Sakudi gains share of lead in women’s league

Sakudi shut out Check-It-Out in the last inning of their game last Monday at the Capital Hill Ballfield, to improve to an 8-3 record, the same mark the latter holds.

Check-It-Out threatened Sakudi at the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring seven runs and slicing the latter’s lead to one, 8-9. Sakudi had earlier shut out Check-It-Out in four of the first five innings of their game for a 5-1 advantage and stretched it to eight after a four-run top of the sixth.

Then after Check-It-Out’s sixth-inning rally, Sakudi created more distance, 12-8, making three more runs at the top of the last off Bertha Camacho’s two-run single and Jul Jean’s one-run single.

At the bottom of the last innning, Check-It-Out must nail at least four runs to extend the game, but scored none, as the first batter was out at first and the second tagged out at third. Jovie Omar was next at bat and singles, while Lani Camacho advanced off an error, but was later tagged out at third, giving Sakudi the win.

Camacho led Sakudi with her 5-for-5 performance at the plate. She scored three runs, one double and four RBIs. Liz Lebria contributed three RBIs and one run and was 2-for-5 at bat.

Ur Balls 15, SaiPal 9

In the lone men’s game, Ur Balls topped SaiPal to get its eighth win in 12 matches. SaiPal fell to a 6-7 mark.

An eight-run top of the first gave Ur Balls enough cushion and it preserved the lead and the win after holding SaiPal to only two runs in the last three innings.

Marvin Kaipat led Ur Balls’ good start with a solo homer, followed by Juan Maratita’s two-run homer and another solo home run from Byron Kaipat. Ur Balls scored four more runs off three errors and one earned run and added three more in the second, while SaiPal failed to score in the first two innings.

SaiPal then broke its silence in the third and then played even better in the fourth with its six runs, led by Gloyd Martin’s two-run single, to move within four, 7-11. However, SaiPal went cold again in the next two innings, while Ur Balls notched four runs in the sixth inning after going scoreless from the third to fifth inning. Byron Kaipat brought Ur Balls back to life with his two-run double, while Maratita had a one-run single, and the other run was scored off an error.

Down by eight going into the final inning, 7-15, Jordan Hayes led off for SaiPal and doubled, however second and third batters Eli Ilo and Leo Bobai flied out and was tagged out at first, respectively. Kuich Damien kept SaiPal’s hopes alive with a two-run homer before Ur Balls finally secured the win with Maratita picking up the ball and throwing to first baseman Byron Kaipat, who tagged out Alonso Besong.

Meanwhile, Gagu Eyez and Familia were scheduled to play in the other men’s division game last Monday, but the latter had a no-show, awarding the former its 10th win in 12 games. Familia dropped to a 4-9 card.

By Roselyn Monroyo
Reporter