By James Sablan
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
THE Mariners remain one of the top contenders in the juniors division of the 2026 Saipan Little League Inc. after defeating the Comets, 13-5, in a game held last Saturday at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Pangelinan Ballfield.
The Mariners set the tone early in the top of the first inning, opening with three runs ignited by Izaiah Haro, who earned an RBI single, while the other two runs were scored off errors. In the bottom half, the Comets also got off to a solid start, responding with an RBI single by Oswald Villagomez to keep the game close, 3-1.
Despite the fairly even start, the Mariners quickly reestablished control of the pace. Led by Juan Damien’s RBI single, along with a series of runs capitalized on infield errors, five more runs were added in the top of the second inning while the Comets were silenced with three swift outs, extending the deficit to 8-1.
The Comets managed to tighten their defensive coverage, and it seemed to work as they prevented any runs from scoring in the top of the third and added a solo run in the bottom half to trim the deficit, 8-2.
Unfortunately, their defensive efforts were short-lived as the Mariners put together a mid-game surge, with one run in the fourth as Tim Galvin recorded an RBI single, followed by three more runs in the fifth, highlighted by John Fred’s RBI single to put the game further out of reach, 12-2.
The Comets continued to put up a fight, scoring a run in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the sixth. However, it was still not enough to spark a comeback as Mariners’ Haro rounded the bases on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh and final inning to seal the 13-5 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.
