Jets stun Braves in Senior League finale

Jets relief pitcher Kenji Yamagata rushes to pick up a bunt from the Braves? Frankie Lifoifoi during the bottom of the sixth inning of their title game in the Senior League division of the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball last Saturday at the Francisco ?Tan Ko? Palacios Ballfield. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

The Jets completed their long trip to the Promised Land with a 5-3 upset win over the Braves in the Senior League finale in the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball last Saturday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.
Nathan Camacho pitched the Jets to the title win, as he struck out 12 batters and gave up only one earned run in 5.1 innings before being relieved by Kenji Yamagata. Camacho and company took this season’s Senior League crown despite making it to the playoffs last. They were seeded fourth in the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 7-5 record and had to nip the third-ranked Enforcers, 5-4, to keep their finals bid alive. The Jets then continued their uphill climb in the playoffs, pulling off an upset against the pennant champions Red Sox, 9-1, to set up a title duel with last year’s finalists Braves.

Against the Braves, Camacho got off to a shaky start, allowing a double to Braves leadoff batter A.J. Evangelista at the bottom of the first inning. Evangelista went on to score off an error from Jets shortstop Jesse Brel to give the Braves the early lead.

However, the Braves’ stay at the driver’s seat was short lived, as the Jets started hitting their targets in the second inning, while Camacho found his form and punished the Braves batters.

A sacrifice fly from Devin Flores drove Yamagata and tied the match at 1-all, while Brel’s single brought pinch runner Greg Sablan home and gave the Jets the lead. Frankie Lizama made it a 3-1 advantage, as he scored too in the second inning off a passed ball.

The Jets never looked back from thereon, as Camacho’s excellent pitching caused a lot of troubles to the Braves batters. He struck out leadoff batter Juan Quitugua in the second inning and eventually left a runner stranded at first after ending the frame with another strikeout. The Braves’ second out was a fly to shortstop.

In the third inning, Evangelista managed to squeeze out a single against Camacho and the former also scored off a sacrifice fly from J.J. Lifoifoi. However, Camacho redeemed himself quickly with two more strikeouts to end the inning. The Jets pitching ace then earned three straight strikeouts each in the fourth and fifth inning with his third consecutive strikeout at the bottom of the fourth stranding Frankie Lifoifoi at third base.

Camacho recorded his final strikeout early at the bottom of the sixth after giving up a triple to leadoff batter J.J. Lifoifoi.

The Braves runners went on to reach home after relief pitcher Yamagata allowed a sacrifice bunt to third batter Frankie Lifoifoi. J.J. Lifoifoi’s run moved the Braves within one, 3-4, as the Jets earlier nabbed one run off Yamagata’s sacrifice out at centerfield.

Clinging to a precarious lead, the Jets needed insurance at the top of the seventh and catcher Franko Nakamura gave it to his team, as his single brought K.J. Deleon Guerrero home. The Jets could have added more cushion, but their two runners were stranded at second and third, as Braves pitcher J.J. Lifoifoi got the third out off a strikeout.

Now ahead by two, all the Jets needed was to hold it on defense at the bottom of the seventh to complete the upset and hand the Braves another bridesmaid finish, as the former lost to the Fielders in the 2013 finals (4-8). The Jets did what the doctor ordered, as they booted out the Braves’ first three batters with the first one going out on a 5-3 putout play and the last two flying out to first base and centerfield.