Red Sox, Braves share Senior League lead

The Red Sox and Braves remained undefeated in three games to tie for the lead in the Senior League division of the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball.

The Red Sox played in the first game last Saturday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield and downed the Jets, 7-3, to improve to a 3-0 record. The Jets absorbed their first loss in three games.

A five-run top of the second inning helped the Red Sox win the battle of unbeaten squads. The Red Sox, who failed to score in the first inning and faced a 0-1 deficit, capitalized on the Jets errors in the second inning to gain control of the match, recording four runs off their foes’ miscues and one of a fielder’s choice.

The Jets, who made it to the board first off Franco Nakamura’s unearned run, went scoreless in the next three innings, struggling against Red Sox pitcher Jhace Palacios. The Red Sox ace pitched in no relief, struck out seven and allowed six hits and no earned runs.

The Jets ended their silence in the fifth, but only got one run in that inning and one more in the sixth. However, the Red Sox countered with two runs in the last two innings, one earned off Henry Lizama’s single in the seventh. The other one was Bradley Lieto’s run off a Jets booboo in the sixth.

Braves 11, Lions 3
The Braves also held the Lions to three runs in the final match of the day to extend their winning streak.
Luke Iguel came for starting pitcher Roke Tenorio in the fourth inning and threw a no-hitter to hand the Braves the victory one inning early. Iguel also struck out six runners and had only one error, throwing a wild pitch that gave the Lions their only run in the last four innings.

Before Iguel took over the mount, the Lions managed to notch two runs in the first three innings with Jesse Kalen reaching home off a catcher’s error in the first inning and Perry Celis’ single driving home Ton Ilo in the second.

The Braves were shutout in the first inning before their first five batters lit up the scoreboard at the bottom of the second inning to grab the lead. James Kintaro gave the Braves their first run off a stolen base, while J.J. Lifoifoi and M.J. Sakisat made it home off passed balls, and Juan Quitugua and Iguel scored off a wild pitch and A.J. Evangelista’s sacrifice fly, respectively.

The Braves never looked back from there with Iguel doing a great job on the mound in the last four innings.

JPO Enforcers 14,
Fielders 5
The JPO Enforcers barged into the win column after outclassing the winless Fielders (0-3).
The Enforcers scored seven runs in the pivotal top of the third inning en route to their first victory in the season.

Before their uprising, the Enforcers were behind, 1-4, after two complete innings. Verlance Secharmidal scored an unearned run for the Enforcers in the second inning, while the Fielders bagged three unearned runs and one off a stolen dish.

At the top of the third, the Enforcers’ first five batters reached home, as the Fielders committed an error after another. The Enforcers continued to turn the Fielders’ miscues into runs in the next two innings, racking up one run in the fourth and four more in the fifth.

While the Fielders, who used four different pitchers to stop the bleeding, kept on giving up runs to the Enforcers with their defensive lapses, the former’s offense could not take off, too. The defending champions were held to one run in the last five innings with Mike Muna reaching home off a wild pitch.