Little Legals beats McDonald’s

A Little Legals batter waits for the pitch from McDonald?s Sunjoon Tenorio during the bottom of the fifth inning of their game in the Major division of the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball last Sunday at the Miguel ?Tan Ge? Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

The Little Legals capitalized on McDonald’s defensive lapses to take a 15-6 victory in the Major division of the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball League last Sunday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield.

The Little Legals (2-1) scored nine of their runs off McDonald’s errors, while the remaining six were earned runs. Relief pitcher Rayson Lisua contributed three of those six runs, as he hit a two-run double in the fifth inning and an RBI single in the first. Catcher Gloyd Martin also had an RBI single at the bottom of the first, while starting pitcher Pedro Maratita posted a two-run double in the second inning, giving the Little Legals a promising 7-0 lead.

McDonald’s was shutout in the first two innings, as Maratita struck out six batters and stranded three runners. McDonald’s then managed to break the spell in the third inning, scoring off an error at third base and a stolen base added four more runs in the fourth, three were unearned.

However, these runs were not enough to bring McDonald’s back in the game, as the Little Legals answered with three runs and went for the jugular in the fifth, grabbing five more runs, three of them were off its foe’s fielding and pitching mistakes. The Little Legals then closed the match in style at the top of the sixth, as after giving up one run with one out, the team got a double play. Maratita caught a fly ball and then threw to third base where June Sablan was waiting to tag out Tommy Santos.

Laolao Bay 18, Twins 9
In the first game last Sunday, Laolao Bay (2-2) doubled up the GSM Twins (0-4).

Down at 7-8 after two complete innings, Laolao Bay grabbed the lead and momentum of the match in the next two innings, as it notched 10 runs against none from the Twins.

Catcher Tommy Agulto started Laolao’s breakaway with his two-run inside-the-park homer in the third inning. Laolao gained four more runs off the Twins’ fielding errors and wild pitches at the bottom of the third. Agulto added another RBI in the fourth inning with his single, while third baseman Franco Namauleg hit a two-RBI single. The fourth run in the fourth inning was scored off a Twins error at third before relief pitcher Peter Deleon Guerrero stopped Laolao Bay’s rally with three straight strikeouts.

The Twins never recovered from thereon, as it bagged only one run in the remaining two innings with Deleon Guerrero making a sacrifice out.

Relief pitcher J.P. Celis finished off the Twins at the top of the sixth by striking out the latter’s first two batters and the fifth one, leaving two runners stranded.

Enforcers 18, Comets II 7
The Enforcers got their first victory after three games.

They recovered from a 3-6 deficit after three innings to enter the win column. The Enforcers scored six runs apiece in the third and fifth inning and tucked in three more runs in the fourth to earn the early win via 10-run mercy rule.

Troy Laniyo led the Enforcers, as he went 3-for-4 at bat and logged three RBIs and two runs. Rikko Lizama had only one RBI, but contributed three runs, while five other Enforcers players added at least two runs apiece, as they got 12 runs off Comets II’s errors.

Comets II (1-3) collapsed after a good start, as it nailed only one run off an Enforcers error at shortstop in the last three innings.