Junior Nationals take finals spot in SBL

August was welcomed with a super full moon that hung high in the sky, and on the ground, a semifinals battle raged between the tied No. 2 teams—the Junior Nationals and the Falcons.

The Junior Nationals, with the bright moon in the backdrop, asserted their dominance against the Falcons, 6-3, in the 2023 Tan Holdings-Saipan Baseball League Tuesday night at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.

The Falcons struck first when they scored two runs in the second inning as Benen Iguel led it off with a single, then came home on an RBI single by Ian Norita. Norita then scored after he stole second base and went home after a Junior Nationals’ fielding error.

Before they could do more damage though, Junior Nationals pitcher Benji Palacios stopped the bleeding right there. The Junior Nationals then picked up their pitcher as they tied it up, 2-2 in their next at-bat.

Justin Camacho scored the first run then Jylon Sablan came home after an RBI base hit by Joell Borja.

The Falcons bounced back in the third inning from a run by Henry Aguon Jr. to retake the lead. However, the Junior Nationals had more spring in their bats as they tied it up in the fifth inning from a run by J.R. Suel then took the lead, 4-3 in the sixth inning from a run by Joel Deleon Guerrero.

The Falcons then could not get past the Junior Nationals’ pitching staff as they went scoreless for the next six innings. In contrast, the Junior Nationals ended the game with two more runs scored as they doubled the Falcons’ score, 6-3.

After their three runs by the third inning, the Falcons only registered four more hits throughout the game. 

If it didn’t rain last night, the semifinals would’ve been between the undefeated Cardinals and Brewers, which is to be reported in the next issues of Saipan Tribune.

The three-game championship series is set to be scheduled for next week.