Comets down Falcons, sweep regular season

The Dandan Comets overcame the Natibu Sports Association Tanapag Falcons (6-4), 5-3, to complete a regular season sweep of the Majors division of the Saipan Little League Baseball last Saturday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield.

The Comets, who also notched a win over the Bank of Saipan Red Sox (2-10), 16-5, last Thursday, finished the round-robin regular season with an impressive 12-0.

In other Majors results, IT&E (5-7) solidified its hold to the eighth playoff spot with a 14-9 victory over the San Vicente A’s (4-8), while the Attorney Robert T. Torres-Kagman Little Legals (5-6) upset the Pacific Amusement-Rays (7-4), 3-2. The Ol’Aces (9-3) routed the Red Sox, 11-1; the DPS Dare Program Enforcers (9-3) rolled over the Natibu Tanapaga Braves (3-9), 15-2, and the As Matuis Twins (6-5) pelted the Braves, 11-1.

The Falcons took a 2-1 lead in the first inning off a two-RBI double from Jose Pangelinan, who brought Keoki Blas ans Ace Evangelista home. Then the Comets’ Norman Villagomez stole home to tie it up in the second and his teammates pulled ahead, 4-3, in the third inning. Aurel Mendiola cranked a double and later stole home, while Erik Cruz doubled in Ethan Babauta.

Cruz stepped at the mound with one out in the top of the first inning and despite a slight hiccup in the third inning, he kept a lid on the Falcons’ offense.

Austin Hocog lifted a solo shot at the start of the fourth inning to help secure the win.

Cruz gave up zero earned runs off four hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts through five and two-thirds innings. He also swung 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Mendiola batted 3-for-3 with two runs.

IT&E overcame a 0-5 deficit with six runs in the bottom of the second inning off five hits. Michael Jones bagged an RBI double and Won Kwon Kim hit an RBI base rip.

Jae Hae Lee scored later off an error in the third and the count shifted to 8-7, in favor of IT&E after the fourth frame.

After pulling to within a run in the previous inning, the A’s were in front, 9-8, in the fifth with a couple of runs off three hits. Rudy Santos busted an RBI single.

IT&E kept its eye on the prize at the start of the final frame and worked out six runs in the clutch. The A’s on the other hand struggled under pressure and let the game slip away from their hands.

IT&E called Lee to the mound to close the final frame and he left the A’s with runners at second and third base.

The Rays’ Manny Esefon led off the third inning with a single and made it all the way around with the help of some extra throws, while Little Legals’ Pedro Maratita drove in Jeffrey Castro in the bottom frame to knot the count at 1-all.

Then the Rays took the lead in the fifth off a Jay Kalen double that scored leadoff man Kody Omengkar. However, the Little Legals mustered two runs in the sixth and final stand, while the Rays committed some costly defensive errors out on the field.

The Little Legals’ Nnes Siech came to the mound with two runners on and zero outs in the third inning and gave up one earned run off four hits and had two strikeouts through four innings. Castro scored twice, while Quinton Deleon Guerrero swung 2-for-3.

The Ol’Aces jumped all over the Red Sox and quickly amassed a stout 7-1 lead after the first three frames. Nathan Higgins bagged an RBI single in the first inning, Kimo Angailen bashed a two-RBI single in the second, and Jimmy Kaipat delivered an RBI base rip in the third.

The Red Sox’s lone-run came from Jonah Reyes in the bottom of the second inning and they were pretty well held in check by Ol’Aces’ pitcher Virgil Secharmedal.

Angailen brought home two more runs with a base smash in the fifth before his teammates mustered two more runs for good measure at the end of regulation.

Secharmedal gave up an unearned run off five hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts through six inning. He also fielded four ground outs and batted 2-for-2 with three runs, three bases on balls, and two stolen bases.

Angailen swung only 2-for-5, but tallied four RBIs.

The Braves infield blinked first, allowing the Enforcers to take a 2-0 lead off errors in the second inning.

The Enforcers added another run off a wild throw in the third before trotting ahead, 6-0, in the fourth inning. They worked around another run off an error before Joaquin Saralu drove in Dennis Cabrera with a double. Saralu was then singled home by Kier Agda.

The Enforcers inevitably broke open the game with a five-run gash in the fifth inning off three hits and aggression on the base path.

The Braves only two runs came in the bottom frame, but a comeback was never in the cards, as the Enforcers tacked up four more runs in the sixth inning for a sound victory.

Shakobe Rangamar drilled an RBI double in the sixth inning and finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs, while Jim-Boy Laniyo went 3-for-4 with three runs and a stolen base.

The Red Sox’s Delin Ruesora hammered a grand slam in the opening frame for a promising start, but the Comets matched their effort in the bottom frame with patience at the plate and an RBI single by Austin Hocog.

The Comets then seized control, 6-5, after the second inning from a solo shot by Aurel Mendiola and an RBI base rip by Erik Cruz, who scored Edmund Cruz. The Red Sox managed a run off an error in the top of the inning.

The Comets tapped Mendiola to the mound at the start of the third inning and he kept the Red Sox at bay, while his team pulled away, 9-5, in the fourth off a pair of RBI doubles from Mendiola and Babauta.

Then Mendiola left the yard the second time for three runs in the fourth and Babauta obliged with a solo blast later in the inning as the Comets ran away in the end. The winning team bashed four more hits in the seven-run surge.

The Twins took an early 6-0 lead in the first inning as they cashed in on some sketchy pitching with a sacrifice fly and a trio of base hits by the bottom of its order. Richard Atalig, Austin Deleon Guerrero, and Boz Igitol bagged RBIs with a walk, a sac-fly, and a base hit, respectively.

The Braves managed their only run in the second inning from a sacrifice bunt by Josenio Alvarez, but were limited to just base runners in the last three innings.
The Twins added two runs in the third and another three in the fourth, all primarily off errors en route to an easy win.

Atalig gave up one earned run off zero hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts through four and two-thirds innings.