THE Bears bagged their first win of the season by defeating the Orioles, 15-8, in the 2025 Saipan Baseball League at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Wednesday evening.
The first half of the ball game was a fairly even battle between the two teams.
The Orioles drew first blood in the top of the first inning, with Ryan Ada laying down a sacrifice hit to bring a runner home safely for an RBI. In the bottom half, the Bears returned the favor with a run off Jeremy Lizama’s RBI single, tying the game at 1-1.
In the next two innings, both teams displayed their defensive capabilities, with the Orioles allowing no hits while the Bears let one hit slip through, but no runs were scored.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Orioles aimed to control the tempo, capitalizing on the Bears’ mistakes with two runs scored off errors and another driven in by Edward Manibusan’s RBI double to take a 4-1 lead.
In the bottom half, the Orioles began to show signs of fatigue, and the Bears capitalized on the opportunity with a six-run rally — highlighted by Austin Hocog’s two-RBI single and Aurel Mendiola’s RBI single, with the other three runs scoring on errors — to snatch the upper hand, 7-4.
After a scoreless fifth inning, the Orioles notched four runs in the top of the sixth. However, they lost their composure in the bottom half, allowing three runs to score on errors and five more to come in — three of which were driven in by Henry Lizama’s three-RBI single — as the Bears retained the lead, 15-8.
The Orioles had one last chance for a comeback in the top of the seventh and final inning, but the Bears shut the door, recording the three outs needed with runners stranded on the corners to secure the victory.
The Orioles’ Bob Coldeen Jr. reaches to catch the ball in a pickoff attempt as the Bears’ Aurel Mendiola slides home to score a run during a Saipan Baseball League game at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Wednesday night.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
The Orioles’ Bob Coldeen Jr. pitches against the Bears during a 2025 Saipan Baseball League game at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Wednesday evening.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
