Sliding Dirty players pose for a group photo with the women’s division championship trophy of the 1st CNMI Labor Day Tournament during the Labor Day weekend at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.
“IT isn’t over till it’s over” is a saying that was proven true by the underdogs, Sliding Dirty, as they battled Lady Sufa twice to win the women’s division championship of the 1st CNMI Labor Day Tournament, which concluded Sunday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.
In the first game of the championship series, Sliding Dirty pummeled Lady Sufa, 14-5.
Sliding Dirty came in swinging with a handful of runs in the top of the first inning. Rayna Deleon Guerrero acted as the spark plug by hitting a triple and was later brought home by the next batter, Kiana Camacho, who earned an RBI single. Four more runs followed with Tiah Camacho contributing a two-RBI single while teammates Ashlie Aguon and Lizann Deleon Guerrero had an RBI single each to give their team the lead, 5-0.
After Lady Sufa failed to score during their turn at bat, Sliding Dirty picked up where they left off, squeezing four more runs to further extend the deficit, 9-0.
Lady Sufa finally broke the silence in the bottom of the second inning with two runs, thanks to Evita Maratita and Jen who each earned an RBI single. But it was quickly answered in the top of the third with four runs that were unleashed by Sliding Dirty’s Rayna Deleon Guerrero’s two-RBI triple to give her team a comfortable lead, 13-2.
Although Lady Sufa improved their defense, allowing only one more run to slip by in the top of the sixth inning, they failed to cut down the deficit with only two runs scored in the bottom of the fifth and seventh, and had to accept defeat at the hands of Sliding Dirty, 5-14, forcing a second game to determine the championship.
Game 2
Sliding Dirty continued to ride the momentum in game 2 as they quickly established dominance with four runs scored in the bottom of the opening inning. Lady Sufa retaliated in the top of the second with three runs but Sliding Dirty scored a run in the bottom of the third to maintain the gap, 5-3.
The Lady Sufa players pose for a group photo with the women’s division second-place trophy of the 1st CNMI Labor Day Tournament during the Labor Day weekend at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.
In the fifth inning, Sliding Dirty seemed to have the win in the palm of their hands as they stretched the lead 9-4 with four more runs while Lady Sufa could only score one.
However, Lady Sufa did not go down without a fight, delivering four runs in the top of the sixth inning. But Sliding Dirty answered back with one more run in the bottom half followed by three consecutive outs in the top of the seventh and final inning to seal the deal and bring home the women’s division title.
Thank you sponsors
Tournament organizers thanked the following for their sponsorship and support: Rep Malcom Omar, MarPac and Guy Pudney, Senate President Edith DeLeon Guerrero, Taste Town (Laurese Kileleman Mettao), John Oliver Gonzales, Kimberlyn King-Hinds, Saipan Mayor’s Office, Vinnie Sablan, Saipan Shipping Co., Juan Santiago, Melissa Litulimar and company, Cathy Salas and company, Rep. BJ Attao, Rep. Ralph Yumul, Rep. John Paul Sablan, Rep. Manny Gregory Castro, Rep. Diego Camacho, House Speaker Edmund Villagomez, Rep. Patrick San Nicolas, Rep. Angelo Camacho, Juan and Lucy Aldan, Rep. Marissa Flores, Rep. Denita Yangetmai, Vice Speaker Joel Camacho, Stormy Salas, Tracy Del Rosario, and Rose Del Rosario.
