Bomsoro blows lead, loses first game

The Hitters pulled off a major upset at Tan Ge Softball Field on Tuesday night when they knocked off previously undefeated Bomsoro, 12-11, to catapult into second place in the Women’s Island-Wide Slow-Pitch Softball League at the Oleai Sports Complex.

Emi Palican of the Women’s Affairs Office must have known that the ladies of Saipan would provide plenty of excitement at the ballpark when her office came in to sponsor the league, and she was right.

Catcher Angela Ngirbedul led the charge for the Hitters with a flawless 3-for-3 performance at the plate that yielded three singles and three runs batted in, while Emy Quitugua wielded the big stick with a pair of singles, a triple, and an identical 3-for-3 mark on the night.

The duo was supported by a solid outing by right fielder Edwina Baulechong who went 2-for-3 with a single, a triple, and drove in a pair of runs. Left fielder Pam Riungel pitched in a single and a double for three runs batted, but the majority of pitching came from hurler Felisa Brel.

Brel was a force for the Hitters on the mound, as the veteran of the 2005 Mini Games in Palau allowed 11 runs off of 14 hits and walked three in the batter friendly league to pick up the win.

With a 4-3 lead through the first four innings, Bomsoro piled on four scores in the top of the fifth for what looked like the start of their trademark breakaway wins, but the Hitters had other ideas.

The determined squad answered with three runs off of four hits in their next at bats before ripping off six runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 12-8 lead. Bomsoro responded like true champs with three runs in the top of the seventh, but they were unable to force extra innings when Jayda Taro flied out to Thelma Mizer to end the game.

Bomsoro is still on top of the pack at 5-1, but their cushion got a little less comfy as the Hitters climbed into second place and to within a game of pole at 4-2.

Its Okay 22, Mix-A-Lot 21

While the Bomsoro upset was the major story of the night, it was not the only thrilling action under the lights behind the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium as Its Okay rallied from a 13-1 deficit to upset Mix-A-Lot, 22-21.

Three free-swingers led the way for Its Okay with perfection at the plate as Sheena Sablan and Vivian Hocog went 4-for-4 while Shirley Ada went 3-for-3 to lift their team to its fourth win of the season.

Sablan cranked out three singles, a double, and drove in four runs, Hocog smacked four singles and got a ribby, and Ada drove in two runs off of three singles. Congresswoman Janet Maratita would have been proud to see her sponsored team do well in the face of defeat, and hard hitting from the likes of Dolores Yanneris played a major part in the comeback.

Yanneris went 3-for-4 with three singles and a pair of runs batted in for Its Okay as they climbed into a game and a half of first place.

After trailing 13-1, Its Okay finally got their bats in gear in the top of the third when they scored seven runs off of seven hits, but they turned the tide of the game when they went Anatahan by erupting for 13 runs off of 13 hits in the top of the fourth to take the lead.

Mix-A-Lot came to within one run of Its Okay in the bottom of the fifth, but umpires were forced to invoke the Saipan Softball Association’s one-hour time limit to put an end to the excitement when Charlene Cabrera was thrown out on a fielder’s choice for the third out.

The only game without a thrill was the disappointing forfeit by the Pacific Amigas that gave the Tanapag Lady-8ers their second win of the season. The teams are now locked in a battle for last place at 2-4, but both have the potential to make a run at the playoffs if they show up to the field.