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Defenders, Faja in stalemate
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Posted on Nov 28 2011
By Walter J. Sutherland
Reporter
Reporter
A power outage suspended the finals of the Saipan Major League Baseball Association’s fundraiser softball tournament with the Defenders and Faja tied at 14-all, heading into the seventh inning of last Saturday’s championship match at the Capital Hill Ballfield.
As of press time yesterday, the title game has been ruled out as a tie and teams have yet to confirm if they will play again and settle the score.
The Defenders advanced to the finals after beating Faja, 17-16, in the winner’s bracket semis. Vince Cepeda made a walk-off homer to lift the Defenders to a close win. Before the semis, the Defenders also outlasted Titanium, 22-16, and Sinaipas, 10-5.
Faha made it past Go For Broke in its first pairing and then doubled up 1-2 BBQ, 19-8, before falling to the Defenders in the first semis game. However, Faja regrouped and defeated Sinaipas, 17-8, to get another crack at the frontrunners.
Meanwhile, Faha’s Byron Kaitpat defeated seven other competitors in the home run derby in walk off fashion. Kaipat was the last batter to step in the box and the number to beat was five. He ended up belting six pitches over the fence in a row for a modest cash prize. Dave and Brian Camacho smashed five home runs apiece for runner-up honors.
Nine teams competed in the double-elimination tournament, which had its games delayed due to rain. Organizers may hold another fundraiser and the date will be announced later. The fundraisers aims to help the CNMI Baseball Team pay for the expenses it incurred from participating and winning the gold medal in the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia and for the operational costs of SML competitions.
Contact SML’s Tony Rogolifoi at 288-5426 for more information.
