Lieto, Falcons end Yankees’ postseason run

Peter Lieto tossed four innings in relief to help the Falcons to a 16-6 crushing of the Saipan Stevedore Yankees in the 2015 Saipan Baseball League playoff round last Monday night at the Francisco “Tan Ko” M. Palacios Baseball Field.

Yankees first baseman John Tudela, right, tries to keep a close distance to Falcons pinch runner Ned Norita in Game 2 of their best-of-three semifinals series on Monday night in the 2015 Saipan Baseball League. (Jon Perez)

The Falcons completed a two-game sweep of the Yankees in their own best-of-three semifinals to earn the chance of facing the defending champions GSM Brewers in the race-to-three title series, which starts Friday at 7pm.

The Brewers and the Falcons split their regular season games with the former scoring a 10-4 win in their first meeting on Feb. 18 and the latter returning the favor with an 8-5 decision on March 4 behind Ned Norita’s outside-the-park homer.

The Falcons are hoping to make a winning return after clinching the SBL crown in 2007. They did not join the past seven seasons of the league.

The Falcons’ win over the Yankees also avenged a 6-4 loss in the final elimination round game last March 25, a setback that denied them a chance of forcing a playoff with the Brewers for the pennant.

The game was tied at six after 6 1/2 innings when the Falcons, aided by Yankees errors, scored nine runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull away.

After leadoff batter Goru Iskawa had an infield fly, Frankie Lieto got on base on an error by shortstop Jerome Delos Santos while Henry Iguel walked.

Jeremy Atalig loaded the bases for the Falcons after Yankees third baseman Pete Tomokane dropped the ball on what could have been an easy ground out. Ned Norita came in to pinch run for Atalig.

Falcons designated hitter Alex Benavente found a gap at right field for a single that brought in Lieto and Iguel, while Norita touched home plate on a Peter Lieto RBI single to make it 9-6. The Falcons scored seven more runs, one in the eighth, after that.

Lieto relieved starter Aaron Benavente in the bottom of the fourth giving up two runs, one earned, on five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Benavente was tagged with four runs, two earned, on two hits while walking four batters.

A.J. Lizama closed out for the Falcons in the top of the eighth. He forced leadoff batter Jerome Delos Santos to fly out to center fielder Juan Iguel for the first out but gave up a single to Tom Joab to keep the Yankees’ comeback hopes alive.

Joab, however, was left stranded on base as Lizama struck out John Tudela and forced Ben Jones to ground out on a game-ending 6-3 putout play.

Juan Iguel drove in three runs, including an RBI triple in the third, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Lizama went 2-for-5 with a two-RBI double in the seventh and one run. Lamarc Iguel, 3-for-4, scored twice in the game.

Alex Benavente also drove in two runs on a 1-for-3 batting with two runs.