Fiesta Resort & Spa won three games in a row en route to snatching the championship of the Tan Holdings 18U Youth Baseball Tournament that concluded last Sunday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.
Fiesta Resort's roster includes Frankie Camacho, Jake and Jonah Flores, Dave Hosono, A.J. Lizama, Poland Masaharu, Mike Muna, Jake Santos, Jun and Carlos Rabauliman, T.J. Sablan, Gayvan Uchau and, Kenji Yamagata. Walter Macaranas and Mark Flores coached the champion team.
Fiesta Resort won a $500 gift certificate to be used for purchasing new sports equipment, and although there could be only one winner, the best part of the competition was all of the participating teams received sports equipment vouchers.
Runner-up POI Aviation took home a gift certificate worth $400, a $300 voucher was awarded to third placer D&Q Distributors, while Kanoa Resort was issued a gift certificate worth $200.
The outcome of the tourney's opening double-round robin matches from Sept. 1 and 2 resulted in Fiesta Resort entering last Sunday's four-game marathon in the lower bracket with Kanoa Resort.
Fiesta Resort survived the knockout match, 4-2, and moved into the lower bracket semifinal where it ran into D&Q, who fell to top-ranked POI, 3-2, in the upper bracket semifinal that kicked off the games on Sunday.
Fiesta Resort duked it out with D&Q for 12 innings until it finally caught a late spurt for a 5-2 victory that pushed them into the finals.
Though Fiesta Resort had already played almost three games coming into the main event, the team was hardly finished and outlasted POI, 12-5, for top honors thanks to another late surge.
The event was coordinated by Saipan Major League Baseball Association officials Rose Igitol and Tony Rogolifoi. Funding and prizes were provided by Tan Holdings, which labeled the tourney as a part of its 40th Anniversary Sports Festival.
The celebration is being carried out in effort to show appreciation to its customers, and the community, for all of their loyal support over the years.
“We're so grateful that these young players came out for two weekends and played baseball. Congratulations to Fiesta Resort & Spa, and thank you again to all the organizers, volunteers, umpires, parents, and players for helping us celebrate our 40 years of business in this region,” said Tan Holdings president Jerry Tan.
Fiesta Resort 12, POI 5
In last Sunday's championship game, POI Aviation moved in front, 2-0, in the first inning from a passed ball and a fielder's choice that scored Patrick Tenorio and Lancaster Secharmidal.
POI's Frankie Camacho drove home T.J. Sablan to salvage a run in the bottom of the second inning, but Fiesta Resort knotted the score at 4-all in the top of the third off pair of fielder's choices and an RBI double by Rabaulman that delivered home Gavan Uchau.
Fiesta Resort's A.J. Lizama scored off a passed ball and a sacrifice fly lifted by Sablan that scored Rabauliman.
Fiesta Resort benefited from some pitching issues endured by POI's bullpen in the fifth inning as they built a 9-5 lead in the fifth inning.
The team gashed POI for five runs off four hits, an error, and two wild pitches. Masaharu and Camacho each bagged an RBI single in the uprising. POI mustered just one run in the bottom frame from Secharmidal.
Fiesta Resort then added three more runs in the sixth inning as A.J. Lizama singled home Jonah Flores and Uchau reached off an error and crossed home off a wild pitch, while Rabauliman hustled on with fielder's choice and scored off an error.
POI's Secharmidal snuck around to score his fourth run in the final stand, but Fiesta Resort never had a doubt.
Fiesta Resort's Lizama swung 3-for-4 with an RBI, two runs, and a stolen base. Camacho went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a run, and a base on balls. Rabauliman went only 1-for-4 but scored three runs with a stolen base.
POI Aviation 3, D&Q 2
POI's Kanoa Wanket drove in Davin Ada in the second inning, but D&Q Distributors awoke in the fifth frame and pulled in front, 2-1, from a two-RBI single by Craig Aguon that scored Steven and Jonathan Cabrera.
POI's Ada and Kyle Hocog then led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a pair of base rips that helped reclaim the lead.
Ada stole third base and was escorted home off a fielder's choice by A.J. Cabrera, after which Hocog stole the dish to swipe the lead.
D&Q was shut down in the final stand by POI closer Lancaster Secharmidal.
Notably, POI starting pitcher Nathan Camacho dealt three scoreless innings with a handful of strikeouts; Ada batted 2-fo- 3 with three runs.
Fiesta Resort 4, Kanoa Resort 2
Kanoa Resort's offense glimmered early as Justin Santos and Ray Tenorio snuck around off some early jitters in the first inning, but Fiesta Resort came up with a quick answer in the top of the second inning from Jonah Flores who singled home Poland Masaharu and scored off a passed ball to lock the match at 2-2.
Kanoa Resort managed base runners on the corners in the bottom portion, but were stood up by a double play.
Fiesta then added its final two runs in the third inning off an error and an RBI base smash by Jun Rabauliman that scored Frankie Camacho and A.J. Lizama.
Both teams' offense dimmed out in the latter half of the game as their corresponding pitchers turned in strong performances.
Fiesta Resort 5, D&Q 2
D&Q's Ton Guerrero reached and scored off errors for the first strike in the opening frame, but Fiesta Resort's Jun Rabauliman countered with an RBI double that scored A.J. Lizama before scoring of a passed ball.
Kanoa Resort's Jonathan Cabrera drew a leadoff walk in the bottom frame and managed to knot the count at 2-all off a wild throw.
Then a pitching duel ensued from the fifth inning onward that ended up going five extra innings before D&Q finally succumbed to the eventual champs.
Fiesta Resort's Lizama led off the top of the 12th inning with a walk and was later brought to the plate via a sacrifice fly by Poland Masaharu, while Rabauliman singled on and was knocked in by Jonah Flores. D&Q went three up and three down in the last stand.
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