Comets in pennant race; Falcons win

Achilles Evangelista pitches for the Falcons during the bottom of the third inning of their Majors division game against the Braves in the 2019 Saipan Little League Baseball yesterday at the Capitol Hill Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Comets boosted their bid for the pennant, while the Talaabwogh Falcons notched an easy win in the Majors division of the 2019 Saipan Little League Baseball at the Capitol Hill Ballfield.

The Comets downed the Falcons last Saturday, 13-3, while the latter regrouped quickly and coasted past the Braves yesterday, 14-0.

After a 1-2-3 at the bottom of the first inning, the Comets got their acts together in the second inning, scoring three runs to take control of the match and never relinquished it. The Comets went on to wrap up the game one inning early after firing seven runs at the bottom of the fifth.

Isidro Lizama led the Comets’ strong finish after hitting a two-run single and the team went on to record four more earned runs. Catcher Jesus Tyquengco contributed an RBI single in the fifth and was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 and making two RBIs and one double.

The Falcons, on the other hand, got all their three runs (only one earned) at the top of the fifth inning, as they struggled against Comets starting pitcher Greg Tebit and closer Lizama.

Tebit allowed only two hits in 2.1 innings pitch and fanned five batters. Lizama also had five strikeouts and gave up four hits for the Comets, who will face the Kagman Little Legals in their last game in the regular season on June 2 with the winner taking the pennant. The Little Legals and Comets hold similar 8-3 records.

Meanwhile, Achilles Evangelista threw a two-hitter in the shutout win and struck out five batters, as the Falcons finished off the Braves after only four innings via 10-run mercy rule. The pitcher, who worked all four innings of the one-sided match, also contributed three RBIs and two runs off a 2-for-4 performance at the plate.

With Evangelista on the mound and the Falcons’ defense on point, no Braves runners made it past first base and the former forced their foes to a 1-2-3 in the third and fourth inning.

On offense, second baseman Damien Cruz had the most runs for the Falcons with three after going 3-for-4 at bat. All of Cruz’s three hits were doubles and he earned four RBIs. Shortstop Marvin Cabrera, third baseman Noah Iguel, and catcher Andre Iguel chipped in two runs each with the latter scoring off a stolen base and passed ball.

With the victory, the Falcons improved their record to 7-4 for a tie for third to fourth place with McDonald’s, while the Braves fell to a 2-8 card. The Falcons and the Braves have one game left in the regular season with the latter out of the race for the playoff berths, along with the winless JZ Twins (0-8). Only the Top 4 teams will advance to the playoff round next weekend and the cast is complete with the Falcons and McDonald’s joining the Kagman Little Legals and the Comets. The remaining matches in the elimination will determine the playoff pairings. The No. 1 finisher will take on the No. 4 team for the first finals ticket, while No. 2 vs No. 3 squads will collide for the second and last one. The pair of semis games is set for June 8, while the championship match will be played on June 9.