Micro Games heading to Yap

The Micronesian Games will stay in Federated States of Micronesia, as Yap won the hosting rights of the next competition.

Yap was awarded the 2018 Micronesian Games during the Micronesian Games Council general assembly yesterday in Pohnpei, beating the CNMI in the bidding. It will be Yap’s first time to host the quadrennial event, making it only the second state to spearhead the Games. Pohnpei was the first one after hosting the regional event in 2002 and this year.

The CNMI missed on its bid to bring the Games to Saipan for the fourth time. The Commonwealth hosted the Games in 1969, 1990, and 2006. Guam (1994) and Palau (1998 and 2010) were the other previous hosts. The CNMI submitted a bid for the 2018 Micro Games yesterday for a test run in his hosting chores of the 2012 Pacific Mini Games.

With the loss to Yap, Northern Marianas Sports Association president Michael White, who turned in the bid document on behalf of the Commonwealth, said the CNMI will have its hands full in preparing for the Mini Games.

“Sorry to advise that CNMI was not selected to host the 2018 Micronesian Games. Good luck to 2018 host Yap State. We’ll get busy planning for the best Pacific Mini Games ever in 2021,” White posted in his Facebook account.

Baseball game
rained-out, again

The fight for the first finals seat between the CNMI and Guam had to wait for another day, as yesterday’s match was called off due to heavy rains. The first semis match has been stalled since Saturday, while the new schedule of the anticipated tiff has yet to be release at press time last night.

“Another wet day here on Pohnpei. Games possibly moved to tomorrow (Sunday) or sooner if weather clears,” said CNMI Baseball Team statistician AJ Murig Palacios on his Facebook account post last Saturday.

In Baseball Oceania’s Facebook account, it was posted that it was still raining hard Sunday morning, making it unlikely to hold the 2pm game between the CNMI and Guam.

The CNMI and Guam arranged their showdown for the first finals berth in the baseball tournament after taking the Top 2 spots in the elimination round. Guam ended the elimination with a flawless 4-0 slate, while the CNMI had a 3-1 card.

Guam snapped the CNMI’s winning streak after pulling off a 3-2 win last Thursday at the Daini Field.

According to Murig, Guam escaped with the close victory after Brian Balajadia scored off a pickoff error from the CNMI at the bottom of the seventh inning. Earlier at the top of the seventh, Ben Jones singled and drove in Rocco Reyes to force the 2-2 standoff.

The CNMI and Guam breathed on each other’s next right from the start with the former taking a precarious 1-0 lead at the top of the first off a Pat Alepuyo RBI single. Alepuyo brought home Jared Sablan. Guam quickly tied the match at the bottom of the first off a solo homer from Shon Muna Jr. Neither team scored in the next three and a half innings before Guam ended its silence at the bottom of the fifth with Balajadia’s single driving Rico Castro home for their 2-1 advantage.