Tigers claw favored D-9ers

The Tigers caught a big fish in D-9ers, pulling off a 7-5 upset in their game in the 2009 Budweiser Saipan Major League Wednesday night at the Francisco “Tan Ko’ Palacios Ballfield.

D-9ers came into the match with a 6-1 record, but after eight and a half innings they absorbed their second defeat in eight games. The Bob O’Conner Tigers claimed only their second victory in eight assignments.

Ed Santos pitched in no relief for the Tigers, striking out five, walking five, and allowing only six hits.

George Castro started for D-9ers, but was replaced by Tim Mafnas after allowing six hits and giving up six runs in two innings.

Mabel Ngirngemelas and Dave Kapileo scored for the Tigers in the first inning on errors by the D-9ers, while centerfielder Justin Reyes and second baseman Jordon Reyes reached home plate on leftfielder Dave Kapileo’s single in the second. Designated hitter Manny Cabrera and rightfielder Dennis Cruz nailed the Tigers’ two other runs on Justin Reyes’ single and D-9ers’ error, respectively.

Mafnas was steady on the mound, giving up only one run in the last six innings, striking out nine, and allowing only two hits. The Tigers got their seventh run at the bottom of the sixth with Cruz scoring on a Justin Reyes single. They preserved the win, as D-9ers failed to complement Mafnas’ impressive pitching performance with a good offense.

Behind by four runs after two innings, 2-6, D-9ers tallied only two runs in the next six innings. In the top of the last inning, D-9ers needed to score at least three runs to extend the game.

The first two batters were thrown out on a fly out and a violation at the batter’s box. Santos walked third batter Robert Bansil, who later reached home plate on a Mel Sakisat single to keep D-9ers’ hopes alive.

First baseman Jonathan Tenorio batted fourth and singled, sending Sakisat to second base. With runners on first and second and with two outs, Acosta, who was 0-for-4 in his previous at bat, stepped up to the plate and made a grounder. But Tigers shortstop Mel Manahane picked up the ball and threw to first base to end the game.

The victory avenged the Tigers’ 9-14 loss to D-9ers in their first meeting in the regular season on March 6.

With the defeat, D-9ers now share second place with defending champion Rock Steady.

Last Friday’s game saw Harry Nakamura recording eight strikeouts in a no-relief job to lift IT&E Young Guns to a 5-1 win over the Tanapag Falcons.

The Falcons made it to the scoreboard in the top of the first inning on a J.R. Suel one-run single. But it was all Nakamura and Young Guns’ show in the next eight innings.

Centerfielder and reigning MVP Tyrone Omar, who gave the Young Guns their lone run in the first inning, went 2-for-3 in his next appearances at the plate and added two more runs. His triple at the bottom of the fifth inning drove Joel Satur home and Omar nailed his third run in the game on a Ton Palacios single.

The Young Guns logged their two other runs at the bottom of the seventh with Omar on the scoring end, anew on a stolen base and Satur reaching home on a Falcons error.

With the win, the Young Guns improved to a 4-6 record for third place, bumping off the Falcons (4-6). The Ford Rangers are leading the league with a 7-1 slate, while the Korean Phoenix is at the bottom of the team standings with a dismal 0-7 mark.