Rangers mangle Mets in debut

The Ford Rangers rolled over the San Antonio Mets with a combination of solid hitting and a new hired gun on Friday night, as they cruised to an easy 12-2 victory in the second game of the 2005 Saipan Major League season under the lights of Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field in Oleai.

Newly acquired pitcher Roy Celis allowed one hit and struck out three batters in four innings of work in his debut with the Rangers, and reliever Norman Tenorio finished the job when he took the hill in the top of the fifth inning by allowing two runs off of five hits with three strikeouts the rest of the way.

While Celis and Tenorio took care of the Mets’ offense, third baseman Pete Tomokane and company put a hurtin’ on their defense. Aside from being plunked by Kolani Castro in the second inning, Tomokane hit a single and triple at the plate with three scores, while teammate John Reyes went 2-for-3 with a single, a double, two scores, and a pair of runs batted in.

The hits kept coming as center fielder Mario Sablan knocked a pair of singles and scored a couple of runs to add to the Rangers onslaught. Sablan and Reyes utilized their speed to keep the San Antonio pitchers on their toes, as each stole a base as well.

By the time the player and fans left the stadium, the Rangers had racked up 12 runs off of 16 hits in six attempts at the Mets pitching staff. Though they were on the losing end of the stick, the Mets had a couple of standouts at the plate, as third baseman Ryuji Kobayashi went 2-for-3 with a single, a double, and a score, while teammate Dexter Palacios went 2-for-3 with a single, a double, and a run batted in.

After Celis retired the side 1-2-3 in the top of the first inning, the Rangers scored all of the runs that they needed four runners crossed the plate off of three hits in the bottom of the inning.

Another Celis goose egg in the top of the second led to a two-hit, three-run second for the Rangers to give them a 7-0 advantage. Celis recorded his third strikeout to complete another scoreless inning in the top of the third and his offense compiled three runs off of three hits to increase the lead to a dime. J.J. Laniyo singled in designated hitter Jason Gaye in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead to 11-0, but the Dexter Palacios scored the first Mets run when Hector Efrain singled him across the plate in the top of the fifth.

The Mets scored again in the top of the sixth inning when Palacios doubled in Kobayashi, but it wasn’t enough to bridge the gap.

Last night’s action between the Toyota Tacoma and the Budweiser Kings was cancelled due to the soaking that Palacios Field got from a day-long rain. The game will be rescheduled following the regular season, and if the weather cooperates, the Rangers will return to play another new team when the Freedom Air Masters lace up the cleats for the first time this year tomorrow at 6:30pm.