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CNMI Little Leaguers return triumphant
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Posted on Aug 31 2004
The final shipment of this year’s baseball crop has returned to the shores of Saipan, and the representatives of the CNMI Little League accomplished their goal of demonstrating their hardball skills and sportsmanship on the international stage.
At 1am this morning, the CNMI Little League All-Stars were scheduled to arrive to the warm welcomes of their families and friends at the Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport.
The fourteen players and their coaches will have completed their trek across the world to participate in the 2004 Little League World Series and back by the time the Tribune hit today’s newsstands.
With any luck, the boys did not have to endure the travel trifles of the Junior and Senior League teams over a week ago. Due to foul weather conditions caused by Supertyphoon Chaba, the teams were diverted from Japan to Guam, and had delays that had them arriving home around six hours later than scheduled.
The boys must be happy to return to the warmth of the island, the love of their families, and the long awaited satisfaction of their hunger for homemade local cuisine.
Philip Manalo, Alex Benevente, Keith Kintol, Eli Augenbaugh, Ofero Taitano, Cameron Sers Nicolas, Eric Tenorio, David Camacho, Donovan George, Justin Alexander, Anthony Rogolifoi, Ike Aldan, R-Jay Joe, and Anthony Tenorio can now enjoy the comforts of sleeping on their own beds, but they are probably ready to hit the field to practice for next year.
Although none of the teams representing the CNMI were able to wrest the World Series title from the hands of the victors, there’s bound to be improvement next year with this experience under their belts. At the very least, the team had the benefit of seeing a variety of pitches from international pitchers first hand.
The CNMI Little League team was one of four teams in Pool D, and finished the preliminary round in fourth place at 0-3, while the Caribbean finished at the top with a perfect 3-0, Mexico took second with 2-1, and Saudi Arabia took third when they fell to 1-2.
The Caribbean All-Stars went on to win the 2004 Little World Series when they defeated the Conejo Valley East Little League All-Stars in the championship game.
