Yamada pitches no-hitter

Ol’Aces pitcher Shane Yamada single-handedly annihilated the Aztecs from the mound in one of the most dominating performances in the recent history of the Senior League as he retired 21 of 22 batters in seven innings of work to complete his first scoreless no-hitter on Sunday afternoon at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field in Oleai.

“Today was like a lucky day—I feel good. When I got on the mound I knew I was going to have a good day,” said Yamada.

Yamada’s catcher Bill Fleming said that his hurler had great movement on his curve balls, and that the opposing batters couldn’t touch it.

“Everything was right in the pocket—especially his curve. He threw more than 10 strikeouts,” said Fleming.

Actually, Yamada fanned 12 of the 22 batters he faced, and the rest exited the batter’s box with harmless grounders or infield flies. Were it not for an error that allowed Joey Togawa to reach safely, Yamada would have recorded a perfect game for the Ol’Aces.

“I was going to roll all four of our pitchers to have them all rested, but when they announced the no-hitter, I decided to keep him in there to give him a chance,” said manager Jess Wabol.

Yamada said that this was his first complete game and that he had previously never thrown for more than four innings in relief, but ceded that he now prefers starting to closing duties. Yamada made the decision a little easier for Wabol, as the manager added that he had command of all of his pitches, and was only behind in the count against two or three batters.

Yamada agreed with Wabol’s assessment, and said that he “knew when to throw my fastball and when to throw my junk.”

He knew when to hit as well, as Yamada went 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of singles and a run scored. He also got plenty of run support from his teammates—including a six-run six-hit fifth inning that gave the Ol’Aces a 9-0 lead.

FIELDERS 10, BRAVES 0

The Tanapag Braves could not find an answer for the pitching prowess of Fielders hurler Shane Mendiola, as their offense managed only five hits over the course of the mercy-shortened, six-inning affair.

Mendiola went the distance for the Fielders without surrendering a score and fanned seven would-be hitters to pick up the win while his offense turned up the heat from the beginning.

After taking 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, the Fielders scored four in the third, one in the fifth, and another four in the bottom of the sixth to force umpires to invoke the 10-run mercy rule.

Shortstop Cadez Tenorio was on fire at the plate, as the slugger went a perfect 3-for-3 with three singles and three scores for the Fielders, while teammate Joseph Salas was 3-for-4 with three base knocks, a pair of runs batted in, and three scores.

When Mendiola was on the other side of the plate he went a solid 2-for-2 with a pair of base hits, including an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth that drove in Kevin Diaz.

JUNIOR LEAGUE
OL’ACES 11, FALCONS 9

The Ol’Aces jumped out to 9-1 lead early on the strength of a seven-run three-hit second inning and held on for the win against the Falcons despite a four-run rally in bottom of the seventh that pulled them to within two at Tan Ko field.

With the win, the Ol’Aces moved into sole possession of second place in the Junior League at 6-3, while the Falcons had to settle for third at 5-3.

Juan Iguel fared the best for the Aces at 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and three scores, while teammate Isiah Wabol had a solid 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles and a plate crossing.

First baseman Ryan Ada also had a good day at the plate, as the youngster went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles—including a two-run base hit in the top of the second that kept the rally alive.

JETS 4, PIRATES 5

After falling behind to the Jets by a run in the top of the seventh and final inning, Eli Augenbaugh drove in Ernest Sablan with his only hit of the game to tie the contest at four apiece before Ofero Taitano singled him home to end the game in dramatic fashion.

Taitano finished the game with a solid 2-for-4 performance at the plate with a pair of singles, a run scored, and the game winning RBI, while teammate Cam “the Man” Sers Nicholas went 2-for-3 with two singles and a plate crossing.

The win put the Jets atop the standings at 6-2, while the Pirates dropped to fourth place at 4-3.

MARLINS 2, FIELDERS 8

The Fielders enjoyed a leisurely day at the ballpark against the Marlins on Saturday, as they scored eight runs off of only four hits to win their second win of the season by handing the big fish their fifth loss.

Anthony Tenorio accounted for half of the Fielders’ hit total with a pair of singles and a walk to finish 2-for-3, but the Marlins gift wrapped eight bases on balls and allowed five runs to score as a direct result of a wild pitch or a throwing error.

The Marlins’ pitching woes did not affect the Fielders, as Elton Santos pitched seven complete innings allowing just two runs off of two hits while fanning five.

BIG LEAGUE
COMETS 9, OL’ ACES 2

B.J. Nicholas was a one man wrecking crew for the Comets on Thursday night at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field in the primetime edition of the Big League, as the All-Star infielder went 4-for-5 as a result of slugging two singles, a double, and a triple.

Nicholas drove in a pair of runs and crossed the plate twice himself as the Comets continued their domination with their eighth win in 11 games.

Darson Camacho hit a pair of singles and earned an RBI when he was walked in the top of the third to help his cause on the mound, but the starting pitcher lost out on the win when Tyrone Omar drove in Jack Lizama in the fourth to tie the game at two apiece.

Reliever Oliver Secharmidal went the rest of the way atop hill without yielding a run to send the Ol’ Aces into the land of .500 with a record of 5-5.