By Kyle Terwilliger
Variety News Staff

SUNDAY night was the setting for the showdown between the top two teams in the Budweiser Baseball League squared off for the sole possession of first place. The 5-1 Guam Greyhounds would face the 5-2 Pepsi Giants at Paseo Stadium.
The Greyhounds would send JP Aguon to the mound to face Giants’ pitcher Derwin Aguon. And it would be a pitchers duel, as both pitchers started the game phenomenally. JP Aguon would four complete innings without giving up a hit. Derwin Aguon would start a little shakier but would quickly settle down.
In the bottom of the first after Joey Taijeron reached first after Derwin Aguon hit him with a pitch, the Greyhounds’ shortstop JT Tuquero would get the only hit for the Greyhounds against Derwin Aguon and would bring in Pangelinan on a single to right field.
Derwin Aguon however, would settle down and then rack up six strikeouts on the night and would only walk two to take the win and move his team a half game into first place over the Greyhounds. Derwin would give the credit to his team’s ability to hit and play defense behind him. “My defense and our offense really stepped up for me, defense wins games,” Derwin would later say after the game. “It feels good to be in first, we all wanted it,” he would say about being in sole possession of the top spot in the standings.
The Giants’ offense would step up in the top of the fifth inning scoring their first run of the game after Matt Muna reached first on an error and later came around to score on a Kurt Diaz single to right field tying the game up at one a piece after five whole innings. The sixth inning would be the last inning that JP Aguon would see. The Giants’ would score two more runs off of JP Aguon in the top of the sixth on three straight hits. With two outs catcher Benji Pangelinan would begin the two out rally with a triple to right center, he would then be brought home on a double to left field by Jared Palomo.
Palomo would then score on a single to right by Matt Muna giving the Giants a three to one lead after six and a half innings. The Giants’ would then add another run in the top of the sev enth against relief pitcher Tony Yatar.
Giants’ centerfielder Ernie Surber would single to right with one out and would later score on an RBI single by Jesse Duenas giving the Giants’ the final score of 4-1. The win now moves the Pepsi Giants to 6-2 on the season and the Guam Greyhounds drop to 5-2 and a three way tie for second place