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GSM Brewers bullpen help tie finals
Brew Crew stymie Falcons in Game 2, 9-3
The team with the better bullpen could end up lifting the 2015 Saipan Baseball League trophy with the best-of-five championship series turning out to be a pitching duel.
Falcons’ first baseman Alex Benavente, right, tries to keep a close watch on the GSM Brewers’ Pat Alepuyo hoping to tag him out in Game 2 of their best-of-three championship series in the 2015 Saipan Baseball league last Wednesday night at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field. (Jon Perez)
GSM Brewers pitchers Lenny Sablan and Lancaster Secharmidal held the Falcons to a combined .152 (5-for-33) batting average to power the defending champions to a 9-3 Game 2 win in the title series last Wednesday night at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field.
Secharmidal tossed 4.2 innings in relief, surrendering one unearned run on two hits, retiring eight, and walking one, while forcing the Falcons’ batters to just hit fly balls, grounders, and line drives to finish off what Sablan started.
The lefty Secharmidal, who came in when Lamarc Iguel was about to bat in the bottom of the fifth with one out and the bases loaded, got out of the jam with consecutive strikeouts to Lamarc Iguel and Juan Iguel.
After the Falcons scored twice in the bottom of the eighth inning, Secharmidal forced lead off batter L.J. Norita to fly out to centerfielder Tyron Omar in the ninth.
Henry Iguel grounded out to first baseman Byron Kaipat and Secharmidal had a game-ending strikeout when he fanned Ned Norita.
Sablan threw for 4.1 innings, three in shut-out fashion, allowing one unearned run on three hits with one strikeout and two walks. He had quick 1-2-3 innings from the first to the third where he almost prevented the Falcons to get on base.
Jeremy Atalig was the lone Falcon to get on base in the third when he had a leadoff walk in the second. He was, however, tagged out on a 2-3 putout play for the first out.
Sablan struck out Frankie Lieto then forced Goru Iskawa to fly out to end the inning.
The Brew Crew also found their swing back after being held to .156 (5-for-32) by the Falcons pitching duo of Peter Lieto and A.J. Lizama in a 5-2 loss last week.
The Brewers, this time, batted .384 with Manny Sablan going 3-for-5 with RBI singles in the first and seventh innings, while Jesse Brel went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs.
The Mark Flores-managed squad enjoyed an 8-1 lead after 8 1/2 innings with the Brewers scoring thrice in the third behind Roy Celis’ two-RBI single. Celis scored twice in the game.
Byron Kaipat, Pat Alepuyo, and Marvin Kaipat batted 2-for-4 each with the former also scoring two runs, had two doubles, and an RBI. Alepuyo had an RBI while Marvin Kaipat had two runs, an RBI and a double.
The Falcons used four pitchers in the game with Aaron Benavente throwing for five innings surrendering six runs, four earned, on seven hits with one strikeout and one walk.
Juan Iguel tossed two innings in relief, giving up one earned run on four hits and fanning one with no walks. Lamarc Iguel and Goro Iskawa alternately pitched in the eighth and ninth allowing a combined two earned runs on four hits.
