THE Padres trounced the D-9’ers, 26-12, in the 2025 Saipan Baseball League at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Friday.
The Padres quickly took control of the game in the opening inning, starting with a defensive highlight on the infield that kept the D-9’ers hitless. They carried that momentum into the bottom half of the inning, capitalizing on a combination of timely hits and unforced errors by the D-9’ers to score eight runs. Darrion Jones led the charge with a two-RBI single, while Tony Salas, Ben Flores, and Kyle Hocog each added an RBI single to give the Padres a commanding 8-0 lead.
The D-9’ers seemed to shake off the jitters in the top of the second inning, as their first two batters, John Benavente and John Cabrera, reached third and second base, creating a scoring opportunity. However, the Padres shut them down with back-to-back strikeouts followed by a 6-3 groundout.
In the bottom half, the Padres continued their efficient play, scoring three more runs off errors to extend the lead to 11-0 — enforcing the 10-run mercy rule.
But the D-9’ers seemed to thrive under pressure, finally breaking their scoring silence in the top of the third inning with three runs — highlighted by John Benavente’s two-RBI double. The Padres responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half to maintain a 13-3 lead, though the D-9’ers managed to stay in the game.
In the top of the fourth inning, fatigue began to set in for the Padres — and so did the errors. The D-9’ers capitalized, scoring five runs, including a three-RBI double by Raymond Quitano and an RBI single by Randy Tudela Jr., pulling off a nine-run rally to close the gap to 13-12.
However, the D-9’ers failed to sustain their momentum on offense and committed several costly errors, allowing the Padres to erupt for a 13-run rally and reclaim a double-digit lead, 26-12.
The D-9’ers had one last chance to stay in the game, but they came up short and had to settle for defeat.
Padres’ Ben Flores swings during a 2025 Saipan Baseball League game at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
Padres’ shortstop Ton Salas throws the ball back to the infield after a successful pickoff during a 2025 Saipan Baseball League game at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
