The Man Amigos pose with the 2023 Budweiser Belau Amateur Softball Association Softball League trophy after defeating Peleliu in a best-of-three series on Sunday at the Dandan baseball field.
THE Man Amigos triumphed over Peleliu in a best-of-three series to win the 2023 Budweiser Belau Amateur Association Softball League championship Sunday at the Dandan baseball field.
In game 1, the Man Amigos pummeled Peleliu, 27-9.
The Man Amigos drew blood in the second inning after Jess Guerrero and Kent Kalen ignited a run with RBI singles while Derron Flores notched a two-RBI double followed by two more runs delivered by James Fleming and Vinnie Sablan to give their team the lead, 6-0.
Their lead only grew larger in the top of the third as the Man Amigos’ Manny Sablan and Joey Dela Cruz hit solo homers while Jess Guerrero connected a three-run homer for an 11-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, the Man Amigos added three more runs, but Peleliu finally scored aided by Mark Flores’ RBI.
Peleliu bagged four more runs in the sixth and seventh innings, but the Man Amigos were unstoppable, scoring 13 additional runs to bag game one, 27-9.
Game 2
Undeterred, Peleliu performed steadily in game two to beat the Man Amigos, 19-14.
It was Peleliu’s strong start that set the tone with Alvin Salas sending the ball out of the park for a three-run homer. In the second inning, Peleliu scored seven more runs for a 12-1 lead.
Midway through the game, the Man Amigos found their spark with six runs in the third and three more in the fifth while Peleliu bagged four runs.
But Peleliu remained headstrong with three more runs in the seventh and final inning while holding down the Man Amigos to four runs to grasp victory, 19-14.
Game 3
In the final game of the series, the Man Amigos came out with guns ablazing, scoring 18 runs in the first inning alone en route to an emphatic 36-8 victory.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Man Amigos coach Derron Flores.
He noted that two years ago, Peleliu beat them in the championship series by winning game 2 and finishing strong in game 3.
After this year’s game 2, Flores said he told himself: “Oh man, I hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Fortunately, he said, his team stayed hydrated and focused. “And we got the win, 36-8. We can’t ask for more than that. Everybody put their hearts to it. The better team came out victorious today.”
Flores added, “We appreciate this league, Marpac and all the sponsors and organizers and all the teams as well as the players’ wives and better halves out there. We will try and come back strong next year!”
