Ol’Aces lose a toughy to Toyota

The Ol’Aces gave away what seemed to be a sure win after taking the reigns in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Toyota Matrix scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning en route to earning their first victory of the season in continuation of the Saipan Little League Baseball Association Saturday at Tan Ge Field.

The Matrix recorded only three hits in the game but took advantage of double-digit walks and a number of Ol’ Aces miscues for the win. Rocco Reyes has two-thirds of the total hit count with a 2-for-4 outing that yielded a double, a triple, and four runs batted in, while catcher Joe Deleon Guerrero provided the only other hit when he singled in the fifth to finish 1-for-2 with a run scored on the day.

After trailing 3-1 midway through the contest, the Ol’ Aces got the bats ablaze and exploded for six runs off of six hits in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-3 advantage. That was where the happiness ended; however, as the pitching staff served up three consecutive walks before Rocco Reyes smacked a bases-clearing triple in the top of the fifth to pull the Matrix to within one.

Toyota didn’t have do much from there as the Ol’ Aces hand-delivered three more walks to put the finishing touches on a gift-wrapped Matrix victory. One by one, the green and yellow fellows crossed home plate, as the Aces let one slip through their grasp.

Twins 17, Red Sox 3

The Major Division Red Sox were a far cry from their Major League counterparts on Saturday as they suffered a one-sided loss to the Twins that officials were forced to stop by invoking the 10-run mercy rule.

There was never any doubt that the Twins were in control of the game as the mini-Minnesotans opened up the game with a nine-run outburst in the top of the first inning and followed with a six-run second to take a 15-0 lead before the Sox could mount a comeback.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, their two-run second and one-run fourth did not equate to a big enough comeback. Part of the reason was the outstanding performances from their opponent’s sluggers.

Diego Camacho went 3-for-3 for the Twins with a pair of singles, a triple, and five runs batted in, while teammate J.J. Peter went 3-for-3 with three doubles and three ribbies. Shortstop Vince Castro was a stud at the plate as well with a pair of doubles, a single and three runs batted in for the Twins.

Patriots 10, Hustlers 5

The Patriots scored early and scored late as they dealt the Hustlers a 10-5 loss at Tan Ge Field on Saturday as a couple of familiar names stepped up to make major contributions to the red, white, and blue.

Justin Kintol has a great day at the ballpark as the shortstop went 2-for-3 with a single and a homerun while catcher Anthony Salas went 3-for-4 with three singles on the day.

The Patriots got the ball rolling right from the start with a five-run first inning in which they recorded two hits and capitalized by scoring all three of their walked batters. After the teams cooled down for a bit, the Patriots scored the eventual game-winning run in the top of the sixth, but the Hustlers answered with three runs to make it close at 6-3.

The rally lost its rush in the top of the fifth as the Patriots scored three of their own to take a 9-3 lead, and allowed two runs down the stretch to pick up the win.

JUNIOR LEAGUE
Falcons 6, Fielders 0

Pitcher Marley Techur and the Falcons were near flawless at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field on Saturday as the hurler allowed the Fielders just one hit en route to picking up a complete game win during his Junior League debut.

Techur allowed just one hit through seven scoreless innings and fanned a stunning 14 batters during his day in the sun, but he also aided his own cause with a two-run triple to finish 1-for-3 at the plate with a run scored.

Ryan Mizutani did his part for the Falcons with a pair of singles to finish 2-for-2 while teammate Ryan Ada went 1-for-2 with a single and two plate crossings.

BIG LEAGUE
Pirates 7, Northern Angels 3

There was little offense early on, but the Pirates broke through the offensive barricade with back-to-back three-run innings in the fourth and fifth to send the Northern Angels back to Prayerville during their 7-3 win at Palacios field on Saturday afternoon.

The MVP from the SML Fall League, James Kintol, retired the first 12 batters—eight via strikeout—to give his team time to fire up the bats, and teammates A.J. Allen, Matt Kintol, and Tom Deleon Guerrero came through with the offense midway through the game.

Allen went 2-for3 with a pair of singles and runs scored, while the shortstop Kintol did the same with a pair of doubles, three runs batted in, and two runs scored. Deleon Guerrero went 2-for-4 with a pair of base knocks and added a couple of scores to help the Pirates power out the win.