CNMI sluggers stay alive

The CNMI Baseball Team is back on track after absorbing back-to-back losses, following a 9-4 victory over American Samoa in the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia last Saturday.

The official score sheets of the CNMI-American Samoa tiff were unavailable at press time.

The win was only second in four games for the Commonwealth sluggers, but it was a much needed one as they now share the third to fourth place with New Caledonia. Palau and Guam are tied for first with their similar 3-1 records, but the former is assured of the No. 1 spot regardless of the final results in the round-robin tournament after beating the latter, 4-2, also last Saturday.

Guam plays American Samoa in its last game today. The CNMI is also scheduled to collide against Fiji today and a win will automatically advance the Commonwealth to the playoffs. Fiji (1-2) was slated to duel New Caledonia last Saturday, but the match was reset to today. Guam and Palau will duel for the first finals berth tomorrow. If New Caledonia and the CNMI win over Fiji, they will square off in the playoff match with the winner facing the loser of the Guam-Palau tiff for the second and last finals berth.

No games were played yesterday to give way to the Pacific Games Council general assembly.

In golf, CNMI bets shot in the 80s in the penultimate round.

Jeff Taylor, who had a pair of 76 in the first and second round, logged an 80 in the third for a three-game total of 232. He is out of the running for the medal as he is in 15th place with one round to go.

Adam Hardwicke hit an 86 to go with his 89 and 86 in the first two rounds, while Tony Satur, who recorded a 94 and 92, posted an 85 in the third.

The fourth and final round of the competition was scheduled last Saturday, but results were unavailable at press time. New Caledonia is likely to sweep the medals in the individual competition, as it occupied the Top 3 spots after Friday’s games.

The host also continued to lord it over in the medal standings with its 66-51-23 gold-silver-bronze tally. Tahiti is far away in second place with its 29-20-17 tally. Fiji is back at third with its 13-16-23 medal haul.
[B] Mister, Nelson debut in beach volley[/B]

Beach volleyball action at the Terrain de beach-volley Koutio in Dumbea will begin today with the CNMI battling Palau in the first match at 9am (8am Saipan time).

Tyce Mister and Chris Nelson will be suiting up for the Commonwealth, while Palau’s players are not yet listed in the Games’ website.

Other scheduled matches in the opening day of the beach volleyball competition are American Samoa vs. Samoa at 10am; New Caledonia vs. Vanuaty at 11am; Fiji vs, Guam at 12nn; Tahiti vs. CNMI at 1pm; Palau vs. Samoa at 2pm, Tonga vs. Solomon Islands at 3pm, and Papua New Guinea vs. Cook Islands at 4pm.

The beach volleyball competition is divided into three pools and each pool will play in a single round-robin format and the Top 3 teams in each group will advance to the next round.
[B] Dillay, Abrams race today[/B]

Athletics’ Rachel Abrams and Douglas Dillay will also see action in the 2011 Pacific Games for the first time today.

Abrams will be running in the qualifying heat for the 100m sprint at 5pm (4pm Saipan time) at the Stade Numa Daly in Noumea. Abrams is also entered in the 200m run and long jump.

In the morning session of the athletics competition, Dillay will be racing in the 800m run at 10:20am (9:20am Saipan time). Dillay’s other events are the 400m run and 400m hurdles.

The third member of the CNMI Athletics Team—Trevor Ogumoro—will not be debuting in the Games until this Wednesday via the men’s long jump in the afternoon session of the track competition. Ogumoro is also set to join the triple jump event.