THE Pirates secured back-to-back championship titles on Wednesday night after showcasing a baseball clinic against the Brewers, 47-12, in game 2 of the best-of-three championship series of the 2024 SBL Masters League at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.
The action began right from the start with the Pirates hauling in several runs.
Eric Palacios and Mark Toves opened the batting lineup by capitalizing on the pitcher’s inaccuracy. During the next play, they advanced further with stolen bases. The pair then made their way home safely, with Palacios scoring off an error and Toves aided by Pete Sablan’s sacrifice play.
Derek Sasamoto joined the highlight reel with an RBI double and was brought home by Jerry Deleon Guerrero’s single before the Pirates were handed three outs.
In the bottom half, the Brewers started to cook, fueled by RBI doubles from John Taitano, Manny Sablan, and Frank Robert, followed by a couple of runs scored off errors. First at bat, Jerome Delos Santos connected for a triple and was brought home by Hector Efraim’s sacrifice fly, bringing the total to nine runs as the Brewers snatched control after one complete inning.
Despite the Brewers’ high-scoring start, they lacked the same energy on the defensive end, which allowed the Pirates to bounce back in the following inning. Thanks to the Brewers’ errors and RBI singles by Pete Tomokane and Joe Torres, the Pirates scored six runs to cut the Brewers’ lead.
Although the Brewers managed to step up their defensive game in the top of the third, they scored only one run in the bottom half.
In the fourth inning, fatigue began to set in for the Brewers. Even with a couple of pitching changes, it wasn’t enough to stop the Pirates from stealing the spotlight as they regained the upper hand with seven runs.
In the fifth inning, the Pirates added seven more runs against the Brewers, pushing their lead to a double-digit advantage.
The Pirates sealed the deal with a 17-run barrage in the top of the sixth, followed by six more in the seventh and final inning, while the Brewers had no answer and had to settle for defeat, 47-12.
Jay Kintol, the Pirates’ manager, said, “It feels good. We knew coming into the season that the targets were going to be on our back.”
The Pirates lost their first two games but went on to win the next 11.
The Pirates entered game 2 of the championship series with a shortage of pitchers, but their other pitchers stepped up, Delos Santos said.
“Derron Flores came through,” he added. “We wanted at least one or two innings from him, but he gave us six. It made our jobs a lot easier.”
Delos Santos thanked their sponsors, players, and fans who came out to every game to cheer for them. “It means a lot to us that they show up,” he added.
Delos Santos also noted that Game 2 was the highest-scoring game he has ever played.
The Pirates pose for a group photo as the back-to-back SBL Masters League champions at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Wednesday night.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
The Brewers pose with the second-place trophy.
Brewers’ pitcher Dennis Cabrera throws to first baseman Manny Sablan to pick off Pirates’ Audie Maratita in game 2 of the SBL Masters League championship series at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Wednesday night.
Pirates’ Derron Flores pitches against the Brewers during game 2 of the 2024 SBL Masters League championship series at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Wednesday night.
