Comets I, Falcons keep lofty spots

Defending champions Falcons remained unbeaten, while Comets I bounced back to keep their hold to the Top 2 spots in the Major division of the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball League.
The Falcons shut out the Little Legals, 4-0, in last Saturday’s final game at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Pangelinan Ballfield, while Comets I nosed out the JPO Enforcers in the second match, 6-5. The Falcons improved to a 7-0 record to lead the 15-team field, while the Comets I is lurking behind at second place with its 7-1 slate.

Closer Francisco Frederick delivered two straight strikeouts to lift Comets I to the close win. Frederick came in for Vincent Nakamura in the fourth inning with Comets I on top, 5-2. He started his shift with three walks and only two strikeouts in the first two innings and then gave up three hits at the bottom of the sixth. Rikko Lizama and Dennis Cabrera had back-to-back singles for the Enforcers and both scored off Frederick and Jessie Taitano’s errors to move JPO within one, 6-5. The Enforcers got the third run off a Comets I miscue in the fifth inning.

The Enforcers notched the two runs with only one out and runners on first and second. Troy Laniyo was next at bat for the Enforcers and came up with an empty swing on his third and last attempt for the second out. Peter Litulumar suffered the same fate at the hands of Frederick to end the Enforcers’ chances of sending the game into extra inning.

While Comets I had to withstand the Enforcers’ rally, the Falcons were never threatened en route to keeping their perfect record.

Starting pitcher Arby Yaguel and reliever Max Pangelinan combined for a two-hitter to blank the Little Legals. Yaguel pitched five innings and struck out seven batters. The Little Legals got the lone hit on Yaguel at the bottom of the sixth inning with Miku Torres making a single before getting stranded, as the Falcons pitcher stuck out two more batters.

Pangelinan started the bottom of the sixth with a strikeout and though he gave up a single to the Little Legals’ second batter and walked the third with two outs, he quickly wrapped up the match with another strike.

Besides teaming up with Pangelinan in shutting down the Little Legals, Yaguel also contributed on the Falcons’ offense, as he blasted a two-run single at the top of the third. The Falcons recorded their two runs, too, in the third off Justin Cangco and Zach Reyes’ RBI singles.

Comets II 15, Ol’Aces 9

Comets II earned its second win after neutralizing the Ol’Aces in the last four innings.

The Ol’Aces got off to a good start, scoring nine runs in the first two innings, but failed to keep their momentum against Comets II pitchers Alvin Hocog and Reid Teregeyo. The Ol’Aces bagged four runs in the first inning off C.J. Kaipat’s two-run single against starting pitcher Ethan Somol and a two-run homer from Trevor Lieto. Lieto went on to hit back-to-back homers against Somol and this time brought two runners with him to give the Ol’Aces a 9-0 lead. The Ol’Aces collected two more unearned runs in the second for the promising lead after only one and a half innings.

An eight-run bottom of the second kept Comets II in the game, as Somol made up for his struggles on the mound with a three-run triple to spark a rally. Comets I got three more earned runs and two off the Ol’Aces’ defensive lapses.

Comets II continued its rebound in the ensuing innings, as Hocog replaced Somol and gave up no hits in the third and fourth and the team scored seven runs in the last two innings. Teregeyo closed out for Comets II and struck out five of the Ol’Aces’ six batters in the last two innings to complete the come-from-behind win.

Meanwhile, in a make-up game last Tuesday, the Enforcers downed the IP&E Rockies, 9-5.