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Pepsi/MGD advance to SML championship
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Posted on Oct 29 1999
Banking on experience, Pepsi/MGD humbled the Northern Yankees 8-5 Wednesday night to advance to the first SML Summer League best-of-5 championship series as they eliminated the Northern Yankees from the post-season.
Peter Tomokane’s 2 for 4 offensive output, including 2 doubles and a towering homerun over center field, backed by Pat Guerrero and Manny Sablan’s timely hitting proved that experience could be a factor in critical game situations.
Besides Tomokane, Guerrero and Sablan, most of the players on the Pepsi/MGD roster had played in the Saipan Major League.
Pepsi/MGD wasted no time in proving their superiority over the Yankees as they quickly scored 3 runs in the first inning when lead off John Acosta and Mark Toves boarded on walks.
Pat Guerrero next came to the plate and greeted Joshua Muna’s fastball with a double to drive in Acosta for the first run of the game. Manny Sablan then slapped a single to right-center to bring home Toves and Guerrero for a 3-0 lead. After Tony Guerrero was caught on a third strike call, the Yankees executed a perfect double play to get Tomokane and Sablan out to end the inning.
The Yankees tied the score in the bottom half of the inning courtesy on costly errors by Pepsi/MGD’s pitcher Joe Guerrero and Tomokane, assigned to third base.
Chris Camacho and Tito Santos both reached base on the errors, and Camacho was sent home by Jester Garcia, who ripped a two-base hit to the gap. Santos sprint home for the Yankees second run when Joe Guerrero threw pass the catcher while Garcia took third. Garcia then scored for the tie on Patrick Camacho’s fielders choice.
After a ground out to the pitcher by Tony Guerrero for the first out in the top of the 3rd, Tomokane then sent the ball sailing over the fence for his first four tripper of the season for Pepsi/MGD’s 5-3, 2 run lead.
Phil Celis and Audie Maratita scored a run each to further widen their lead to 7-3. Guerrero then shut down the Yankees not allowing a run until the seventh when they managed to score 2 runs but that was all the Yankees could muster as the game ended in Pepsi/MGD favor.
Joe Guerrero pitched seven innings for the win while Muna was victimized for 6 earned runs and took the loss.
