Iguel’s Braves bounce Twins, 8-5

The Tanapag Braves leaped into fourth place in the Saipan Little League Baseball Association’s Major division on Saturday by jumping out to an early lead and hanging on to beat the As Matuis Twin, 8-5, at Tan Ge Field.

Lamarc Iguel did it all for the dynamite red and whites with a complete game on the mound and a productive day at the plate. As a pitcher, Iguel allowed five runs off of 10 hits and fanned seven through six innings of work before picking up his bat to go 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a run batted in.

Iguel also showed off his base running skills with a stolen bag and three runs scored, but he didn’t have to do everything for the Braves. Jotham Camacho carved out a pair of RBI doubles to finish 2-for-2, First baseman Oliver Iguel went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, and left fielder Erwin Fred went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and a RBI double.

The Braves wasted no time in taking control of the game as the Tanapag squad scored five runs in the top of the first and a pair in the second for a 7-1 lead. All they had to do from there was hold on, but the Twins gave their all with a run in the third and three in the bottom of the sixth to pull to within three.

Despite their effort the Twins slipped to a game below even at 5-6 while the Braves improved to 7-6.

Hustlers 7, McDonald’s 2

The Hustlers joined the kids from Kagman in second place on Saturday when they took another bite out of McDonald’s with a 7-2 victory at Tan Ge Field to improve to 9-2 on the season.

McGarette Dueñas had another solid day on the mound for the Hustlers as he added yet complete-game win to his resume by allowing two runs off of seven hits and fanned a half-dozen through six innings.

After giving up a run early on, Dueñas hung tough while his teammates tied the game in the third and scored back-to-back three-run innings in the fourth and fifth to seal the deal.

Philip Hanson was used all over the field but did some of his finest work in the batters box as he powered out a single and a homerun to finish 2-for-2 on the day, while slugger Anthony Manalo continued strike fear in opposing pitchers with a single and a three-run inside-the-park homer.

Ol’ Aces 5, Red Sox 4

It took a while, but the Ol’Aces finally notched their second win of the season by rallying from a 4-1 deficit to out-fox the Red Sox, 5-4, in front of an electric set of fans who packed the bleaches to watch their favorite players at Tan Ge.

Roky Matagolai pulled off another standout performance for the Aces on the hill as the pesky pitcher surrendered four runs off of six hits and fanned six through six. The Ol’Aces matched the Red Sox’s six-hit output but had one more tally to show for their efforts at the end of the game thanks to strong work from players like Rico Peter and Sid Nepaial.

Peter went 2-for-3 with a single and a double but thrilled fans by stealing home plate while Nepaial went 1-for-1 with an RBI double.

JUNIOR LEAGUE

Fielders 16, Comets 6

The Fielders turned a four-run deficit to the Comets into a four run lead on the strength of an eight-run third inning that gave them an extra game advantage and eventually the game over the last place squad at Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field, 16-6.

The Comets had a real shot at knocking off the Fielders to even their place in the standings at 1-5, but their 6-2 lead fell apart in the third when they allowed five walked batters to score.

After pitcher Ionnis Rasa pitched a rocky two and a third in which he allowed five runs on five hits, Tom Agulto saved the day by blanking the Comets and fanning six in the final two and two-thirds innings.

Agulto did it both ways by hitting a single, a triple, and driving in a pair of runs, while Rasa also went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and an RBI. The duo didn’t do all the hitting as catcher R.J. Joe went 2-for-3 with a pair of base knocks and a run batted in, and Anthony Tenorio joined the 2-for-3 club with two singles and an RBI.

SENIOR LEAGUE

Hustlers 5, Aztecs 3
The Hustlers continued to show why they are the best team in the Senior League on Saturday by beating the Aztecs in a close one at Tan Ko that was decided with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Giovanni Ayuyu took the first half of the pitching duties for the Hustlers by fanning seven and allowing a pair of runs off of just three hits through the fourth inning before handing over the keys to Jon Mafnas, who closed out the final three by giving up a run off of three hits and fanned three.

Mafnas also played a key role in the win as his fifth inning grounder drove in the game wining run when Herbert Taitingfong zipped across home plate for the go ahead score.

Catcher Vicente Sablan shouldered most of the hitting duties with a double and an inside-the-park homerun to finish 2-for-3, while Josh Arriola went 1-for-3 when his fifth inning RBI single drove in Kenneth Taitingfong.