Saipan earns bid for Rota finals

LIYUG FIELD, ROTA—The All-Stars of the Saipan Little League and Rota will meet for the 2005 CNMI Little League District Championship this morning following inspiring performances on the CNMI’s southernmost island.

Saipan swept through the competition over the course of this weekend’s baseball tournament by outscoring their opponents 98-13 in their four showings, while the hosts wrapped up their round-robin portion at an even 2-2. Despite a remarkable comeback in Friday’s game in which they overcame a nine-run deficit to Luta, Tinian failed to break into the win column to finish 0-4.

Tinian actually downed Rota 13-12 in their opener, but suffered a 6-0 forfeit because they failed to meet the Little League’s “Must Play” rule in which all players on the roster must play three defensive outs and have at least one at bat.

Tinian was unable to get three of its players a turn at the plate because they had the lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Following the completion of the contest, Rota manager Luis Mesa filed a protest with tournament officials in accordance with procedure, and District Administrator James Ada contacted the protest committee in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The reply from the mainland came in late yesterday afternoon, as Little League headquarters sided in favor of Mesa citing the rules governing team play.

Saipan 21, Rota 7

Jonathan Tydingco and Peter Tenorio combined to pitch Saipan to its third straight win yesterday morning by holding Luta to six runs off of six hits in front of their hometown fans to maintain their grip on a championship berth in the tournament’s opening day.

Tydingco threw two- and two-thirds innings for Saipan in which he allowed five runs off of five hits and fanned four batters before Tenorio stepped in to finish the final one and a third with only a run and a hit against him.

The starter aided his own cause by contributing to a nine-run, six-hit first inning with a two-run double that drove in Eric Tenorio and Josh Jones. While his efforts were appreciated, Tydingco didn’t have to provide all of the power, as his teammates combined to score 21 runs off of 17 hits in three team at bats before the umpires invoked the 10-run mercy rule.

Tenorio was a perfect 4-for-4 with three singles and a double for Saipan while the centerfielder drove in three runs and stole a pair of bases along the way.

Second baseman Dave Jones and right fielder Joel Kaipat were also flawless with identical 2-for-2 performances at the plate, but Jones hit both of his singles and tallied an RBI in the bottom of the second inning.

Shortstop Nokkie Lizama added his two cents to the fray by cranking a single and a pair of doubles in the morning that knocked in two runners, while teammate Esebei Arurang went a solid 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run doubles and a stolen base.

Three games into the tournament, Lizama raised his total offense to an impressive 10-for-13 with a pair of singles, seven doubles, a triple, 10 runs batted in, and 12 runs scored.

After Saipan jumped out to a 19-0 lead through the first two innings, Rota began to rally in the third when Tydingco found himself in a bit of a bind. With runners on first and second, Tydingco walked Blaine Mesgon on four pitches to load the bases, and followed it up by walking in a run by throwing four straight balls to Thomas Barcinas.

Rather than letting the starter work himself out of a jam, Saipan coach Elmer Sablan came out onto the field to swap Tydingco with Tenorio from second.

By the time Tenorio fanned Vincent King to end the rally with the third out, Rota had scored six runs off of six hits to the delight of the home fans.

Rota 18, Tinian 2

The host team wasted no time as it routed last year’s tournament holders by a lopsided score fueled by an eight-run outburst in the sixth inning to give Luta an invitation to the championship game for a rematch of the 2004 District Championship tomorrow morning.

After taking a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Rota followed with four in the second and another tally in the third to hold a 10-1 lead early on in the contest before erupting with ocho in the sixth.

Rota pitcher Aleton Mesgon went the distance for the home team by hurling six innings of two-run four-hit baseball in which he fanned four batters, while regular season RBI king Paul Lizama led the offensive charge.

The shortstop was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles and a three-run triple in the top of the sixth that drove in Juan Lizama, Jermaine Calvo, and Mesgon.

Mesgon got a hand from his partner behind the plate as catcher Thomas Barcinas smacked a single and a triple, drove in a run, and scored three times for Luta to finish 2-for-5 in the victory.

Right fielder Misail Manglona fared a bit better with the stick by hitting a single and a double to finish the afternoon affair a solid 2-for-4 with a run batted in.

The win clinched Rota’s berth in the finals, where they will attempt to avenge last year’s loss in the finals on Tinian.

Saipan 25, Tinian 2

Though the details for this match-up were unavailable as of press time, Saipan won its fourth consecutive game via the 10-run mercy rule over Tinian to put a cap on their round-robin dominance.