Little Legals, Braves hammer foes

Braves second baseman Heat Camacho calls for the ball, as the Ol?Aces? Jordan Babauta steals base during the bottom of the fifth inning of their game in the Major division of the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball last Saturday at the Miguel ?Tan Ge? Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

The Little Legals and Tanapag Braves showed no mercy to their respective opponents in the Major division of the 2014 Saipan Little League Baseball last Saturday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield.
The Little Legals pummeled the Jets in the second game last weekend, 30-2, while the Braves pounded the Ol’Aces, 30-8, in the final match.

The Braves turned a close game to a rout after a backbreaking performance at the top of the fifth inning. The Braves exploded for 22 runs in the fifth with four batters on top of their order scoring three runs apiece and seven going at bat three times. The Braves scored majority of their runs off the Ol’Aces’ defensive meltdown and the 22 runs are the most made by any team in a single inning this season.

Before the breakaway, the Braves were just ahead by four, 8-4. They failed to make it to the board in the first inning, got three runs apiece in the second and third, and added two more in the fourth. The Ol’Aces logged all their four runs at the bottom of the fourth inning.

At the top of the fifth, eight of the Braves’ first nine batters scored and all reached home on their second at bat. In the third round, five more batters made it home before the Ol’Aces stopped the bleeding, tagging out Joe Tudela at second base.

Now behind by 26 big runs, 30-4, the Ol’Aces faced a daunting task of nailing at least 15 runs at the bottom fifth to extend the game. The Ol’Aces could not event get half of the needed runs, as they collected only four and had three stranded runners after Tyler Macaranas was called for a 1-3 putout play for the third out and the end of the team’s misery.

In the second game, the Little Legals turned on the heat early en route to the lopsided win, bagging 12 runs in the first inning.

The Little Legals then went for the jugular in the third and last inning, hauling 14 more runs.

The Little Legals capitalized on the Jets’ disorganized defense to score 10 unearned runs at the top of the first. The Jets also scored off the Little Legals’ miscues, but got only two, and continued to struggle against the latter’s three pitchers. Sean Rabauliman started out for the Little Legals and after giving up a triple to the Jets leadoff batter in the first inning, he held his ground and got three strikeouts before being relieved by Pedro Maratita. Maratita notched back-to-back strikeouts to end the second inning and was replaced by Gloyd Martin at the start of the third inning. The Little Legals closer then finished off the Jets in style, striking out the latter’s first three batters.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox got a free win after a no-show from the GSM Twins in the first game, while Sunday’s matches were rained-out, leaving only five teams assured of playoff berths in the 15-team field.

The Falcons (12-1), IT&E (12-2), Braves (11-3), Comets I (10-3), and JPO Enforcers (9-4) are in the playoffs, while the Little Legals (8-6), Laolao Bay (7-6), McDonald’s (7-6), IP&E Rockies (7-7), and Hustlers (6-7) will battle for the last three tickets. The Red Sox (6-8), Comets II (3-11), Ol’Aces (2-12), Jets (1-13), and Twins (0-14) are eliminated.