IT&E steals victory from IP&E

IT&E?s Christopher Achas shows his pitching form during the first inning of their game against the IP&E Rockies in the Major division of the Saipan Little League Baseball last Saturday at the Miguel ?Tan Ge? Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

IT&E rallied past the IP&E Rockies to pull off a 15-14 cliffhanger in the Major division game in the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball League last Saturday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield.

Down at 6-14, after five and a half-innings, IT&E collected nine runs at the bottom of the sixth and last inning with Asanuma making the game-winning hit to lift the team to the close win.

Asanuma, who relieved Denzel Pangelinan in the batting order in the second inning, went for his second at-bat in the sixth and singled, driving Spencer Dickinson home. Before the game-clinching hit, IT&E loaded the bases with two outs.

Counting Dickinson’s run, IT&E gained six other earned runs in the pivotal bottom of the sixth. Only one batter in IT&E’s top of the order missed home in the first round, while Dickinson scored twice and made an RBI double in his first at bat.

IT& got off to a good start, drilling six runs in the first two innings, but the IP&E Rockies managed to lead, 10-5, thanks to a nine-run top of the second. The IP&E Rockies capitalized on IT&E’s errors early in the game to control the match and padded its lead in the next three innings after shutting out the latter. However, IT&E regained its bearings in the last inning to steal the victory.

The win helped IT&E bounce back from a 5-8 loss to McDonald’s in a make-up game last Thursday’s and improve its record to 5-2 for fifth place in the 15-team field (pending results of last Sunday’s matches.

Falcons 11, Red Sox 6
The Falcons remained undefeated in six games after outclassing the Red Sox in last Saturday’s curtain-raiser.
The Falcons went to work early, scoring in the first three innings to build a 9-2 advantage and never looked back from thereon. The Red Sox logged the two runs in the first inning to force the first and only deadlock in the game, as the Falcons began controlling the match in the second inning after drilling six runs. Third baseman Arby Yaguel led the Falcons in the second inning, as he connected on a two-RBI double, while the four other runs were made off two RBI walks and catcher’s miscues.
The Falcons kept their good distance, as they shut out the Red Sox in the next four innings before giving up four runs at the bottom of the sixth.

Braves 18, Comets II 0
In the last game, the Braves took a short route in whipping the Comets II, winning the lopsided match after only three and a half innings.

Vicente Camacho threw a two-hitter and had six strikeouts in the victory that lifted the Braves to a division fourth-best 5-1 record. Camacho also scored two runs and was 2-for-3 at the plate.

The Braves pitcher and seven of his teammates reached home in the first innings. Six Braves in the batting order went to bat twice at the top of the first and three rounded the bases anew, giving the team a promising 11-0 lead. The Braves got five earned runs and six off the Comets II’s defensive blunder in the first inning.

In the second inning, the Braves remained on target with Anthony Dison and Blad Igitol blasting RBI double each and Robin Sablan and Isaiah Teigita adding RBI singles. Sablan also scored off a pitcher’s error to power the Braves to a commanding 16-0 advantage.

The Comets II, which had an opportunity to score in the first inning with runners on second and third, but was frustrated when Camacho struck out Kobe Deleon Guerrero for the third out, had only a runner reaching second base in the second inning, as the next three struck out. In the third inning, Camacho gained one more strikeout and no Comets II runner made it past first base.

Camacho then earned his sixth strikeout at the top of the fourth, booting out leadoff batter Deleon Guerrero, and the Comets II was done after only three batters, as the second one was beaten to second and the third flied out.