Contrasting wins for Bears, Mariners

Action in the 2019 Saipan Baseball League resumed last Saturday with the Chalan Kanoa Bears and Mariners recording contrasting victories at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

In the first game, the Mariners nosed out the Aces, 4-3, while the Bears eased past the Blue Jays in the second match, 13-1. With the easy win, the defending champions Bears remain undefeated (4-0) in the league that suspended its games in Week 4 (July 20) due to the soggy field, while the Mariners improved to a 2-1 mark.

The Mariners scored two runs at the bottom of the sixth inning to steal the victory from the Aces, who clung to a 3-2 lead after four complete innings.

Kimo Angailen had a two-run double for the Aces in the third inning, while Keola Camacho reached off a wild pitch in the fourth to put their team in front. The Mariners’ two early runs, on the other hand, came from Nate Camacho’s single that brought Patrick Tenorio home in the second inning and an Aces’ error, which led Jonah Flores to home in the fourth.

At the top of the fifth, the Aces had a chance to gain some cushion when they loaded the bases with two outs. However, a big defensive stop from the Mariners foiled the Aces’s bid, as Flores threw from second base to first baseman Tyler Flores, who beat Jose Deleon Guerrero for the last out, leaving three Aces runners stranded.

Despite the missed opportunities, the Aces hung on to the shaky lead after five complete innings, as they brought down the Mariners’ first three batters at the bottom of the fifth.

The Mariners, however, held their own on defense at the top of the sixth to set up the late comeback. Closer Nate Camacho struck out Aces leadoff batter Giovanni Mira and Brian Camacho, and John Reyes went down on a 5-3 putout play for the three quick outs.

At the bottom of the sixth, Nate Camacho batted first, walked, and reached second on a passed ball. Gay Cruz also walked, while Jonah Flores was struck out. Nate Camacho went on to score the game-tying run off a fielder’s choice, while Cruz handed the Mariners the lead, also from a fielder’s choice before the Aces ended the inning with a double play to stay in the game.

However, the Mariners kept the lead and completed the comeback when Aces leadoff batter Darion Jones was beaten to first and Nate Camacho fanned Angailen and Tyrone Omar, leaving Juan Iguel stuck at first base.

In the second game, the Bears got off to a good start, scoring five runs in the first inning en route to their fourth straight win.

Ricardo Dela Cruz hit 2-for-3 at bat for the Bears and scored three runs and two RBIs. Henry and Frank Lizama and J.J. Lifoifoi also had two RBIs each for the defending champions, who tallied two runs in the second inning for a 7-1 lead and scored in the last three for the easy win.

The Blue Jays’ lone run in the one-sided game was courtesy of Tindin Deleon Guerrero, who reached off the Bears’ miscue at center field at the bottom of the second inning. The Blue Jays fell to a 1-2 record.