Braves bag third straight victory

A Braves runner is safe at home, beating the Red Sox pitcher during the bottom of the second inning of their game in the Major division of the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball last Sunday at the Miguel ‘Tan Ge’ Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

The Braves (4-1) first defeated the Red Sox, 15-9, last Sunday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield and picked up where they left off last Tuesday, nipping the Little Legals in a make-up game, 10-9.

Relief pitcher Vicente Camacho lifted the Braves to a close win against the Little Legals, as he halted the latter’s rally at the top of the fifth inning and got two early strikeouts in the top of the last.

Down at 2-10, after four innings, the Little Legals’ first five batters scored off four earned runs against starting pitcher Jose Tudela and an error at second base to mount a comeback at the top of the fifth, 7-10. With the Little Legals threatening the Braves, Camacho took over the mound, gave up only two hits, and earned two straight strikeouts to end the inning with his team hanging to a one-run cushion.

The Little Legals tucked on two more runs off miscues at second and left field at the top of the fifth to move within one. They then boosted their chances for a comeback win after striking out the Braves leadoff batter and stranding the second at third as the next two flied out and was beaten to first at the bottom. However, Camacho struck out the Little Legals’ first two batters and Tudela made up for his pitching struggle in the fifth inning by getting the final out, as he picked up a grounder from Kaito Dikito.

In their other victory, the Braves leaned on a 10-run tear at the bottom of the second inning to beat the Red Sox.

Both teams got off to good starts in the weekend game with the Red Sox scoring five runs against the Braves’ four. The Braves then wrestled the lead after shutting at the Red Sox at the top of the second and notching 10 runs at the bottom. Anthony Dizon led the Braves’ surge, as he went 2-for-2 in that inning alone and drilled three RBIs and two runs.

The Braves never looked back from thereon despite scoring only one run in the last three inning, as the Red Sox managed to counter with four runs.

IT&E 6, Enforcers 2
In a low-scoring game last Sunday, IT&E improved to a 4-1 record for a share of fourth place (with the Braves) in the 15-team field after neutralizing the JPO Enforcers.

It was a come-from-behind victory, as IT&E trailed and was scoreless in the first three innings. It continued to struggle in the fourth, making only one run before getting its act together in the fifth, producing five runs to take over the lead. Spencer Dickinson put IT&E on the board with his run off an Enforcers’ error at first base, while JPO got two runs in the first inning from a passed ball and a sacrifice out.

The Enforcers kept the upper hand after four and the half innings before Kyke Kaipat anchored IT&E’s rally and put his team on top, 6-2. Kaipat had a two-run double at the bottom of fifth, Jaime Pangelinan stole home, and Josh Camacho hit an RBI single, while the other runs was off a booboo from Enforcers shorts stop Dennis Cruz.

IT&E preserved the lead and grabbed the win after getting two quick outs at the top of the last inning and stranding a runner at first, as shorts strop Christopher Achas caught his second line drive of the inning for the third out. IT&E recorded the second out off a 1-3 putout play against Rikko Lizama.