Hustlers sink Pirates, Glazers outshine Stars

After the Rep. Dave Apatang Hustlers shattered the Kautz Glass Glazers to sort out the playoff picture in the fall edition of the Saipan Major League Saturday, both teams returned Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field on Sunday to get their first wins of the post-season.

The pennant-winning Hustlers picked up right where they left off the day before, as they sank the Speaker Fitial Pirates, 11-7, in the opening game of the doubleheader, while the Glazers were able to outlast the Heinz & David North Stars, 4-3.

The Hustlers fell behind early in the top of the first inning when shortstop Matt Kintol scored on a past ball to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. That run sparked the defending champs, as they answered back with seven runs off of five hits in the bottom of the inning to take a commanding 7-1 lead—one that they would enjoy for the rest of the game.

Pirates pitcher Kevin Kapileo survived the shelling to provide his team a chance at a comeback, but they couldn’t muster enough offense against the Hustlers’ one-two combination of Byron Kaipat and A.J. Allen on the mound.

Kaipat gave up a pair of runs and struck out two Pirates before being replaced by Allen early in the top of the third inning. Allen went the rest of the way, allowing five runs off of five hits and fanning eight.

The duo received plenty of support from their teammates at the plate, as Roy Celis went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and a score, and Jerome Delos Santos went 3-for-5 with three base knocks and a pair of scores.

Hustlers catcher Manny Sablan had another solid outing at the plate, as the “Pudge” of the Marianas went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, a double, and a history-making homerun to score their 11th run of the game.

Sablan’s booming shot cleared the right field fence, and marked the first homerun of the wooden bat era.

The second game of the afternoon went down to the wire, but the Glazers pitcher Franco Flores was able to fend off the North Stars 4-3 to take the first game in the best-of-three series.

Flores allowed three runs off of six hits and struck out five in nine superb innings of work, while his teammates did enough at the plate to get him the win.

The Glazers were trailing 1-0 heading into in the bottom of the first inning, before a series of errors allowed Tyrone Omar to tie the score. Oliver Secharmidal gave the Glazers the 2-1 lead when he singled home left fielder Bill Kaipat.

The Stars tied the game at two apiece in the top of the third when shortstop Jonathan Jones crossed the plate, but Kaipat’s sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the fourth scored Omar, and J.P. Sablan capitalized on a North Stars error to retake the lead, 4-2.

The Stars made it a one-run game in the top of the fifth when centerfielder Ben Jones crossed the plate to make the score 4-3, but that was the end of the offense for the boys from the north side.