By Jonathan V. Perez
Variety News Staff

JOSH Dela Cruz and Jesse Iguel became the defending champion Pirates’ Batman and Robin tandem Wednesday night.
Dela Cruz pitched a complete game while Jesse Iguel let his bat do the talking to lead the Pirates to an 8-1 victory over the pennant champion Hustlers in Game 2 of the best-of-five title series in the SML’s Fall League at the Francisco M. Palacios Ballfield.
Dela Cruz did a solid piece of work on the mound limiting the Hustlers to three hits while striking out five and walking two batters in nine innings of no relief.
AJ Allen and Pat Alepuyo managed to sneak in a hit against the almost un-hittable Dela Cruz. Allen had two hits, both singles.
The rest of the Hustlers, who posted a .262 batting average against the Pirates in the regular season, got on base either through a walk, an error or because hit by a pitch. The Pirates committed four errors in the game.
With Dela Cruz doing his job on the mound, Iguel did his share at the plate.
Center fielder Iguel went 4-for-5 with two doubles, scoring three runs and getting one RBI. He also did his part on the defensive side catching two fly balls.
Ray Dela Cruz, who struck out in the first inning went 2-for-3 and batted in three runs.
Three doubles by BJ Seman, JP Sablan and Tom Dela Cruz highlighted a five-run fifth inning as the Pirates turned a 3-0 lead to an 8-0 advantage.
Seman and Sablan had consecutive doubles and they where driven in by Tom Dela Cruz, who later scored on an Iguel single.
Dane Lizama, who had walked, avoided a shutout for the Hustlers when he scored on a throwing error by Pirates catcher Ray Dela Cruz.
More importantly, the Pirates regained their confidence with the win. The Hustlers swept the Pirates in the three games they played in the regular season. Two of those games were decided by one run.
The first time the two teams met, the Hustlers pulled off a 10-9 triumph on Oct. 9 and followed that up with an 8-3 win a few weeks later. The Hustlers completed the three-game sweep with a 7-6 decision on Dec. 1.
The Hustlers won Game 1, 6-2, behind timely hits made by Dane Lizama and Jerome Delos Santos, and the steady pitching of Phil Manalo.
Lizama went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI while Delos Santos, 2-for-3, had a double, a triple, two runs and two RBIs.
Manalo went the distance allowing the Pirates six hits with two strikeouts and giving up three walks.
The Summer/Fall League started in 1999 as a developmental league for players under 25.
Last year the Pirates foiled the Hustlers’ bid to win a third title by scoring a 7-6 win to wrap up the best-of-five championship series, 3-1, and regain the crown they last won in 2003.
The Pirates were champions from 2000 to 2003 before being overthrown by the Hustlers in 2004.