No Kai Oi confirms two-for-two bid in King of the Diamonds

Five teams have already confirmed their bid for the second round of the 2005 King of the Diamonds softball tournament, which unfolds this Saturday at the Dandan Softball Field.

According to Belau Softball Association’s Newman Techur, four of the five teams are returnees and have competed in the opening round of the tournament, including round one champion No Kai Oi.

Joining No Ka Oi in the hunt for the grand championship are Brotherhood, Salty Boys, Survivors, and newcomer Sunrisers.

The tournament, however, is not limited to the five teams as other interested teams still have time to put together a roster and register.

A mandatory meeting will be held tomorrow at 5:30pm at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium as officials will explain all rules as well as draw numbers for each team to determine the scheduling of games.

Techur, however, said interested teams who have yet to sign up and miss the meeting could still take part in the tournament and must contact organizers before the start of the tournament.

“We want to get as much teams as we can so that we can have a competitive and exciting tournament,” he said during an interview yesterday.

All teams are given until Friday, July 15, to register and pay the required $100 entrance fee. All players must be at least 18 years of age and there is not limit to the number of players in a roster.

All team members will receive T-shirts courtesy of MARPAC, the main sponsor of the tournament. The top two winners of the second round will also receive baseball bags and trophies.

The two-day competition is expected to conclude this Sunday. Newman, however, reiterated that if more teams register and if there is a need to extend the tournament, organizers will do so.

The King of the Diamonds consists of three rounds of play and top honors are earned by way of a points system.

No Ka Oi best out eight other teams a couple of months ago, and currently leads the standings with 275 points. Brotherhood follows with 200, Salty Boys with 175, Survivors with 150, Party Pack with 125, Manhoben with 120, Flyers with 105, and Natibu with 95.

Points each team earns depends on rankings after the tournament, while additional points are added if a team does not hit a home run, allows the least number of runs, or scores the most runs.

The third round is expected to be held sometime in mid-October.

The team with the most points after the three rounds will earn a trip to the King of the Diamonds Grand Finale in Palau from Nov. 10 to 14. The competition will feature Saipan’s top gun, as well as the champions from Palau and Guam slugging it out for supremacy.

All teams must abide by the rules set in place by the organizers. All rules are standard to that of the rules being used in the Palau and Guam King of the Diamonds tourneys.

Interested teams can register at MARPAC in Gualo Rai. For more information, contact Techur at 234-0173 or Jojo Camacho or Melvin Tenorio at MARPAC.