Glazers seek closure, sink Pirates

Kautz Glass Glazers finally were able to notch a win on Sunday when they finished off Speaker Fitial Pirates, 15-14, at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field and achieved some closure from their Nov. 6 Saipan Major League fall edition game that needed more light than the sun was able to provide.

The teams suited up, stretched out, and took their positions for what amounted to one out of baseball. With Joey Dela Cruz on first, Pete Tomokane on third, and two outs, the Pirates looked to Herman Kintol to provide some late game heroics.

The call from the dugout was the old squeeze play, and when Kintol laid down the bunt, catcher Oliver Secharmidal picked up the ball and whipped it to first for the final out of the game.

When the game began on Saturday, Nov. 6, the Pirates held a 3-0 lead after two innings, but surrendered four runs in the top of the third to allow the Glazers back into the game. Ben Taisican got the ball rolling when he knocked home Franco Flores. Henry Rabauliman followed by knocking home J.P. Sablan and Taisican to tie the game before William Kaipat drove in Rabauliman to take the lead.

The Pirates answered back with three runs in the bottom of the inning, but the Glazers found a way to tally three more in the top of the fourth to regain the lead. The Glazers kept the fire stoked by scoring another couple of runs in the fifth and another pair in the sixth, before the Pirates were able to score when Matt Kintol crossed the plate off of a passed ball.

Both of the teams fell silent in the seventh, and the Glazers tacked on another in the top of the eighth to make the score 12-7. In the bottom half of the inning, the Pirates let loose a seven-run salvo to surge ahead of the Glazers, 14-12. The Pirates capitalized on eight Glazers errors in the bottom of the eighth, and needed only four hits to turn the game around.

The Glazers were determined to bring the Pirates down a notch, and scored three more runs in the top of the ninth inning to gain a 15-13 advantage. The Pirates caught a break in the bottom of the inning when Peter Tomokane reached base on an error. He advanced to second base on another Glazers error, and after Joey Dela Cruz was walked, the Pirates had runners on the corners with two outs.

The SML Fall League will continue this Saturday when the Hustlers take on the North Stars at 10am and continues when the Pirates look to avenge their loss to the Glazers at 2pm.