Tenorio, Nakamura take early batting lead

Comets players huddle after beating the Braves in the Junior League division game in the 2017 Saipan Little League Baseball late last month at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Blue Jays’ Jayden Tenorio was perfect in his debut game in the Senior League for the top spot in the batting leader board, while the Comets’ Vincent Nakamura gained the lead in the Junior League division of the 2019 Saipan Little League Baseball.

Tenorio went 3-for-3 in the Blue Jays’ 9-7 victory over the Enforcers to pace 13 others in the batting race, which was based on three or more times at bat as of Feb. 26. The Blue Jays slugger is ahead of the Enforcers’ Tyrese Camacho (.4-for-7/.571), while four Falcons players and three more Blue Jays have posted a batting average of .500 to make it to the Top 14.

The Falcons’ Ace Evangelista and Henry Aguon both hit 3-for-6, while their teammate Kobe Lifoifoi went 4-for-8. The Blue Jays’ Dai Podziewski, Randy Tudela, and Austin Benavente all registered 2-for-4. Others on the batting leaders race are the Falcons’ Kimo Angailen (3-for-7) and Spencer Dickinson (2-for-5), the Blue Jays’ Dominic Yumul (2-for-6), Trion Sulap (2-for-6), and Andres Camacho (2-for-7), and the Enforcers’ Shakobe Rangamar (2-for-7).

In the pitching race in the Senior League, Tindin Leon Guerrero and Sho Taguchi both have 0.00 ERA as they did not allow a single run in four innings (each) pitched. Tyrese Camacho is in second place with his 1.16 ERA (six innings pitch, one run yielded), while Noel Cabrera occupies the No. 4 spot with is 1.75 ERA (four innings, one run allowed).

Tyrese is ahead in the strikeouts category with his 13, while Rangamar has 12 so far. Tyrese also has the most runs with four, while Angailen has three and is the only player to have registered a homer this season.

In the Junior League, Nakamura’s .800 batting average paces 14 other players. He went 4-for-5 to place ahead of the Ol’Aces’ Kiana Aldan (.750), the Enforcers’ Thomas Agulto (.625) and Jonathan Santos (.600), and the Falcons’ Joel Norita (.571).

Rounding out the Top 15 are the Ol’Aces’ Henry Fleming (.500), the Falcons’ Froilan Camacho (.500) and Francisco Kumuch (.500), the Comets’ Sab Saures (.428) and A.J. Sanchez (.428), the Falcons’ Aven Evangelista (.428) and Nixon Smith (.428), the Braves’ J.P. Celis (.428) and Josenio Alvarez (.400), and the Falcons’ Isaiah Teigita (.333). The batting leaders were based on four or more times at bat.

Celis and Evangelista share the lead in the pitching contest so far with their identical 0.00 ERA. Celis pitched 6.2 innings and gave up no earned run, while Evangelista also shutdown their foes in the five innings he worked on the mound. Saures (1.00 ERA), Bing Nakamura (1.75), and Sean Rabauliman (2.10) complete the Top 5.

Saures has recorded the most strikeouts (13) at the early part of the competition, leading the 12 of Celis and Rabauliman and the former is also ahead in the doubles with his two. Evangelista is on top of the runs category with nine.