IT&E, Falcons in tight race for pennant

IT&E’s Spencer Dickinson gets ready to swing during their game against the Hustlers in the Major division of the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball last Sunday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

Defending champions Falcons and IT&E walloped separates foes last weekend to intensity their battle for the pennant in the Major division of the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball.

The Falcons pummeled Comets II, 25-0, last Sunday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield, while IT&E also coasted to a 23-2 victory over the Hustlers. IT&E improved to a 12-2 record for second place in the team standings behind the Falcons, who have a 12-1 slate.

Max Pangelinan nearly threw a no-hitter to help the Falcons shut out Comets II, which got its only hit at the bottom of the second inning off Red Teregeyo’s single. With Pangelinan on the mound for the Falcons, Comets II made it to scoring position only once with K.J. Muna advancing to third on a passed ball, but was stranded after Pangelinan got back-to-back strikeouts.

The Falcons pitching ace struck out nine batters and walked only one. He was also perfect at bat, going 5-for-5 and making three RBIs and five runs. Pangelinan blasted a two-run single in the second inning where the Falcons got eight more runs for a 12-0 lead after two innings.

Angel Iguel picked up where Pangelinan left off in the third inning, drilling a three-run homer to lift the Falcons to a big 21-0 advantage. The Falcons’ top of the order all reached home in the third inning and the defending champions booked the lopsided win two innings early, as Comets II failed to get into the board at the bottom fourth.

IT&E let the Hustlers score early with the latter tallying two runs at the bottom of the first, but these were no match to the former’s 15 at the top of the inning. IT&E had a run rush in the opening frame, as it capitalized on defensive lapses of the Hustlers and its top of the order were at bat more than once in the first inning. Eight of IT&E’s top of the order scored in their first at bat, seven of them were unearned, while the next seven runs were earned ones. Philip Kapileo and Devon Pangelinan had RBI doubles, Christopher Achas hit an RBI triple, and Spencer Dickinson and Denzel Pangelinan notched RBI singles.

The Hustlers countered with only two unearned runs at the bottom of the first and these were put into waste, as IT&E got five more in the second and three in the third, while the former went cold in the last three innings.

Meanwhile, the Ol’Aces followed the Falcons and IT&E’s lead after crushing the Jets, 23-5.

The Ol’Aces got off to a good start, scoring seven runs in the first inning and had a strong finish, adding eight more to end the match after only four innings. The Ol’Aces recorded four runs apiece in the second and third inning to keep their safe distance against the Jets, who made no more than two runs in each of the four innings.