Ol’Aces, Brewers rout D-9ers in SML

Ol’Aces and Tan Holdings-Brewers notched run-rule victories over the Rep. Ray Yumul-D-9ers as the Saipan Major League season continued at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

Ol’Aces shellacked the D-9ers, 20-8, on Monday, not long after the Brewers lit them up, 16-0, last Wednesday.

Ol’Aces’ win improved its unbeaten streak to three, while the Brewers nabbed its fourth win in five games. The D-9ers are still trying to break into the win column after six tries.

The season continues tonight at 6:30pm with Ol’Aces facing the defending champion St. Michael’s Medical Response Angels (2-1).

Then following next week’s CNMI Little League District Tournament, the SML season resumes on June 14 with the Brewers meeting up with the IP&E-Shell Fielders (2-2).

D-9ers started off with a brief 3-0 lead in their first two turns at the plate, but Ol’Aces wiped it away in the bottom of the second inning for a 4-3 lead.

J.D. Dikito led off with a single and scored off a wild pitch and two hit batsmen set up a two-RBI base smash by Juan Iguel. Iguel then stole two bases before scoring off an error.

D-9ers managed two runs to start the third, but the Ol’Aces barreled ahead, 12-5, in the bottom frame off six hits.

Zack Dela Cruz bagged an RBI single, Nokki Saralu bashed a two-RBI base rip, Juan Maratita followed him with another RBI single, and Ben Taisacan brought home a run in his second at bat of the inning.

D-9ers came up empty in the fourth inning and had its back broken in the bottom portion as Ol’Aces posted up four more runs of primarily off errors.

Juan Tenorio, Iguel, and Taisacan all cashed in with some timely RBI singles.

D-9ers managed two runs in the top of the fifth, but Ol’Aces raised the ante with another four runs in the bottom half of the inning off five hits. Iguel and Taisacan struck again with RBI base hits.

Ol’Aces kept D-9ers at bay in the sixth and held them to just one run in the final stand.

Ol’Aces’ Iguel batted 3-for-5 with four RBIs and four runs with two stolen bases. D-9ers’ Lawrence Dikito batted 2-for-2 with an RBI, three runs, a base on balls, and a hit-by-pitch.

The Brewers got right to work and moved around four runs n the first inning. A hit and a walk set up a two-RBI base smash by Manny Sablan who was later driven to the plate by Byron Kaipat. Kaipat then sprinted home off a ball in the dirt.

D-9ers left two runners stranded, but went three up and three down in the second inning, after which the Brewers hustled out two more runs in the bottom frame off a pair of leadoff hits and some errors.

Clifton Silil and Roy Celis both touched home for the second time after just two frames.

The Brewers then trudged ahead, 10-0, in the third off some more sketchy infield play and tallied its last six runs in the fourth inning, while the D-9ers remained riddled against four different pitchers who all came to play last week.

The Brewers loaded the bases in the fourth off three walks and a fielder’s choice. Then after Keegle Taitano trotted home off a wild pitch, Sablan obliged with a two-RBI base rip that was followed by an RBI double from Kaipat. The bash brothers would score moments later off a balk and another wild pitch.

D-9ers stood up the Brewers at third base in the next two innings, but simply never got things rolling at the plate.

Brewers hurlers Ota Noboyuke, Vince Cepeda, Tom Castro, and Kaipat struck out 10 as a unit and held the D-9ers to just one hit with three walks.

Brewers’ Kaipat batted 3-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs, and a base on ball.