Atalig homers in Twins win; Nakamura leads Ol’Aces

Saturday’s Saipan Little League Baseball action was highlighted by a pair of impressive home runs from Major division’s John Atalig of the As Matuis Twins and Big League’s Harry Nakamura of the defending champion Docomo Pacific Ol’Aces.

Atalig and the Twins held off a late rally by the Robert T. Torres Law Offices’ Kagman Little Legals for a 9-5 win last Saturday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield, while Nakamura’s blast marked the icing on the cake in the Ol’Aces’ 14-5 rout of the St. Michael’s Medical Response Hunters last Thursday night at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

Also on Saturday, Major division’s IT&E escaped McDonald’s, 8-6, while in junior league play, the Dare Program Leep Enforcers defeated the Bank of Saipan Red Sox, 10-6, and the Hawaiya Technologies Inc. Ol’Aces blanked the IT&E Fielders, 10-0.

Ol’Aces 14, Hunters 5[/B]

The Ol’Aces jumped in front, 8-0, with seven runs in the top of the third inning off seven hits, including the RBI singles by Harry Nakamura, Jacob Flores, and Diego Camacho and a three-RRBI triple by Rocco Reyes.

The Hunters were held scoreless for four innings before finally squeaking out three runs to close the fifth inning. The Ol’Aces managed one run in the top frame from a one-hop triple off the fence by Nakamura. Nakamura later capped the win with a towering two-run homer over the centerfield wall.

Winning pitcher Leonard Sablan went all seven innings and gave up four earned runs off seven hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

Twins 9, Little Legals 5[/B]

John Atalig started things off for the Twins with a leadoff solo homerun in the second inning and his team obliged shortly after by pulling ahead, 5-1, after three frames.

The Little Legals started the third inning with a run from a double by Quinton Deleon Guerrero, but the Twins’ thick of the order shelled out three clutch hits in the bottom frame.

The Twins went on to add another run in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth, and held the Legals to just three runs in their final stand.

Atalig led the Twins from both sides of the plate. He pitched a complete game and gave up just two earned runs off four hits and five walks with 16 strikeouts through six innings and batted 2-for-2 with two RBIs, two runs, a base on balls, two stolen bases, and a hit-by-pitch.

IT&E assumed control, 3-2, after the opening frame off of an RBI double by Alan Hinson, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice bunt by John Auther who brought home Ivan Seo.

The count then shifted to 5-4, in favor if IT&E, as both teams added a pair of runs in the second inning.

Each squad came up empty in the third inning before IT&E’s Matt Kapileo bashed a triple in the fourth and later stole home to put his team ahead, 6-4.

IT&E added two more runs in the sixth inning from wild pitches and although McDonald’s mounted a valiant comeback attempt it ended up stunned with the bases loaded after scoring two runs early in the frame.

Kapileo stepped to the rubber at the start of the third inning and gave up two earned runs in four innings off three hits and four walks with eight strikeouts.
[B] JUNIOR LEAGUE

Enforcers 10, Red Sox 6[/B]

The Enforcers trudged ahead, 7-0, in the second inning of three hits and some errors. Cedric Camacho bagged an RBI single.

The count then shifted to, 8-1, after the third frame, as Red Sox’s relief pitcher Jhace Palacios did a good job taming the Enforcers. However, the Enforcers sat on their lead and held strong defensively for the remainder of the contest.

Winning pitcher PJ Sablan allowed a pair of earned runs off five hits in four and two-thirds innings with five walks and eight strikeouts.

Camacho batted 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run for the Enforcers, while Darion Jones went 3-for-4 for two runs and was a home run shy of the cycle.

The Ol’Aces drew first blood in the third inning for a 4-0 lead off three hits and a couple fielder’s choices. Jessie Brel came away with an RBI single and TJ Dela Cruz had a two- RBI base smash.

The Ol’Aces then hammered five more hits in the fourth for a 9-0 chokehold. Three base rips to start the inning were capitalized by a two-RBI double by Dela Cruz and an RBI triple by Kenji Yamagata.

The Ol’ Aces’ pitching duo Terson Eina and Brel shut down their opponents and left all seven Fielders base runners stranded in the match. Eina was issued the win and Brel the save, as the former gave up two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in two and two-thirds innings. Dela Cruz batted 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a run to lead the Ol’Aces’ offense.