Red Sox trumps Ol’Aces, advances to Junior finals

  Lefty pitcher Nathan Camacho marched Bank of Saipan-Red Sox into the Junior Division title game after shutting out pennant champion Hawaiya Technologies, Inc.-Ol’Aces, 3-0, in the semifinals of the Saipan Little League age group Thursday night at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

Knocked down hard, but not out, Ol’Aces still has a chance to get another crack at the only team to beat them in the regular season. However, they will have to go through the Natibu Sports Association-Talaabwogh Falcons, which scurried past Saipan Shipping Company-Jets, 11-1, in the lower bracket elimination match held under the lights later that same evening.

Ol’Aces are scheduled to take on the Falcons tomorrow at noon where the winner moves on to challenge the Red Sox in Sunday’s championship also scheduled for midday.

The Senior League lower bracket semifinal is scheduled for 9am tomorrow morning between the IT&E-Fielders and Juan Santiago’s Jets II. The winner will stick around and face off with the Natibu-Talaabwogh Falcons in the lower bracket semifinals at 3pm. The winner of that game then advances to Sunday’s 3pm finals appointment with the top-ranked Docomo Pacific-Ol’Aces.

Big League pennant champion Docomo-Ol’Aces, meanwhile, will take the field for the start of Sunday’s championship triple feature against the Paradise Island Animal Hospital-Hustlers in a rematch of last year’s title bout at 9am.

Red Sox 3, Ol’Aces 0

The Red Sox scored broke out of the gate for two quick runs in the first inning off three hits.

Craig Aguon and Jerald Cabrera reached on a base hit and a fielder’s choice and were delivered home by a double by Nathan Camacho after being moved into scoring position by Roke Tenorio.

Ol’Aces’ Mike Muna was then stranded at second base in the bottom portion.

A 1-2-3 inning by the Ol’Aces out in the field was then answered by three strikeouts from the rubber by Red Sox’s Camacho in the second inning. The Red Sox then worked around its third run in the top of the third off an RBI single by Jose Tyquinco that brought home Tenorio for a 3-0 lead.

Ol’Aces pitcher Giovanni Taitingfong picked him off at first base to end the inning, but the damage was already done and the Ol’Aces’ struggles at the plate continued for the remainder of the contest.

The Ol’Aces managed to get runners on second and third base in the bottom frame, but Camacho bit down on the mound and got out of the jam.

The Ol’Aces still didn’t back down, however, as runs were at a premium in this postseason pitching duel, but Red Sox’s Camacho prevailed and went all seven innings scoreless, giving up just three hits and four walks to go with six strikeouts. He stranded seven runners, four in scoring position, while his defense bagged eight ground outs and six fly outs in the game.

Falcons 11, Jets 1

Falcons’ Derek Naog broke the ice in the second frame after drawing a leadoff walk and teammate James Kintaro tripled in Franklin Lizama soon after in the third inning, while pitcher Alfonso Evangelista went into cruise control on the hump.

Evangelista dealt 3 2/3 scoreless innings without allowing a hit, but handed the ball over to Kintaro to close out the fourth after exceeding his pitch limit.

Kintaro rang up the next two batters and his teammates pushed ahead, 6-0, in the bottom of the inning off three hits.

Juan Quitugua pulled the cord with a leadoff single and teammate Frankie Lifoifoi drew a pass, which set up a two-RBI double for Ian Norita. Then a walk later, Barry Sunumai delivered another two-RBI two-bagger that brought Norita and Evangelista to the dish.

The Jets’ lone run came from Jason Villagomez who reached off an error to start the fifth and later stole home, but the Falcons worked around the five runs needed for the early decision in the bottom frame.

A pair of costly leadoff walks set the stage for a two-RBI double by Lifoifoi who scored later off an error.

Norita also reached and scored off errors, after which Lizama cranked the walk-off single, scoring Evangelista for the win.

Lizama batted 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run, while the Jets were held hitless through five frames against the Falcons pitching duo. They managed just two other runners and briefly touched second base twice.

On the other side the Falcons were issued eight free passes that went with nine hits.