Finals in Juniors, Big League set

The championships in both the Junior League and Big League will pit host CNMI against the Philippines following three days of baseball action under the brutal heat of Saipan’s scorching hot sun.

The two finalists in the Junior League of the 2008 Asia-Pacific Regional Little League Tournament were determined yesterday after the Philippines and CNMI beat Indonesia and Hong Kong, respectively, at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field.

In the first game, the Philippines held off a gallant comeback by Indonesia before prevailing with the thinnest of margins, 7-6.

The International Little League Association of Manila took a 6-0 lead after five and a half innings only to see the Indonesians explode for six runs in the bottom of the sixth that tied the count.

With extra innings a distinct possibility, relief pitcher Julian Miguel Habana came to the Philippines’ rescue when he scored on a stolen base off Indonesia’s pitcher Otto Ajiputra Purwono to give the Southeast Asian nation a 7-6 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.

The Philippines holding on the win was also placed on the hands of Habana and he calmly took on the challenge, striking out Purwono, Kogi Putratama, and Taufik Ariesta Hakim in 1-2-3 fashion to preserve the victory.

The win was the third in as many games for the Philippines following victories over Guam (7-1) and Hong Kong (4-3).

In the second game, the CNMI cruised to an 8-5 win against Hong Kong but not before some anxious moments in the seventh inning and even after the game.

The hosts drew first blood when Peter Tenorio drove in Anthony Salas to make it 1-0. They scored five more in he third inning to make it 6-0, highlighted by a couple RBIs each by Harry Nakamura and Justin Kintol.

After the former Crown Colony’s Winston Li crossed home plate in the bottom of the third, the CNMI scored two more in the fourth before Hong Kong made it 8-2 in the fifth on a run by Yusuke Okazaki.

Down to their last three outs, Hong Kong gave the hosts and starting pitcher Joe Palacios some problems when runs by Li, Okazaki, and Takehiro Fujiwara cut their deficit to 8-5.

But all’s well in the CNMI’s front when Palacios’ replacement, Nakamura, fanned the next three Hong Kong batters to complete the win and give the CNMI a 3-0 record in Junior League play.

The CNMI’s win, however, was questioned by Hong Kong coach Michael Reiner and manager Shigeyoshi Fujiwara following the game, alleging that Nakamura was an ineligible pitcher after only one day’s rest.

But since there was no protest made on the field, tournament director Mike Borja said the protest was not entertained.

Last Monday night, the Philippine Junior All-Stars scored four runs in the fifth inning that proved to be enough cushion to stave off Hong Kong, 4-3.

The Philippines and the CNMI, meanwhile, will meet in the finals of the Big League by virtue of both teams beating Guam in the eliminations.

The two teams met in yesterday’s third game with CNMI winning to raise its mark to 2-0, but despite the loss, the Philippines at 1-1 still has a better record than Guam, which is at 0-2.

The finals of the Junior League will be played beginning 9am tomorrow, while the championship of the Big League is scheduled at 1pm.

While the Juniors and Big League finals are set, the same cannot be said about the Senior League’s as all three teams—Guam (1-0), Philippines (1-1), and CNMI (0-1) still have a chance to advance to the finals.

The crucial match will be today’s CNMI-Guam game at 3pm. If Guam wins they will meet Philippines in the finals. In order for the CNMI to reach the finals, they have to beat Guam by a point spread yet-to-be determined by tournament officials.