Tokahao blasts Man Amigos, 16-6

Tokahao’s Marco Peter eyes a pitch in their game against Man Amigos in the return of the 2023 Budweiser Belau Amateur Softball Association League last Sunday at the DanDan Softball Field. (LEIGH GASES)

Returning champion Tokahao emerged victorious in the 2023 Budweiser Belau Amateur Softball Association League opener against Man Amigos, 16-6, last Sunday at the DanDan Softball Field.

The first inning came and went swiftly for Tokahao as pitcher George David shut down the Man Amigos’ lineup. David was backed up offensively as the starting lineup all got on base. Two runs were scored by Robert Bansil and Jeff Cruz.

The Man Amigos then tried to put some work in with the lumber as they led the second inning with a home run by Mark Toves followed by an RBI by Jeff Cabrera.

However, Tokahao had more contact with the ball as four runs came in for them for a 6-2 game.

Man Amigos pitcher Erik Palacios then controlled his pitches in the third inning for no runs by Tokahao as his offense brought in three runs to seal the lead by just one. This was thanks to Joey Dela Cruz’s home run which brought in Pete and Manny Sablan.

But then, Tokahao’s bats came alive again in the fourth inning with a lead-off home run by Clint Quitugua and a two-run shot by Jeff Cruz. 

The Man Amigos couldn’t get past Tokahao anymore as the lead was extended in the last inning when a grand slam was connected by Bansil and 6 more runs came in. The game then ended via run-mercy rule when Man Amigos failed to produce any more runs.

Asahi 10,
Tuturamz 0
Asahi defeated Tuturamz in a shutout game, 10-0.

It was strong pitching work from Asahi’s Dominic Hideo who put down the lineup of Tuturamz in all five innings for an early end to the game.

His offense backed him up with a 7-run second inning as Ish Masuo hit a solo home run after the first four in the lineup came in to score. Hector Efraim then brought in an RBI single and his teammate after him rounded the bases on account of a defensive error.

Only two more runs were scored in the next innings but it was enough to secure the W as Tuturamz had no luck with the bat that day.

Sufa 11, Hagu Lamun 5
Both teams were evenly matched in the first inning, but Sufa pulled away for a 11-5 win against Hagu La’mun.

Hagu La’mun pitcher Joe Celis went 1-2-3 against the Sufa lineup for three outs in a row, but Sufa got their bearings in the second inning as Ben Mesa and Jun Salalila rounded the bases for a 2-0 lead.

The offense of Hagu La’mun wasn’t there yet in the next inning but woke up in the next for a three-run inning. However, Sufa mirrored that score with a home run by Audie Maratita for a 5-3 game.

Sufa’s offense kept the momentum going into later innings with 6 more runs batted in but only 2 more were made by Hagu La’mun, for a final score of 11-5

Peleliu 11, Redmen 8
Peleliu outlasted the Redmen, 11-8.

Even with first blood drawn by the Redmen for a 5-run lead, Peleliu procrastinated and waited for the last innings to overtake for the W.

Peleliu pitcher Ray Villagomez handed the Redmen four scoreless innings which allowed his team to capitalize and add runs of their own.

In the last inning, Peleliu was tied with the Redmen, 7-7, but thanks to back-to-back hits from the middle of the lineup, four runs were scored and Peleliu were able to pull away, 11-8.

Wazzup 17,
Aimeliik 1 Time 16
In a close matchup, Wazzup managed to slip past Aimeliik 1 Time, 17-16.

Although Wazzup was down 11 points with just 4 runs scored by the fourth inning, the bats of Aimeliik 1 Time sizzled and died out when it counted the most in the last innings.

Wazzup’s Derick Aguon hit one out of the park in the 6th inning and 8 runs were scored before Aimeliik’s pitcher Ken Kaipat could stop the bleeding. Three runs were made by Wazzup in the last inning, while Aimeliik only mustered one for a 17-16 game.