Rousing start for Comets

The Comets’ JP Castro makes eye contact with their catcher before throwing a pitch, while a Braves runner gets ready at second base during the top of the second inning of their Majors division game in the SLLB last Saturday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Comets crushed the Braves, 20-1, in the opening game in the Majors division of the 2016 Saipan Little League Baseball last Saturday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield.

The Comets got off to a rousing start, thanks to a six-run top of the second, including a homer from Gabby Saures. Saures went on to score three runs, the same number Sneak Sumor, Reid Teregeyo, and R.J. Muna had. Blas Nakamura, on the other hand, led the Comets with four runs and was 3-for-4 at bat with two RBIs. JP Castro pitched three innings for the Comets, struck out seven, and allowed only two hits with three walks.

First baseman Raijo Mendiola started the Comets’ string of runs in the pivotal second inning as he walked, made it to second and third off the Braves’ errors and stole home. Five of the Comets’ next six batters also reached home to turn a 4-0 lead to a 10-0 bubble.

The Comets got the first four runs off Nakamura’s RBI single and three from the Braves’ miscues. The opening day winners also tallied four runs in the third inning and finished off the Braves with another six runs in the fourth.

The Braves, who recorded their lone run in the match at the bottom of the third off Heith Camacho’s RBI single, absorbed the season-debut loss early as they left two batters stranded at the fourth. Isidro Cabrera, who walked, was left at second after Christopher Pangelinan and A.J. Johnson were struck out. Also stranded at first base was Ignacio Santos after fifth batter Joell Borja went down on a 4-3 putout play.

Meanwhile, the two other games in the Majors divisions were rained-out. Kagman Little Legals and McDonald’s played in the second match with the former ahead at the top of the second, 3-0, before the game was stopped due to rain. It will be rescheduled on a later date with the opposing teams starting from the beginning. Also to be reset is the Kagman IT&E Regulators-Pirates tiff.

Two more Majors division games were played in the opening week of the Best Sunshine International-sponsored SLLB. The Twins and Docomo Ol’Aces were slated to square off in the first game yesyerday, while the Little Falcons were scheduled to face IT&E. Results of these matches will be reported later this week.

This year’s Majors division has nine teams, which joined last Saturday’s opening ceremony at the Francisco “Tan Ko’ Palacios Ballfield. The league kicked off with Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang doing the ceremonial pitch and acting governor Victor Hocog hitting the ball with Rep. Vinnie Sablan serving as catcher.