Fielders beat Falcons on walk-off hit

Dennis Cabrera starts to celebrate while running to home plate for the winning run in the Fielders’ 4-3 victory over the Falcons in the Senior League division of the 2018 Saipan Little League Baseball last Sunday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield. (Jon Perez)

Dennis Cabrera scored the winning run on a walk-off hit to lift the Fielders to a pulsating 4-3 win over the Falcons in the Senior League division of the 2018 Saipan Little League Baseball last Sunday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

The Fielders were down 3-2 after 6 1/2 innings, but breaks of the game went their way, indirectly, thanks to a bold move by Falcons manager Manny Evangelista, who decided to bring in Pedro Maratita to the mound.

The Falcons needed only three outs at the bottom of the seventh inning when Evangelista opted to replace Arby Yaguel after the latter gave up a leadoff single to Austin Sanchez, who later tied the game on an Anthony Dizon sacrifice fly.

Yaguel also allowed Deleon Guerrero to score on a Travon Lieto fielder’s choice in the sixth for a 3-2 count, but the Falcons’ relief pitcher got out of a jam behind the team’s defense.

Back at the bottom of the seventh, Maratita, who forced Dizon to a sacrifice fly for the first out, allowed a single to Cabrera, while Ignacio Mendiola was safe on base on a Falcons throwing error. Cabrera moved to third after that missue, setting up Deleon Guerrero’s game-winning hit. Deleon Guerrero, on a 1-2 count, took Maratita’s next pitch behind a gap at left field with the ball getting past the Falcons’ infielders.

Cabrera then started running after Deleon Guerrero’s hit, unmindful of the fact that either the third baseman or the shortstop could take the grounder and make the throw to first base. Cabrera and the rest of his teammates began their celebration, as soon as the ball hopped and went past the Falcons’ infielders.

Henry Fleming lasted six innings on the mound for the Fielders and was tagged with one earned run on six hits, while striking out six and walking two batters.

Dizon pitched in the seventh, forcing leadoff batter Nixon Smith to fly out to right field before recording consecutive strikeouts against Mark Norita and Joel Norita, respectively.

Braves 15, Comets 0
Tyress Camacho tossed a three-hit game, while Boss Camacho had two RBI walks in the Braves’ shutout win.

Tyress Camacho had seven strikeouts and walked two in five innings. He gave up back-to-back hits to Darvince Manalo and Mark Castro in the second inning.

Kiana Aldan was the other Comets player that recorded a hit—a single in the third inning—against Tyress Camacho, while J.P. Celis was the lone batter that had three hits in the game, going 3-for-4 with two runs.