CNMI vs Guam for first finals seat

The CNMI’s Joe Palacios is all set to deliver a pitch during their game against Palau in the Inaugural Micronesian Baseball Classic last Tuesday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield. Palacios and company will face Guam today for the first finals berth in the four-nation competition. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The CNMI will battle Guam for the first finals berth in the Inaugural Micronesian Baseball Classic after the latter crushed Kosrae, 15-2, in the penultimate preliminary game last Tuesday night at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

Guam finished the round-robin prelims with a 2-1 record for second place behind the unbeaten CNMI All-Stars (3-0). Kosrae placed fourth with its 0-3 card, while Palau was ranked third after earning a 1-2 mark. The CNMI-Guam tiff for the first finals seat will be played today at 2pm. Kosrae and Palau, on the other hand, will collide in a knockout out game at 6:30pm with the winner facing the loser of the Guam-CNMI match for the second and last finals ticket tomorrow at 10am. The championship game will also take place on Friday at 4pm.

Guam moved a win away from advancing to the title match after dominating Kosrae in the preliminary game.

Pitcher Mike Concepcion towed Guam to victory, as he threw a three-hitter in a no relief job in six and a half innings. He yielded only one run and struck out five batters.

Center fielder Jathan Barnes also helped Guam ease past Kosrae, as he went 3-for-5 at bat and scored two runs, two singles, and two RBIs. Second baseman Ryan Martinez and designated hitter Jay Taijeron both hit 2-for-4 and also logged two runs each with the latter adding two RBIs, while Ken Fernandez contributed three runs off his 2-for-4 performance at the plate.

Guam set up the lopsided win via 10-run mercy rule after a seven-run bottom of the fourth. Barnes had a two-run double in that pivotal inning, while Martinez hit an RBI single. Earlier in the third, JD San Nicolas made his lone hit in the match—a two-run double— and Taijeron followed it up with a two-run single for Guam’s 5-1 advantage. Fernandez recorded Guam’s lone run at the bottom of the second inning off a sacrifice out from Mike Peredo, while Jerry Shrew’s RBI double put Kosrae on the board at the top. Kosrae’s other run came in the sixth with Fred Nedlic reaching home off Guam’s error at third base.

Guam got the one run back at the bottom of the sixth off Fernandez’s RBI triple and the winning team added two more from Kosrae’s miscues at second base to peg the final score.

Junior Nationals 13, Guam 10
In the last preliminary game yesterday afternoon, the CNMI Junior Nationals edged Guam.

M.J. Sakisat closed out for the Junior Nationals, pitching 4.2 innings and allowing only two hits and no runs. He took over the mound after Guam scored two more runs at the bottom of the fifth and threatened to mound a comeback.

Guam fell short as it had a 1-2-3 inning in three of the last four frames. Guam once held a shaky 8-7 lead before a five-run top of the fifth put the Junior Nationals on top, 12-8. Jesse Brel sparked the rally with his three-run double, while Frankie Lifoifoi had an RBI single, and Nathan Camacho scored off Guam’s error at home plate. The Junior Nationals earlier had two runs each in the first and third inning, collected three more in the fourth, and had one in the sixth, while Guam’s first four runs were registered in the first and second.

Though they prevailed, the Junior Nationals’ second victory in four games is not counted in the team standings as they are only a guest squad in the four-nation competition.