Ol’ Aces win big over Aztecs

The pennant champs took on the third seed in the Junior Little League championships Sunday, and it was the regular season leading UMDA Ol’ Aces that walked away with the title, beating the KMCV Aztecs 15-4 in action at the Oleai Sports Complex.

Powered by consistent hitting and led by pitcher Jesse S. Borja, the Aces made quick work of the ‘Tecs, jumping out to a 9-0 advantage before they could answer. Borja pitched three solid innings, allowing just two hits, striking out six, and walking two. When he was relieved in the fourth inning by Shane Yamada, the Aces were in control of the game, with the score 9-0.

Aside from pitching, Borja went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a triple, and knocking in a RBI. Yamada did more than step in for relief work as he went 3-for-4 at the plate, knocking in an RBI and scoring twice.

It was a team effort for the Ol’Aces that got off to a slow start. After both teams went down 1-2-3 in the first, it was the Aces that were the first to get on the board, scoring four runs off of good base running by Yamada and hits from Borja, Mario Lisua and Galaice.

Borja picked up strikeouts three, four and five in the second to keep a lid on the Aztecs offense. Isaiah Wabol screamed across home plate in the third after an error by the Ol’ Aces centerfielder to make it a 5-0 contest.

The Aces kept up the fire by adding four more runs in the top of the fourth off of the sticks of Mike Borja, Jesus Iguel, Juan Iguel, and Wabol. It was slugger/reliever Yamada that brought three of the runs home, elevating his team to a nine-run advantage before the end of the inning.

The Aztecs were finally able to muster some offense in the bottom of the inning when Kevin Babauta singled and Nicolas San Nicolas tripled him home. Borja threw his last pitches of the game as when he walked Aztecs second baseman Zachary Flores. Borja finished the rest of the game at first base, trading places with Yamada.

In all, three Aztecs would find their way home in the fourth, but the Aces offense had a swift response in the fifth, scoring six runs off of four hits. Three errors and a wild pitch did not help the ‘Tecs as they fell behind 15-3 before they had a chance to respond.

They managed just one more run in the bottom of the fifth, and the game was called via the 10-run mercy rule with the final score Ol’ Aces 15, Aztecs 4.