By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
THE Ol’Aces remain one of the dominant teams in the senior division of the 2026 season of Saipan Little League Inc. after displaying offensive firepower and disciplined baserunning to secure an 18-2 victory over the Comets in a seniors division game at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Saturday.
The opening inning saw both teams exchange swings and runs.
The Ol’Aces set the tone in the first inning when Hunter Dela Cruz drove in leadoff batter Tatum Jones with a sacrifice fly to plate the game’s first run. Another scoring opportunity was cut short, however, after a flyout to left field ended the inning with a runner stranded on third.
In the bottom half, the Comets responded by capitalizing on a series of walks and wild pitches. Kayren Cruz slipped across home plate, while Pualani Dela Cruz brought home Jeremiah Villagomez for an RBI, giving the Comets a 2-1 lead.
Despite the competitive opening frame, the Ol’Aces took control in the top of the second inning with a barrage of hits and runs. Taking advantage of pitching and infield errors, they strung together four consecutive runs, with Jesse Falig and Kainoa Tenorio collecting RBIs. The Comets attempted to contain the rally, but not before six additional runs crossed the plate. Payton Pangelinan and Jones each delivered two RBI singles to extend the lead to 11-2.
From there, the Comets struggled to generate offense and were held scoreless for the remainder of the game. While their defense showed slight improvement, they were unable to slow the Ol’Aces’ momentum. Choi Santos and Dylan Niric remained threats on the basepaths, each going 3-for-4 at the plate, as the Ol’Aces added seven more runs over the next three innings to seal the 18-2 blowout.
Winners, too
In the second seniors game, the Fielders defeated the Lions, 7-4.
In the juniors division, the Mariners eased past the Comets, 19-9.
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.
