By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
THE Fielders continued to improve their standing in the seniors division of Saipan Little League Inc. 2026 as they collected their sixth straight win against the Kagman Lions, 10-5, during a game held last Saturday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.
The ballgame started off evenly matched, with both teams giving up runs in the opening inning.
The Fielders’ offense opened the top half with aggressive baserunning that caught the Lions off guard, allowing the first two at-batters, Roque Pangelinan and Leighton Tenorio, to steal bases at will and score two consecutive runs off errors to grab the early advantage.
In the bottom half, the Lions nearly mimicked the Fielders’ initial play as they earned a solo run from second batter Ethan Salalila, who rounded the bases thanks to an error in center field to close the gap.
During the second inning, the Lions managed to tighten their defense and found success as they held down the Fielders. Riding the momentum, Anthony Camacho capitalized on a scoring opportunity with a sacrifice play that brought in Carl Hocog to tie the game while earning an RBI along the way, 2-2.
After a scoreless third inning, however, the Fielders reestablished control of the tempo as Jesus Santos, David Camacho, and Joel Cabrera provided the heavy hitting needed to break the game open, putting together a five-run rally with each earning an RBI. The Lions, although trailing, answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half, led by Salalila with an RBI to stay within reach, 7-5.
Despite the Lions’ efforts, their early resilience eventually faded down the stretch as they were held scoreless over the next two innings. The Fielders, however, remained disciplined at the plate as Tyrese Monkeya and Pangelinan brought in two runners in the top of the fifth inning, while Cabrera followed with an RBI double in the sixth to seal the 10-5 victory.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
