Mets lead early, Jones saves day, 15-5

With his team trailing 5-0, Jonathan Jones came into the game for the Northern Yankees and silenced the bats of the San Antonio Mets while his offense woke up to rally behind the lefty and end the game via the 10-run mercy rule on Wednesday night, in the continuation of the Saipan Major League at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field in Oleai.

Jones allowed two hits and not a single run through four powerful innings pitched in which he fanned nine Mets and walked one batter before Everette Ngiraidong locked up the shop with a one-two-three seventh to end the game with the umpires invoking the mercy rule with the 15-5 score.

While the pitching was a peach, the power of the pinewood bats was positively punishing.

The Yankees whittled away at the 5-0 deficit by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and another in the fifth before breaking the game wide open with a six-run, seven-hit sixth inning.

First baseman Tony Camacho led the hit parade with a pair of hits in the inning and a run scored en route to finishing the night with three singles in a 3-for-5 outing, while third baseman Mel Sakisat continued his plate presence with a 3-for-5 with three singles, a pair of plate crossings, and a stolen base.

Jonathan Tenorio started the game for the Yankees, but was chased from the hill following a five-run, three-hit second inning, which gave the Metropolitans a healthy lead entering the third. Jones walked Ryuji Kobayashi to start off, but followed with three consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.

Ben Jones and Clifton Silil crossed the plate in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 5-2, and the reliever continued where he left off when the Mets got their next at bats.

The lefthander gave up a double to T-Night Sanders to lead off the fourth, but he picked him off the bag with a quick throw to shortstop John Reyes and fanned the next two for a second scoreless inning.

The Yankees continued to pick away at the lead in their next ups, as left fielder Jesse Jones stole home in the bottom of the fourth to edge closer with the their third score of the game.

The pitcher continued to dominate in the top of the fifth, as he fanned Hector Efrain, and picked off Dexter Palacios from first base after he reached on an error. Though he gave up a single up the middle to Kobayashi, he escaped without a scratch when catcher Audie Maratita hit a grounder to Sakisat for the final out.

That’s about the time when the Yankees turned up the heat, as they went on a rampage that left the Mets scratching their heads and playing from behind for the remainder of the contest.