Brotherhood sweeps Peleliu

Brotherhood’s Joe Lizama eyes the ball while teammate John D. Diaz waits on deck during Game 2 of their title series against Peleliu in the Belau Men’s Masters Softball League yesterday at the Dandan Softball Field. (Jon Perez)

Julian Camacho smacked a walk-off home run to lift Brotherhood to a 23-21 win over Peleliu in Game 2 of their best-of-three title showdown in the 2017 Belau Men’s Masters Softball League yesterday afternoon at the Dandan Softball Field.

The Brotherhood sweep denied Peleliu from dominating the competition. Peleliu was the top seed and pennant champion after the regular season, while Brotherhood finished runner-up in the elimination. The two teams then prevailed in the first two matches in the playoffs to arrange their championship duel.

Brotherhood went on to have an easier time in the finals opener as it pounded Peleliu to a pulp, 42-11. The eventual champion whacked 10 homers and finished with a whopping 43 hits against its opponents’ usually reliable bullpen. Overall, Brotherhood had a total of 13 homers.

In Game 2, Brotherhood was down 21-20 and John Terlaje led off the bottom of the seventh with a fly out to centerfielder George David for the first out. Bill Camacho was next at bat and reached first base on an error by shortstop Mark Flores, setting up Julian Camacho for the game-winning blast.

With one out and starting at a 2-2 count, Julian Camacho took Rush Kintaro’s fifth pitch, sailing past the left field fence as the entire team rushed out from the dugout to begin their celebration for winning their fifth straight Belau softball league title.

Julian Camacho, with his Game 2 heroics, was named the finals most valuable player. He finished with a combined 8-for-10 with three homers, 11 runs, and 14 RBIs. Joe Lizama supported Julian Camacho in Game 2, with a 4-for-4 performance at the plate, including a homer, three runs, and four RBIs. Jerry Ayuyu also homered and went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs.

After a major letdown in Game 1, Peleliu seemed headed for a Game 2 win that would have sent the finals to a do-or-die match when it took a 20-15 lead behind its six runs at the top of the sixth. Behind by one after five complete innings, 14-15, James Fleming led off with a single and Mark Flores reached first on an Ayuyu error. Dominic Remeliik then was struck out, while Dominic Hideo hit a two-RBI single to help Peleliu grab the lead, 16-15. Charley Kenty followed it with a two-run shot, while Mabel Ngirngemelas had his fourth RBI as he drove in Parker Yobei and Brel Kodep, who both had singles, to push Peleliu’s lead to five.

However, Brotherhood answered with five runs at the bottom half of the sixth to tie the game before Peleliu went ahead again by one run at the top of the seventh, 21-20, on a Hideo RBI single with Fleming, who earlier doubled to get on base, scoring the go-ahead run. Flores and Remeliik struck out, while Kenty hit a line drive to right center with Lizama making the catch for the third out.

Ngirngemelas and Yobei each went perfect at the plate 4-for-4 to lead Peleliu’s losing cause with the former adding two runs, a homer, and four RBIs and the latter scoring four times in the final game.