The umpire calls safe as the Dodgers’ Ed Manibusan touches home to score a run during an opening game against the Pirates in the 2024 SBL Masters League at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Wednesday.
The Pirates’ first baseman, Jerry Guerrero, secures the grounder as the Dodgers’ John Acosta races to first base during an opening game of the 2024 SBL Masters League at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.
THE Dodgers narrowly escaped the clutches of the Pirates, 8-7, in the opening game of the 2024 SBL Master’s League at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Wednesday.
Right off the bat, spectators were already on their toes as the action quickly intensified in the opening inning.
The Pirates’ first at bat, John Reyes, caused havoc from the infield as he capitalized off the Dodgers’ errors. Although the Dodgers outed the next two batters, Reyes stole second base and reached home safely off an error.
The Pirates continued the forward pressure by adding another run in the top of the second inning with Bal Maratita connecting a single, which brought in Eric Palacios for an RBI to extend their lead, 2-0.
Despite their strong start, however, the Pirates lost their touch in the bottom half, allowing the Dodgers to cook up a rally.
After walking the first two batters, the Pirates made a pitching change from JJ Laniyo to Peter “Dung” Tenorio, but it had little to no effect as the Dodgers eventually loaded the bases. Nick Reyes then turned a single into two RBIs while teammates Geoffrey Cruz, Rob Bansil and Glenn Camacho earned an RBI single each to seize the lead, 5-2.
The Dodgers carried the momentum to the third inning with three consecutive outs highlighted by two 6-3 plays by shortstop Derek Aguon. They also added a solo run in the bottom half to further stretch the gap, 6-2.
The Pirates answered with a run in the fifth inning, but the Dodgers scored two runs in the sixth and seventh to maintain a comfortable distance, 8-3.
In the bottom of the seventh and final inning, the Dodgers fell into a defensive drought. The Pirates scored four runs and were on the verge of tying the score when the Dodgers bagged the two remaining outs to seal the deal, 8-7.
