Kings survive Mets melee, 6-5

After trailing 6-0 through seven innings, the San Antonio Metropolitans came within one run of completing a comeback against the Budweiser Kings on Wednesday night, as they closed out their 2005 Saipan Major League campaign with a loss at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field in Oleai.

The fans who stuck around the Oleai Sports Complex following the championship of the BANMI 25-and-Under Basketball League were treated to a late-game rally in which the Mets scored five runs off of six his in the final two innings to narrowly miss crowning the Kings.

Rather than suffering their sixth defeat, the Kings evened their record to 5-5 with two games remaining, and got solid outings from starting pitcher Mike Taitano and catcher Tyrone Attao.

Taitano went the distance for the can clan and held a no-hitter through six and one-thirds innings before allowing five runs of five hits between the eighth and ninth. Taitano finished the game with 11 strikeouts, and assured the Kings the fourth and final playoff spot with a quality outing.

On the other side of the plate, Attao was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, and led all Kings with four singles and three runs batted in—including a two-run single in the bottom of the first that gave them a 2-0 lead when Herman and Matt Kintol crossed home plate.

Herman scored again in the fifth courtesy of Attao, and the shortstop finished the night with a solid 2-for-4 with the stick, landing a pair of singles and a run batted in.

The Kings also got singles from third baseman Ray Dela Cruz and first baseman B.J. Seman to round out their offense, but their defense was the story early on.

Aside from three errors spread out over the first seven innings, the Kings played a tight defensive game, and only Mets catcher Donald Manalo reached third base. The batters that Taitano wasn’t fanning were being sent to the dugout off of well-fielded grounders and fly outs.

Things changed in the top of the eighth when Taitano opened up the inning by giving up his second hit of the day, followed by his third walk. From there, an error allowed T-Night Sanders reached first before Mike Palacios’ two-run single drove in left fielder Adrian Castro and Masatoshi Otsuka.

With the score 6-2, Sanders crossed the plate on a wild pitch, and Palacios followed on an errant throw to bring the Mets within striking distance, before the end of the inning. In the top of the ninth, Scherm Rengiil led off with a single, and later scored on an error, but the Mets were unable to capitalize with runners in scoring position to tie the game.