made a name for himself in the playoffs where the Jets disposed off all challengers before winning the championship.

The flame-throwing left-hander also did some heavy lifting for the defending champions in the regular season, as attested by his ERA and strikeout championship trophies. Jones finished the 2008 season with 37 strikeouts to go along with his 02.85 earned run average.

Other individual awardees in the Senior League were doubles champs Ionis Rasa and Anthony Tenorio, both of the Fielders, who connected on seven two-baggers apiece.

Dolphins’ Nokki Saralu was named the triples champ with six credited to him last season, while teammate Oferio Taitano and Fielders’ Ben Flores won the homerun race with two homers each.

Tom Agulto was the RBI champ after the Fielders star brought home 19 runners last season.

In team awards, PTI Dolphins won the pennant championship with Jets and Fielders finishing second and third in the regular season.

In the playoffs, Jets were supreme after winning the Senior League crown with a 9-8 victory over Fielders last May 26.

Trailing 8-7 and down to their final two at-bats, the defending champion took advantage of an error by the Fielders shortstop that allowed Toby Fleming to race home and score when he should have been stranded at second base.

Eli Aughenbach then tucked in the go-ahead run following another miscue by the Fielders’ infielders. Jets hard-hitting pitcher Chris Myers then made short work of the opposing hitters in the top of the seventh to preserve the win for the Jets.

Dolphins claimed the third spot in the 2008 Senior League’s playoffs,

Tanapag Falcons (Big League champions) also were feted Saturday with SLLBA officials awarding them their trophies. Full details of their successful season will be published in the Saipan Tribune in the coming days.