Ol’Aces top Regulators, get seventh win

The Docomo Ol’Aces’ Lufo Babauta delivers a pitch to an IT&E batter during the bottom of the fifth inning of their Majors division game in the SLLB last Saturday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Ol’Aces won the battle of telecommunication companies-backed teams in the Majors division of the 2016 Saipan Little League Baseball after outclassing the Regulators, 12-6, last Saturday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield.

The Docomo-supported Ol’Aces leaned on Andre Macaranas’ steady pitching in the first four innings to limit the IT&E-sponsored Regulators to one run and then banked on their seven-run bottom off the fifth en route to the victory.

Macaranas had a two-hitter in four innings, giving up no earned runs while striking out eight. Lufo Babauta relieved him at the start of the fifth and though the former allowed four hits and two earned runs, the closer found his rhythm and got three strikeouts at the bottom of the sixth with his third K leaving two runners stranded at third and second. Babauta also fanned out one batter in the fifth inning, ending IT&E’s rally.

IT&E, which started the bottom of the fifth inning facing a 1-11 deficit, made a little headway after racking up five runs. Carpi Borja hit a two-RBI single in that rally, while IT&E’s three other runs came off the Ol’Aces’ defensive lapses to move within five, 6-11.

Earlier at the top of the fifth, the Ol’Aces turned a 4-1 advantage to a double-digit spread, 11-1, after seven out of the nine players from their top of the order scored. Raymond Salas and Ianna Hagishima each logged an RBI single and also reached off a wild pitch and an error, while Ohane Borja, Ken Kaipat, Macaranas, Nathan Aizon, and Latrell Leon Guerrero made it home, too. Hagishima added one more run at the top of the last inning off IT&E’s miscue at shortstop to double up their foes.

IT&E failed to hit the board at the bottom of the sixth despite getting into scoring position. Ray Babauta led off for IT&E, but was struck out by Lufo Babauta, who also fanned out second batter Jesse Stole to move one out away from wrapping up the match. IT&E then found a new lease on life when Robert Tenorio singled and eventually reached third off a wild pitch and a hit from Keith Aldan. However, Tenorio and Aldan were left stranded, as Lufo Babauta, after a full count, got the third strike out on Patrick Celis.

With the win, the Ol’Aces improved their record to 7-4, pending the results of their last regular season game. The Ol’Aces were scheduled to challenge the second-running Kagman Little Legals, who entered last Sunday’s match with an 8-3 mark.

IT&E fell to a 1-8 mark and must pray that cellar dweller Pirates, who hold a 0-9 slate pending results of the other games over the weekend, will not barge into the win column to get the last playoff berth. Only the Top 8 teams in the nine-squad field will advance to the single-elimination playoff round, which is slated to on May 14 as SLLB reserved the May 7 and 8 playing days for make-up games.