Falcons soar past Blue Jays

A Falcons batter waits for the throw of Blue Jays pitcher Keoni Pua during their game in the 2018 Saipan Baseball League last Tuesday night at the Francisco M. Palacios Ballfield. (Jon Perez)

Peter Lieto pitched five innings in relief and cousin Bradley Lieto drove in five runs, as the Falcons soared past the Blue Jays, 21-9, in last Tuesday night’s game in the 2018 Saipan Baseball League at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

The win was the second in as many games for last year’s finalists and gave them the early lead after almost two weeks of action. The victory came after the Falcons defeated the reigning titlists Aces on opening day, 10-8, while the loss prevented the Blue Jays from making a follow-up on their 13-2 season-debut win over the Outlaws last week.

Peter Lieto struck out six and had two walks while giving up five runs—three earned—on five hits in a relief effort for starter Henry Reyes. He was also walked twice, went 3-for-4 at the plate, and scored five times—three of which were on RBI singles by his cousin Bradley.

J.J. Lifoifoi closed out for the Falcons and had a quick 1-2-3 inning in the sixth before giving manager Doru Camacho some anxious moments in the seventh. He gave up a leadoff walk to Greg Sablan and a single to Lorenzo Sibetang to put two runners on base. A wild pitch had both runners advancing, but Lifoifoi bounced back when he struck out Kier Agda. Sablan scored on a Chris George RBI single, while Sibetang moved to third and later stole home for the Blue Jays’ second run.

Lifoifoi then retired Neldreyton Skerei to move closer to ending the game by way of the 10-run rule, but he walked Noel Cabrera and designated hitter Mark Toves had an RBI single to bring in George. Cabrera moved 90 feet away from home plate, while Toves advanced to second on a passed ball to keep the Jays’ comeback bid alive. Lifoifoi, however, ended their plans when he struck out Kimo Angailen.

Bradley Lieto’s five RBIs for the Falcons included a two-RBI single at the top of the seventh when the game was getting out of the Blue Jays’ reach. He also made it to home plate four times on a 2-for-4 batting.

Meanwhile, GSM was looking for its second straight win last night as it played against Outlaws, while SBL action will resume on Monday. No matches will be played tonight and tomorrow to give way to a visiting South Korean baseball team that will be using the field for practice and scrimmage.