Patriots descramble Matrix, 8-4

Pitchers James Sablan and Ray Tenorio teamed up to thwart the Toyota Matrix on Saturday from the mound of Tan Ge field at the Oleai Sports Complex, as the duo split hurling duties for the VFW Patriots in their 8-4 win in continuation of the Saipan Little League Baseball Association.

Sablan started the game for the Pats and went three hitless innings in which he allowed two runs, walked one, plunked one, and fanned four before he handed over pitching duties to Tenorio with a 6-2 lead.

Tenorio experienced similar success atop the hill for the Patriots, as the reliever allowed two runs off of three hits in the final three innings of work, and struck out a half dozen Matrix batters along the way.

While Sablan And Tenorio menaced the Matrix from the mound, outfielder Jake Guerrero touted the twig to topple the Toyota team with a top notch 3-for-3 outing at the plate in which he hit a single, a pair of doubles, drove in two runs, and crossed home three times.

Late edition catcher Steve Mendiola was also perfect at the plate with two singles and two runs batted in for a 2-for-2 outing.

Braves 7, Hustlers 1

Josh Jones went the distance for the Tanapag Braves in a 7-1 victory over the Hustlers to give the silver and black their first loss of the season, and looked strong while doing so. The ace allowed just one run off of five hits and fanned 12 through six complete innings for the Tanapag nine, and walked four.

On the other side of the plate, Jones went 1-for-2 with a two-run double, a run scored, and a walk. He didn’t have to provide all of the offense, as second baseman Eli Pangelinan went 1-for-1 with a single, a pair of walks, three runs scored, and a stolen base. Third baseman Charito Kladikim got a base on balls as well, and went 1-for-2 with a single and a run scored. Teammate Chris Meyers continued to make his presence felt by hitting an RBI single, scoring twice, and stealing a base for the Braves.

Kagman 1-2-3 16, Ol’Aces 6

The kids from Kagman clocked the Ol’Aces on Saturday with a combination of clutch hitting and solid pitching, as the homesteaders took the six-inning contest by a dime. Starting pitcher James Lizama picked up an easy win by throwing two innings in which he allowed one run off of two hits and fanned three before Jonathan Celis came over from shortstop to pitch the final four innings. Lizama yielded five runs off of six hits and struck out four without any walks.

The duo provided some of the punch as well, as Celis went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles, a triple, scored three times, and drove in four. Lizama wasn’t too shabby either, hitting 2-for-4 with a single, a double three runs scored, and two stolen bags.

The Ol’Aces lone bright spot on the day was slugger Mike Iguel, who went 2-for-3 with a single, a homerun, a stolen base, a pair of ribbies, and two plate crossings.

Pirates 16, Bombers 5

The defending champions picked up their second victory of the season on the strength of a seven-run second inning and a six-run second to shoot down the Church’s Chicken Bombers by 11 runs led by their one -man wrecking crew Brandon Aulerio.

Aulerio could do no wrong on Saturday, as the youngster went 4-for-4 at the plate with two singles, two triples, drove in four runs, and crossed home three times.

That would be enough for just about anyone, but when he grabbed his mitt and headed out onto the field, he threw a complete game victory from atop the hill for the Pirates. Aulerio allowed five runs off of five hits, struck out 10 Bombers, and didn’t walk a single batter.

His catcher Jorjunny Camacho was calling all of the right pitches, and provided all of the right hits as well by going 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles, two runs scored, and two runs batted in.

JUNIOR LEAGUE
Jets 12, Hustlers 11

With a one-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, center fielder Ben Guerrero singled in Jonathan Salas for what turned out to be the game-wining run for the Jets during the closest ball game of the day at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field.

After training the Hustlers 5-0, the Jets entered the top of the third inning with a vengeance by scoring seven runs off of three hits, and were aided by three walks and an error to take a two-run lead. The Jets scored three more in the top of the fourth to gain a 10-5 advantage on the Hustlers, who made it 10-6 in the bottom of the inning.

The Hustlers’ tally was answered with the Jets’ 11th run in the top of the fifth, but the lead was chopped to one run when the Hustlers scored four in the bottom of the sixth. After the Guerrero and the Jets gained a 12-10 advantage, the Hustlers notched one more before bowing out.

Falcons 9, Ol’ Aces 6

Ike Aldan went 5-for-5 with a handful of base knocks, two runs scored, and a run batted in for the Falcons to lift them over the Ol’ Aces, 9-6. The shortstop made the switch to catcher in a position swap with Elliot Tenorio, who went 2-for-4 with a single, a triple, a run batted in, and a plate crossing. Teammate Marley Techur managed an RBI single in three attempts, but let his arm do the talking in a seven inning complete game on the hill.

Techur allowed six runs off of five hits and fanned seven through seven innings to pick up the win.

Pirates 18, Marlins 5

Aside from a scoreless second inning, the Pirates raided the Marlins pitching for a few runs every time their raiders had their at bats in a one-sided affair in which their whole team worked together. There was no clear-cut hero for the Pirates, as team play was the difference in the mercy shortened game, but Ofero Taitano’s homerun raised a few eyebrows at Tan Ko field. Taitano went 1-for-3 on the day with a pair of plate crossings and two walks, while teammates A.J. Dela Cruz and Tako Camacho were walked a combined seven times. Dela Cruz went 1-for-2 with a single and a run scored, while Camacho was 0-for-1 with a run scored and four walks in the contest.