Lady Ayuyus still undefeated in MISO softball

 The Kagman High School’s Lady Ayuyus notched a pair of wins and remain undefeated in five games as the Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization girls fast-pitch softball season continued at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield.

Kagman soundly beat Saipan Southern High School’s Lady Manta Rays (1-2), 13-1, last Wednesday after narrowly escaping the Mount Carmel School’s Lady Knights (0-2), 13-12, last Monday.

The Lady Ayuyus’ Janica Lizama drew a leadoff walk and touched all four to break the ice in the first inning against the Lady Rays.

Then Kagman moved ahead, 6-0, in the second inning off a slew of hits by Catalina Dela Cruz, Tracy Pelep, Ignacia Sakisat, and Zerah Castro.

Southern loaded the bases in the top of the third, but was hung up in a triple play when none of its runners tagged up after Kagman centerfielder Janelle Brel snagged a line drive. Brel’s throw actually sailed over the head of her target, but her teammates picked her up with the Lady Mantas still in disarray.

Kagman piled on six more runs in the third inning to put the match out of reach; Brel, Dela Cruz, Lizama, and Castro provided the bulk of the damage again.

The Lady Rays were dismissed with the bases loaded for the third time in a row in the top of the fourth, while the Lady Ayuyus threw up another run in the bottom frame for good measure.

The Lady Mantas lone run came from Cathy Amandus in the fifth and final inning.

Winning pitcher Zerah Castro narrowly missed the shutout and allowed one run off three hits and nine walks with four strikeouts through five innings. She also batted 3-for-3.Brel and Lizama both scored three times.

In the Kagman-MCS tiff, the Lady Knights managed an early 4-3 lead after the opening frame although neither team was awarded a hit.

Mt. Carmel remained aggressive on the base path, as Kagman’s Catalina Dela Cruz tried to find her zone from the mound and worked around five more runs in the top of the second inning.

The Lady Ayuyus snuck home two runs in the bottom frame to trim the deficit, 5-9, but the Lady Knights got them back as they essentially walked their line up again in the top of the third inning.

Then Kagman managed to escape the third with the bases loaded, but MCS obliged and stood them up with ducks on the pond in the bottom frame.

The Lady Ayuyus held MCS to just one run at the start of the fourth and ignited an eight-run rally in the bottom half to squeak ahead, 13-12, heading into the last inning. Brel, Mikayla Borja, and Pelep all bashed base hits that were spread among four walks in the uprise, while Dela Cruz scored twice and bagged the go-ahead run.

After scoring in the first four innings, the Lady Knights laid an egg with the bases juiced in the final stand.

The season continues at the “Tan Ge” field on Monday with the Lady Knights taking on the Lady Dolphins (0-2) at 4:30pm.