Saipan Tribune

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Angels, Brewers bury D-9ers

The St. Michael's Medical Response Angels and the Tan Holdings Brewers each wiped the floor clean off the Sen. Ray Yumul D-9ers as the Saipan Major League continued last Monday and Friday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.

The Angels held on to an early lead to down the D-9ers, 13-6, on Monday, while the Brewers defeated the D-9ers, 15-5, in eight innings last Friday.

St. Michael's evened its card to a win and a loss and is snuggly situated behind second-ranked Brewers, which improved to a slate of 2-1 and reigning champion Saipan Stevedore Northern Yankees (3-0).

The IT&E Fielders (0-1) file in at the fourth position ahead of the reeling D-9ers who are still in search of a win after three tries. The season continues at Tan Ko Field tonight at 6:30pm.

Angels 13, D-9ers 6

The Angels answered a couple of early scores by the D-9ers in the first inning with a seven-run chunk in the bottom frame built off four hits and three walks spread out amid a few untimely errors.

Its first three batters reached on a leadoff walk followed with a base rip by John Reyes and an error that put Peter Tomokane aboard and brought Jon Wilson around.

Nunu Kapileo then tied the count at two apiece with a sacrifice fly that scored Reyes, and with two outs left in the side the Angels were far from finished.

Gary and Nick Cruz stepped in next and both drove in a run after which Ben Flores capitalized on an ensuing free pass for Tim Cruz with an RBI double to put the team ahead, 5-2.

They then worked out another base on balls that ultimately set the stage for a two-RBI single by Wilson before the D-9ers could get out of dodge.

The Angels added another run in the bottom of the second inning to venture in front, 8-2, as hit batsmen Tomokane was singled in by Nick Cruz. Though the D-9ers mustered a run in the third and fourth frames, they were stifled by a four-run aftershock by the Angels in the bottom of the fifth inning.

D-9ers' Isaiah Lizama and E.J. Tenorio hooked up with a pair of hits in the third exchange, bringing the former to the dish, and Dave Camacho singled on in the fourth and scored off a couple of errors after swiping second base.

However, the Angels struck them down once again with a wave of five hits in the fifth, which included a pair of RBI triples by Jesse Yamagishi and Kevin Villagomez followed up with a pair of RBI base knocks for Tomokane and Gary Cruz that jolted them ahead, 12-4.

Angels' Franco Flores came in to relieve starter Bill Camacho at the start of the sixth inning and he struck out five of the first six batters he faced.

St. Michael's tossed on its final run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly and only suffered a minor blip on defense in the top of the eighth inning before Flores dealt a swift three-up and three-down finish.

He secured the save giving up two runs, zero earned, off two hits and a hit by pitch with eight strikeouts through four innings.

Winning pitcher Camacho gave up four runs, one earned, off seven hits, a walk, and a hit by pitch with four strikeouts through five frames.

Angels' Tomokane (1-for-3) logged two RBIs, three runs, two stolen bases, and a hit by pitch; Ben Flores batted 2-for-2 with a run and two stolen bases. Ben Taisacan went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run, and two stolen bases. D-9ers' Rocco Reyes swung 2-for-3 with a run and a hit by pitch.

Brewers 15, D-9ers 5

The Brewers weaseled out three early runs in the top of the second inning off just one hit.

Roy Celis drew a leadoff walk and broke the ice off an infield error that followed a pair of early outs by the D-9ers' defense.

As Celis broke for home Tyrone Omar hustled his way on the path and was later driven to the plate by Diego Camacho.

Ton Guerrero represented the third run, also completing the lap as the D-9ers experienced some additional defensive blunders.

D-9ers' E.J. Tenorio and Vince Castro later linked together a couple of base smashes in the bottom side, scoring the former, but the team did not help itself out any on the field and permitted the Brew Crew to move in front, 5-1, in the ensuing frame.

The runs came in primarily as a result of both sketchy pitching and some inopportune slip-up up the middle.

The D-9ers showed signs of revival and got a run back in the bottom of the third inning thanks to a leadoff triple by Isaiah Lizama who was escorted home moments later off a base knock to right field by Ian Lizama.

The Brewers responded in the top of the fourth frame with a leadoff triple and double by Diego Camacho and Jun Rabauliman, but the D-9ers battled back to within a run in the bottom frame.

They pulled on a three-run string off four hits, which included an RBI single for Robert Tudela and a two-RBI base hit by Ian Lizama that cleared the bases.

The Brewers buckled down on defense and manufactured a run in the top of the fifth off a two-out triple by Ton Guerrero who was immediately delivered to the plate by Jared Sablan via a base poke and the team marched on, 9-5, in the top of the sixth inning off three hits. Clifton Salil busted a two-RBI base smash, scoring Nokki Saralu and Mike Pangelinan.

Brewers closer Vince Cepeda stepped on the hump at the start of the bottom frame and shut down the opposition, striking out eight out of the nine batters he faced for an efficient display of control and velocity as his teammates cranked out the six runs need for the early decision in the seventh and eighth frames.

Starting off the seventh at the top of the order, Brewers' Guerrero and Sablan proved true once again with a couple of hits that brought home the former after which Saralu drove in Sablan with a shot to left field. Pangelinan singled his way on and around for the final run of the exchange.

The Brewers' meat of the lineup continued to put the ball in play and dealt the proverbial knockout blow in the top of the eighth inning.

Guerrero hustled out an error and scored for the fourth time in the game off a singled by Sablan who came in shortly after off a line drive to center field by Manny Sablan. The latter later scored off an RBI walk.

Winning pitcher Tom Camacho gave up five earned runs off seven hits and two hit by pitch with seven strikeouts through five frames of work.

Jared Sablan batted 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs with a hit by pitch. Saralu swung 3-for-3 with an RBI, two runs, three base on balls, and a stolen base. Guerrero (2-for-5) tallied four runs, a stolen base and a base on balls. Diego Camacho went 2-for-2 with an RBI, a run, and a base on balls. D-9ers' Ian Lizama batted 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two stolen bases. Castro swung 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run.