Tokahao players pose with the championship trophy during the awards ceremony of the 2022 Budweiser Belau Amateur Softball League Sunday at the Dandan baseball field.
Tokahao shortstop Jerome Delos Santos throws to second base for the out during the championship game of the 2022 Budweiser Belau Amatuer Softball League Sunday at the Dandan baseball field.
TOKAHAO won two consecutive games in the best-of-three championship series against Hagu Lamun to claim the men’s division title of the 2022 Budweiser Belau Amateur Softball League on Sunday at the Dandan baseball field.
Game 1 had both teams battling for the lead throughout all seven innings.
Hagu Lamun managed to draw first blood in the opening inning as Tim Wesley took advantage of a defensive error to slip past home base for a 1-0 lead.
But Tokahao retaliated with three straight runs. Clint Cruz, who was first at bat in the lineup, rounded the bases due to the opposing team’s errors while Jojo Attao and Marco Peter earned separate RBIs to give their team the lead, 3-1.
Although Tokahao added another run in the bottom of the second inning, Hagu Lamun bounced back in the top of the third with three runs, highlighted by Glen Camacho’s two-run homer to even the score, 4-4.
Hagu Lamun tried to solidify their lead by adding a run in the top of the fourth inning, but this was answered by Tokahao with four runs led by Robert Bansil’s two-RBI double to regain the upper hand, 8-5.
Despite Hagu Lamun’s effort to stay in the fight by scoring one run in the top of the fifth inning, Tokahao maintained control as no runs were made by both teams during the last two innings of the game, allowing Tokahao to seal the deal, 8-6.
Game two
In game two, Tokahao established control right off the bat with 11 runs in the first inning.
Hagu Lamun fought back, scoring six runs — three in the bottom of the first and three more in the bottom of the second — but Tokahao added five runs for a 16-6 spread.
Undeterred, Hagu Lamun notched five more runs, but Tokahao was just as relentless, scoring one run in the top of the fifth and six runs in the seventh and final inning to bag the win, 23-11, and the championship.
David Attao, Tokahao coach, team manager and player, expressed appreciation for the Belau Amateur Softball Association or BASA. “The season was very competitive and we appreciate the other teams,” he added.
Asked what their strategy was for the championship, he said, “We wanted to play hard and come out swinging strong while respecting every batter and the opposing team.”
He added, “I would like to thank BASA, the teams and players for giving us good health and allowing us to play every Sunday. These guys are clutch players so we practice once a week to prepare for the championship.”
