Eliminators extinguish Bud Light to advance to semis

The second seeded Eliminators (11-1) advanced to the semifinal round of the Island Wide Slow Pitch Softball League on Wednesday night when they fought off a late-game rally by the seventh-seeded Bud Light Chura (8-5) to eke out a one-run victory at the Oleai Sports complex by a score of 18-17.

The Eliminators got production from just about everyone in their line up, as seven of their players hit over .500 on the night en route to scoring 18 runs off of 16 hits in six rounds at the plate.

The Eliminators made use of the long-ball in their come- from-behind victory, as they got five homeruns from five different players amidst of a six-hit nine-run fifth inning that forever changed the face of the game.

After playing to an 8-8 tie through four and a half innings, the Chura scored four runs off of three hits to take the 12-8 advantage before Tony Celis, Jonathan Delos Santos, Elias Saralu, and Jeff Cabrera went yard in the bottom of the fifth to give the Eliminators the lead, 17-12.

Shortstop Manny Sablan led the charge for the Eliminators, finishing the game with an impressive 2-for-3 performance at the plate and three runs batted in. Sablan crossed the plate twice, as did most of his teammates.

The same could not be said for the Bud Light Chura, who received most of their offensive output from the 6th, 7th, and 8th spots of their line up. J.J. Laniyo provided a much-needed boost to the Chura offense throughout the game from seventh spot, as he went 4-for-4 with three singles, a homerun, and five runs batted in.

Teammate Peter Tomokane chipped in a 3-for-4 showing at the plate from the sixth spot, and notched a pair of singles, a double, and three scores, while third baseman Pete Sablan smacked a homerun and a single in the eighth spot in the order en route to finishing 2-for-4 with two ribbies.

The playoff action of the Saipan Softball Association continues tonight as the four remaining teams from the slow pitch league take part in the semifinal round. The Eliminators return to take on the third-seeded Natibu at 6:30pm, followed by the 7:30pm match between La Chai and X-Clusive.

Softball enthusiasts and players alike will get an added treat, as the Eliminators and Natibu will take the field again at 8:30pm for the second game of their best-of-three series, while La Chai and X-Clusive return for the final game of the quadruple-header at 9:30pm. A necessary Game 3 will be played on Monday, Jan. 23, if needed. If not, the championship will begin at 7pm on the softball field at the Oleai Sports Complex.