By Kyle Terwilliger
Variety News Staff

THE Giants would only need eight innings Sunday night as they defeated the Guam Shipyard Cougars 15-5. The Giants made the statement that they are in fact the team to beat in the Budweiser Baseball League by defeating the then first place Guam Greyhounds last week behind the pitching of Derwin Aguon, and now they completely demolished the Guam Shipyard Cougars who had their sights set on coming within a half game of first place.
The Giants would do it this time with their bats scoring runs in six of the eight innings that were played. The Giants would display an array of different hitting techniques from sacrifice flies to home runs to score runs for their winning pitcher Glen Palomo who would pitch all eight innings for the Giants giving up five runs on ten hits and four strikeouts. After a scoreless top half of the first inning the Giants would waste no time getting on the board.
Giants’ leftfielder would hit a double with one out, then reach third on a wild pitch and would then score on a fielding error by the Cougars’ shortstop Gerald Santos giving the Giants a one to nothing lead after one complete inning of play.
Glen Palomo would then retire the side in order in the top of the second setting the stage for his team in the bottom half. Jared Barcinas would lead off the bottom of the second with a double. He would then be followed by a single by Jesse Duenas to bring in Barcinas.
Giants’ center fielder Ernie Surber would then double to move Duenas to third. And with no outs and two on Giants’ right fielder Frank Duenas would blast a three run homerun over the left field wall to give the Giants a 5- 0 lead. The homerun would force the Cougars to make a pitching change bringing in Jerome Andrew who would eventually get out of the inning without giving up another run.
The third inning would belong to the Cougars who would score three runs. The inning would begin with a double by John Rick Mendiola who would then score on a single by Darryle Masnayon. Masnayon would then later be brought around on an RBI single by Felix Camacho. Camacho would then come around on an RBI single by Jim Quintanilla. The Giants would not add to their score in the bottom half of the inning bringing the score to 5-3 after three complete innings. Glen Palomo would then have a three up three down inning in the top of the fourth striking out both Roman Aguero and Darryle Masnayon for two of his four strikeouts in the game.
The Giants would add another two runs to their lead in the bottom half of the inning. Kurt Diaz would reach first on a hit by pitch followed by a single by Jared Palomo. Benji Pangelinan would also reach first on a hit by pitch loading the bases for Matt Muna. Muna would then also be hit by the pitch to give him an RBI. Jared Barcinas would then get an RBI on a fielder’s choice pushing the Giants’ lead to 7-3 after four innings.
Glen Palomo would pitch only five pitches in the top of the fifth getting Rick Cruz to ground into the 6-4-3 double play to end the top half of the inning.
The Giants’ would add another run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI fielder’s choice by Derwin Aguon scoring Ernie Surber. The sixth would go three up three down for both teams bringing the score to 8-3 after six complete innings. In the top of the seventh inning the Cougars would add two more runs on three hits. The inning would lead off with Roman Aguero drawing a walk and then being picked off on first.
John Rick Mendiola would then smash his second double of the night and would score on a fielder’s choice by Joel Sablan.
Sablan would then score on an RBI single by Rick Cruz bringing the score to a respectable 8 – 5 after six and a half innings of play. In the bottom of the seventh inning the Giants’ would explode for six runs on six hits. The inning would begin with a single by Jared Barcinas. Barcinas would then take second on a pass ball and Jesse Duenas would drive him home on an RBI single. Duenas would move to third on a double by Ernie Surber.
Ray Rojas who came in for Frank Duenas then hit a sacrifice fly to center field bringing in Jesse Duenas for the second run of the inning. After Kurt Diaz reached on error which also moved Ernie Surber to third, left fielder Jared Palomo would follow suit of his teammate earlier and would launch a three-run homerun over the leftfield wall.
Benji Pangelinan would then follow up with a double and would score on a double by Matt Muna and after seven innings of play the Giants were within one run of ending the game by mercy rule leading 14-5. Glen Palomo would waste no time in getting his team back to the plate by giving up only a single to Roman Aguero in the eight before shutting down the Cougars bottom half of the batting order.
As the eighth began the Cougars looked like they had some fight in them as new pitcher Jude Quichcho struck out Jesse Duenas for the first out. However Quichcho would then give up a single to Ernie Surber. He would hit Ray Rojas, walk Derwin Aguon and with one out and the bases loaded he would walk Kurt Diaz bringing in Ernie Surber for the Giants’ win moving them to 7-2 on the season and into first place.