CNMI Senior All-Stars lose to NZ in close match

A CNMI Senior All-Star Team runner slides home during their game against Indonesia in the 2018 Asia Pacific-Middle East Regional Tournament last Monday at the Global Villages, Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, Philippines. (Little League Philippines)

The CNMI Senior All-Star Team failed to sustain a good start, allowing New Zealand to steal a 4-3 victory yesterday in the 2018 Asia Pacific-Middle East Regional Tournament at the Global Villages, Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, Philippines.

Traye Wildbore hit the dagger for New Zealand, delivering a two-run single at the bottom of the seventh inning with the CNMI just one out away from winning the match.

The Commonwealth players led, 3-0, after four and a half innings, but lost the driver’s seat, no thanks to the Kiwis’ three-run bottom of the seventh inning.

Aven Evangelista put the CNMI on the board on Dennis Cabrera’s single, while Josenio Alvarez’ s single also brought home Leveque Iguel at the top of the first.

Cabrera reached, too, off New Zealand’s error at the top of the fifth, while the Kiwis ended their silence at the bottom when Isaac Matalavea made it home off the CNMI’s defensive miscue.

Neither team scored in the sixth inning, and the CNMI was also shut down at the top of the seventh and last, giving New Zealand a chance to mount a comeback. The Kiwis did it with Liam Murray starting things out for their team, as his single drove in Harrison Wildbore and cut the deficit to one with only one out.

Murray then moved to second, while Irwin singled before Jayden Prestley flied out. Murray and Irwin eventually made it home when Wildbore hit the ball that came from Iguel—the third pitcher that the CNMI used in the last inning in its failed bid to stop the Kiwis’ uprising.

With the sorry loss, the CNMI fell to a 1-2 record, but will still see action in today’s playoff round. The team has yet to determine its rankings in the seven-squad field, as results of the two other games yesterday were unavailable at press time.

Guam, which held a 3-0 record before it played Hong Kong yesterday, is likely to finish at No. 1 and get the automatic semis berth. The CNMI and the five other squads will square off for the three remaining Final Four berth.

Meanwhile, the CNMI Major All-Stars bowed out of contention in the World Series qualifier in Seoul, South Korea after falling to Guam, 2-12. The Commonwealth bets dropped to a 0-3 record and will close out the elimination with a game against Indonesia today in Pool A. Only the Top 2 teams in Pools A and B will advance to the playoffs.