Enforcers hand Red Sox first loss

JPO Enforcers? shortstop Verlance Secharmidal picks up a grounder from a Red Sox batter during their Senior League game yesterday in the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball at the Francisco ?Tan Ko? Palacios Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Red Sox kissed their bid for a perfect regular season goodbye, as the JPO Enforcers whipped the Senior League leader, 16-3, last Saturday in the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.
The Enforcers caught the Red Sox flatfooted in the last three innings to end the latter’s seven-game winning streak. They faced anew in an early rematch yesterday afternoon with the Enforcers threatening to make it two in row, leading at 4-1 after four innings. Final results of the game were unavailable at press time.

Holding a manageable 3-0 lead, a six-run top of the fifth gave the Enforcers more cushion, as they capitalized on the erratic Red Sox. The Enforcers got their first three runs in the fifth off the Red Sox’s miscues and the last from another error. The two other runs were courtesy of a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.

The Red Sox also scored off the Enforcers’ defensive lapses at the bottom fifth, but bagged only two runs. The Enforcers then racked up three more runs off the Red Sox’s booboos in the sixth, while the last four runs were all earned and recorded in the seventh. The Red Sox countered with only one run in the last two innings to absorb their first loss this season.

Verlance Secharmidal went 5-for-5 in the Enforcers’ upset win and scored four runs, an RBI triple, and three singles.

Jets 8, Lions 7

In second Senior League game last Saturday, the Jets nipped the Lions.

Kenji Yamagata scored the winning run at the bottom of the seventh inning off a sacrifice fly from Devyn Flores.

The Lions fell short in their bid for the second win of the season after failing to score in the last two innings. The Lions were ahead, 7-5, after five innings. They collected four runs in the fifth off the Jets’ errors and got an RBI single from pitcher Perry Celis in the fourth, while the two runs were logged in the third off a Jets’ miscue at second base and a stolen base.

The Jets had a roller-coaster offense in the first five innings to face a two-run deficit before tying the match at the bottom of the sixth inning off Franklin Lizama’s RBI single and run from a wild pitch. Earlier at the top of the sixth, a Lions runner was stranded at third, as Yamagata struck out third batter Denny Jepen and Jay Lee went back to the dugout after a 6-3 putout play. Yamagata also struck out leadoff batter Gary Camacho at the top of the last innings and the Lions were done early, as the next two batters were beaten to first.

At the bottom of the seventh, Jets were called for an early first out, too with Franco Nakamura flying out at first. Yamagata was next at bat and singled, while Greg Sablan walked and later made it to second, moving the former to third. Yamagata went on to reach home off Flores’ sacrifice fly at leftfield.

BIG LEAGUE

Padres 9, Fielders 2

In the lone Big League match last Thursday, the Padres (7-2) dominated the Fielders to regain the top spot in the four-team field.

The defending champions won the exchange in the first three innings and then shut out the Fielders in the last four en route to the easy win.

The Padres got eight runs in the first three innings against only two from the Fielders. Relief pitcher A.J. Lizama had a two-run single in the second inning, while second baseman Ray Tenorio had back-to-back RBI singles in the first two innings. The four other runs were courtesy of Thomas Reyes’ RBI singles in the first and third and off a wild pitch and passed ball.

The Fielders also got a run off a passed ball in the first inning, while the other was made in the third off the Tenorio’s error. Last year’s runners-up went on to struggle against starting pitcher Lancaster Secharmidal and the rest of the Padres defense in the next three innings. Secharmidal had five strikeouts in his last three-inning shift and stranded two runners, while his teammates caught five fly balls. Lizama came in for Secharmidal at the top of the last inning and got the job done with two early strikeouts. The Fielders were called for the quick three outs when Padres shortstop Steven Cabrera caught a fly ball from the former’s third batter.