By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
FOR the third consecutive year, the boys middle school division throne remains in the north as Tanapag Middle School defeated Hopwood Middle School, 19–8, in the championship game of the PSS-NMISA Interscholastic Fastpitch Softball League SY25–26 on Saturday at the Dandan Ballfield.
TMS entered the matchup as the No. 1 seed with a near-perfect 6–1 regular-season record and played with the confidence of an undefeated juggernaut.
Both teams battled through the first two innings, with neither side able to get a runner around the bases. The momentum shifted in the third inning.
TMS’s lineup proved relentless, consistently finding gaps and capitalizing on pitching struggles from HMS. After Hopwood picked off the first batter, Dayton Marchadesch and Jesus San Nicolas each singled and were later driven home by Aiden Lizama’s three-run in-the-park home run.
The scoring spree continued as HMS walked the next two batters, who were brought home by another in-the-park home run from Omar Ibarola. Three more runs followed before Hopwood stopped the bleeding, trailing 9–0.
HMS responded in the bottom of the third inning with two runs, then added three more in the fourth when Kaizaeah Remoket connected for a triple that cleared the bases, cutting the deficit to 9–5 while keeping TMS scoreless.
After a scoreless fifth inning, TMS regained momentum in the top of the sixth. Aiden Lizama sparked the rally with his second three-run in-the-park home run, followed by a solo in-the-park home run by Kayden Lizama. Ibarola and Andrew Magofna each added in-the-park home runs as TMS plated 10 runs in the inning.
With the 10-run mercy rule in effect, HMS needed five runs to extend the game and nearly did so, scoring three. However, TMS shut the door by recording a strikeout, a pickoff, and a flyout to end the game, sealing the 19–8 victory and securing the boys middle school championship title for the third straight season.
TMS head coach Adam Salalila said the team focused on a “one-strike” approach to help players find their timing at the plate.
“That was really the game plan,” Salalila said. “They’re kids, so they’re going to try to do their own thing before they follow it. That’s why we struggled early, but we got it back.”
Salalila noted that the team’s postseason run was nearly derailed not by opponents, but by academics, emphasizing that students come first in his program through progress reports and tutoring to ensure eligibility.
TMS’s toughest regular-season test came against Dandan Middle School, which handed them their only loss. While Salalila expected a rematch in the finals, Hopwood advanced with a playoff upset to set up the championship bout.
With the win, TMS improved to 3–0 in championship games against Hopwood over the last three seasons. The three-peat came amid a rebuilding year after the team lost 11 players to high school, prompting the coaching staff to recruit athletes from the school’s basketball and soccer programs.
“This game is very random. Nobody is guaranteed,” Salalila said. “Everybody has a chance, even if it’s the smallest one.”
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.
