Bud Kings crown Yankees

The Bud Kings added another thrilling win to their 2006 Saipan Major League resume as they rallied from a two-run deficit to knockoff last season’s pennant champion Northern Yankees on Saturday afternoon under the sun at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field.

Down by a run in the top of the ninth, Jerome Delos Santos led off the inning with a single. Dane Lizama followed with a base knock, and 2005 SML most valuable player Tony Celis advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt to put them in scoring position. With one out and runners on second and third, Jonathan Delos Santos ripped a two-run single that sent his brother Jerome and Lizama across home plate for the eventual game winning scores.

The first baseman’s timely hit was his second of the day, but clearly his most important as Delos Santos went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles and two runs batted in. Brother Jerome was 1-for-4 on the day, but his leadoff single proved to be huge.

Celis continued his quest for the batting title with a solid 2-for-3 outing that yielded a pair of base hits and two sacrifice bunts, while designated hitter Tommy Dela Cruz went 1-for-3 with a single and a score.

While the Kings had their bats to thank for the comeback, they had their pitchers to thanks for keeping them in the game. Starter Josh Dela Cruz allowed five runs off of five hits and fanned three through seven innings before recent addition Bobby Castro took the hill in the eighth and pitched the Yankees a pair of scoreless innings while giving up one hit and striking out two.

The Kings took a 3-1 lead through the first two and a half innings before the Yankees powered out a three-run third inning to take a 4-3 lead. The pinstripers added another run in the bottom of the fifth for insurance, but the Kings chipped away with a run in the top of the eighth before Lizama’s ninth inning heroics sealed the deal.

The Kings started their inaugural campaign with much the same success last year, but the youngsters showed their inexperience midseason and withered down the stretch without providing much of an impact on the postseason picture.

This time around they’ve grown a year older and added some experience to the roster to form their current recipe for success. It remains to be seen, but the Kings are doing what most championship teams accomplish during the regular season—win the close games and overcome adversity.