Taotao Mona second baseman Brandon Lieto winds up to pick off a runner on first base during a game of the 2024 Budweiser BASA Open League at the Dandan softball field.
TAOTAO Mona are off to a strong restart, beating Team Luchan, 9-5, in the resumption of the 2024 Budweiser Belau Amateur Softball Association Open League at the Dandan softball field on Sunday.
Despite starting with an out, Team Luchan came out swinging and turned a negative into a triple positive with a run scored after three consecutive hits before closing the top of the first inning. The team also excelled on the defensive end as they allowed Taotao Mona only one hit before collecting three straight outs in the bottom half to remain ahead, 1-0.
But that was the end of Team Luchan’s time in the spotlight.
They failed to score in the top of the second inning while Taotao Mona notched five runs in the bottom half — highlighted by Mike Techur’s two-run homer — to snatch the lead, 5-1.
Both teams were unable to score throughout the next two innings.
However, Taotao Mona eventually regained their footing at the batter’s box in the bottom of the fifth inning with three runs led by Hank Reyes, who hit a solo homerun while Manny Sablan and Jaime Reyes earned an RBI single each to further stretch the deficit, 8-1.
In the top of the sixth inning, Team Luchan tried to cook up a rally with a run, but Taotao Mona returned the favor in the bottom half to maintain the distance, 9-2.
With only one more inning left, Team Luchan started to heat up and squeezed in three runs. However, with two outs already given, Toatao Mona collected the third and final out to prevent an upset and seal the deal, 9-5.
Joining the winner’s circle were Team Wazzup, which beat Saipal, 7-6; Pare Pack, which slipped past the Blue Jays, 8-7; Just4Fun, which bested the Aimeliik Bat Boys, 15-12; Red Torch, which outhustled the Bat Dat Azz Up, 10-4; and The Kliq, which trounced UR Balls, 19-5.
