CNMI sluggers leave for World Series

Darion Jones, seen here pitching for the Enforcers during the Saipan Little League Baseball this year, is suiting up for the CNMI Senior All-Star Team that will compete in the World Series in Bangor, Maine next week. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Commonwealth sluggers will represent the Asia Pacific-Middle East region in the tournament that will run from Aug. 9 to 16 at the Shawn T. Mansfield Stadium. They were crowned the regional champions and earned a World Series ticket after an 8-6 victory over Guam in the finals of the 2014 Little League Asia Pacific-Middle East Regional Tournament last month at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, Philippines.

The World Series-bound team is composed of Kenji Yamagata, Virolanson Secharmidal, Melvin Sakisat Jr. Jobe Reyes, Jhace Palacios, Franko Nakamura, Michael Muna, Joseph Lifoifoi Jr., Darion Jones, A.J. Evangelista, Jeffrey Dela Cruz, Kelvin Deleon Guerrero, Nathan Camacho, Jerald Cabrera, Jessie Brel, and Craig Aguon. Patrick Tenorio is the team manager, while Anthony Leon Guerrero and Jack Deleon Guerrero are the coaches.

“We’re ready despite the limited practice time at the field due to frequent raining last month. The boys worked on drills inside the Ada gym through the help of Tony Rogolifoi and Mike Pangilinan and before that they’ve been training hard before we went to the Philippines, so we will be fine,” Tenorio said in a telephone interview with Saipan Tribune.

“We’ll take it one game at a time, assess the situation on hand, and adjust to the plays happening at the field,” Tenorio added when asked about the teams they will be facing in the World Series.

The CNMI players will go up against the host, then Canada, and teams from U.S. southeast and west districts. The Asia Pacific-Middle East champions will first play Bangor on Aug. 11 (Aug. 12 on Saipan) and then duel U.S. west (Aug. 12), Canada (Aug. 13), and U.S. southeast (Aug. 14).

“I wished we know a lot of things about our opponents, so we can make a game plan. They don’t know us, either, so when we go out there our players must anticipate anything—from fly balls to home runs. They have to be thinking players when they are out on the field, read the plays and react quickly. They also have to listen to the coaches instructions—when we tell them to bunt, they should bunt,” said Tenorio, who went for the strategic bunts in their title win against Guam.

Tenorio’s squad was the first CNMI team to make it to the World Series since 2010 and this year’s selection hopes to avoid the misfortunes that hit the 2010 group. The 2010 Asia Pacific champions failed to notch a single win in the competition, losing to Palm Bay, Florida, 5-6, Holmes County, Ohio, 4-14, Manhattan Beach, California, 0-11, and eventual champion Aruba, 4-8. Aruba won in the finals against Bangor, 8-1.

“We will definitely go all out there and do our best to represent the CNMI and the Asia Pacific well. We’re up to the challenge ,” Tenorio said.