The Orioles and Reds kept their distance against the Dodgers and the Rockies after posting separate wins in the Saipan Major League Baseball Association-Division of Youth Services' 18U Triple A Championship Youth Baseball League last Saturday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.
The first place Orioles creamed the Rockies, 11-1, in six innings in the first pairing, while the Reds outwitted the Dodgers, 8-5, in the second match. The O's now have a 9-3 record, one win ahead of the Reds (8-5), while the Dodgers (5-6) and the Rockies (2-10) are trying to turn things around with eight rounds left in the regular season.
The Reds' Lancaster Secharmedal started the match with a base hit and was driven home by Ian Rogolifoi in the opening frame. However, the Dodgers countered and went ahead, 2-1, in the bottom portion off a perturbed Reds' infield. Dodgers' Jhace Palacios and Brian Camacho accounted for the runs.
Both teams came up empty in the second inning and the Dodgers added a run in the bottom of the third, as Jerald Cabrera hustled out a few wild throws around the infield.
The Reds went three up and three down at the plate for the second time in a row in the fourth inning, but kept a lid on the Dodgers through the bottom side and sparked a four-run rally in the top of the fifth to steal the win.
The Dodgers bagged two outs right away, but then unraveled on the field and gifted the Reds a 5-3 lead off zero hits. The Reds' Kainoa Wanket, Rogolifoi, Peter Lieto, and Davin Ada all scored off errors mixed with some pitches out of the strike zone.
The Dodgers' top of the lineup laid an egg in the bottom frame and the Reds flexed their muscles in the top of the sixth inning with three more runs to secure the victory.
The Reds' George Pangelinan was the only player credited with a hit in the final push, as the runs again came primarily off wild throws.
The Dodgers mustered their final two runs in the bottom half of the inning off three hits, highlighted by an RBI double from Carl Camacho, but the Reds hung tough down the homestretch and got it done.
The Dodgers managed two base runners in the final stand before the Reds closer Cody Kaipat bagged two big strikeouts to end the game.
Notably, the Reds used six different pitchers. The Reds were also held to just five hits, but took what the Dodgers gave them and benefited from the seven unearned runs. Meanwhile, the Dodgers out-hit their rival 7 to 5, but had four runners caught in the base path, in addition to five more left stranded in the game.
In the first game, Mike Muna led off the second game for the visiting Orioles, made a double, and scored off a passed ball to give his team a quick 1-0 edge. Muna and company then went on to stamp six more runs on the board, as they batted around the lineup in the second inning.
The league frontrunners took advantage of a bean ball and a walk at the start of the second inning with a string of four hits, which resulted into a trio of RBI singles for Frankie Camacho, Muna, and Poland Masaharu.
The Orioles went ahead further, 8-1, in the top of the third inning, as Gayvan Uchau made it on and into scoring position off errors before being escorted home via a base smash by Muna.
The Rockies' lone run came in the bottom frame off an RBI single by Ricardo Dela Cruz, who scored leadoff man Justin Santos. The Rockies then managed only one other base runner in the remainder of the contest.
Orioles' Camacho started on the mound and dealt two and 1/3 scoreless innings and left the rest for Muna, who settled down nicely after hitting his first batter and giving up the hit to Dela Cruz.
The do-it all Muna went on to close nine consecutive outs before sealing the deal after a little blip in the infield in the final stand. He also performed well at the plate, batting 3-for-4 and scoring two RBIs with two runs.
TJ Sablan swung 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run, and a base on balls for the Orioles, while the Rockies' Dela Cruz went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The season continues tomorrow at 6pm with the Rockies facing the Dodgers.
Home | Weather | Advertising | Classifieds | Subscription | Contact
Us | About Us | Archives
©2006 Saipan Tribune. All Rights Reserved
