Ol’Aces enter SML youth finals

The Ol’Aces stunned top-ranked Fielders 2, 14-2, in the semifinals of the Saipan Major League Baseball Association 2011 Summer/Fall Youth League last Saturday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield to clinch the first finals berth.

The Ol’Aces will battle the championship against the winner of the Fielders 2 versus Titanim semis tiff this Saturday at 2pm. Titanium advanced to the semis after winning over the Fielders 1 on technicality.

A rainfall later in the afternoon would have postponed the Titanium-Fielders 1 playoff match. But before calling off the game, the Fielders 1 was required to show up with at least a nine-player roster to enable coaches of both teams to settle on terms of a potential game suspension. With the Fielders failing to produce the required number of players, Titanum was awarded the win and will play the Fielders 2 in the do-or-die playoff match at 11am this Saturday.

The visiting Ol’ Aces got to work early and busted out a 4-0 lead in the first inning off five hits.

Diego Camacho led the game off with a single and was later driven home by A.J. Lizama. A hit later, Harry Nakamura drove in Keoini Lizama and Dave Hosono kept it going with an RBI single that scored Nakamura.

The Ol’Aces’ Frankie Camacho notched a hit and scored off an error to put his team ahead, 5-1, in the top of the second inning before returning to the mound where he stuffed the Fielders again three up and three down in the bottom frame.

The Fielders kept a lid on the Ol’Aces in the third inning and managed to hit the board with a run in the bottom frame, as Poland Masaharu drove in Kai Wanket with an RBI fielder’s choice.

The Ol’Aces answered in the top of the fourth and sprung ahead, 8-1, and were just a home run shy of batting the cycle in the inning.

Ninth batter Lancaster Secharmedal started things off with a base hit and was moved over to third base off a double by Camacho. Then an out later, Keoni Lizama cleared the bases with a two-RBI triple before scoring off an error.

The Fielders managed a runner, but came up empty in the bottom frame.

Both teams drew blanks in the fifth inning, as the Ol’Aces left men stranded at third and second base. The Fielders endured their third 1-2-3 inning of the game as Nakamura came to the mound for Frankie Camacho.

The Aces continued to hammer the ball and added four more runs in the sixth inning.

Frankie Camacho reached and scored off errors and Keoni Lizama singled home A.J. Lizama. Then Nakamura reached on a fielder’s choice and scored off an error, and Jake Flores drove in Rocco Reyes before the Fielders could stop the bleeding. The Ol’Aces added two more runs in the top of the seventh off a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by A.J. Lizama.

The Fielders then mustered just one run in the final stand.

Keoni Lizama batted 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs in the win. Frankie Camacho and A.J. Lizama also had good games with the former going 3-for-4 with four runs, a base on balls, and a stolen base, and Lizama swinging 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. Winning pitcher Frankie Camacho gave up just one run off one hit in four innings with a strikeout.