THE Defending Champions D-9er’s are finally displaying the trait that garnered them the 2001 Saipan Softball Association Men’s Fastpitch League championship bagging game one of the best-of-three play-off series, 19-2, last Friday over Team Verizon placing them a game away from advancing to the championship.
Both the D-9er’s and Team Verizon placed third and fourth respectively in the regular season behind the pennant champions NMC Proa and runner-up Team Mauleg who will be facing each other in the other play-off match-up with the winners advancing to the championship.
The D-9er’s jump start with five runs in the bottom of the first inning, and extended that lead to, 11-0, with six more in the bottom of the second. Greg C. Camacho led the assault driving in two runs and Gerald Guerrero, Dante Sablan, and Bob Guerrero each scored twice, before Verizon then got on the scoreboard with two runs in the top of the third.
Camacho’s three-run blast in the bottom of the fourth inning again lead the D-9er’s assault scoring the last eight runs of the game with five in the third and three in the fourth for the shut-out. Jess Manibusan went the distance for the D-9er’s giving up just five hits for the win.
