By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

DEFENDING champions the Budweiser Kings were merciless against the Korean Jaguars posting a dominating 36-0 win in the 2007 Budweiser Saipan Major League baseball tournament last Friday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield.
Shortstop Jerome Delos Santos led the Bud Kings second victory in as many games, as he made the first cycle of the season. Santos, who went 4-for-5 at the plate, also had three runs and two RBIs.
B. Kaipat was 3-for-5 with four runs, two singles, a double and two walks.
Ed Manibusan went 2-for-6 with six runs, two singles, two walks and three RBIs.
Timo Mafnas pitched for the Bud Kings in no relief in five innings and had 12 strikeouts. He allowed only one hit at the bottom of the fourth inning and four walks.
The Bud Kings took a commanding 8-0 lead at the end of the first inning with the defending champions scoring one run after another.
The Jaguars were at bat at the bottom of the first and had a chance to score with Lee Jae Whang on second base and leadoff batter Lee Su Sung on third, but, Mafnas struck out the Jaguars’ next three batters.
The Bud Kings slowed down a bit in the second inning scoring only three runs at the bottom of the third. But the Jaguars failed to make any headway, as Mafnas struck out the Jaguars leadoff batter at the bottom of the second Lee Jae Sung.
Mafnas walked second batter David Litulor, who advanced to second on a catcher error and then stole third base. But Litulor failed to reach home when Mafnas struck the Jaguars’ next two batters.
Leading 11-0 after two innings, the Kings never looked back with Mafnas posting seven more strikeouts in the last five innings and Delos Santos leading the defending champions’ offense.
The loss was the Jaguars second in as many games. They also suffered a big defeat against the Masters, who nailed a 29-2 victory last Monday.