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Falcons draw first blood in Junior League
Falcons coach Manny Evangelista gives instructions to his players before heading back to the field to bat against the Braves during their Junior League game in the SLLB last Saturday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)
The Falcons soared to their season-debut win after beating the Braves, 7-2, in the Junior League division of the 2016 Saipan Little League Baseball last Saturday at Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.
Pitchers Arby Yaguel, Spencer Dickinson, and Tyrese Camacho combined for 13 strikeouts to help the Falcons take the victory half an inning earlier.
Yaguel started out for the Falcons and struck out the Braves’ first batter Anthony Dizon. He got three more Ks before allowing two hits and one earned run at the top of the third. Dickinson moved from home plate to the mound to relieve Yaguel and quickly struck out Blade Igitol to end the inning.
Dickinson pitched until the sixth and recorded six more strikeouts, while allowing no run, two hits, and two walks. Camacho took over in the last inning and struck out the Braves leadoff batter Vicente Camacho before walking Robin Sablan. Sablan then made it to second off a passed ball, but was beaten to third with Yaguel throwing from home to Max Pangelinan. A second strikeout from Tyrese Camacho ended the match and gave the Falcons the win.
The solid game of the Falcons’ pitchers was complimented by their steady hitting. The Falcons got an RBI single from Dickinson and Justin Cangco at the bottom of the first, while the former added a run off the Braves’ error for a 3-0 lead.
The Braves then threatened the Falcons at the top of the third, moving within one, 2-3, after Robin Sablan scored the former’s first run off a booboo from Angel Iguel at second base and Dave Mafnas’ single brought home Josenio Alvarez.
However, that was the closest that the Braves could get as the Falcons’ defense regrouped and they also added four more runs. The fourth came off Dickinson’s sacrifice fly in the fourth, while the next two were courtesy off Iguel’s two-RBI single in the fifth. The last run was made by Zack Reyes, who reached home off the Braves error at third base.
Dickinson and Yaguel scored two runs apiece for the Falcons with the former going 2-for-3 at the plate and the latter hitting 1-for-3. Tyrese Camacho and Aven Evangelista posted the two other runs.
