CARDINALS HAND AMIGOS 1st LOSS

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By Regina Shiroma

Cardinals pitcher Gerimiah Pecina pitched five strikeouts in the win. (photo by Errol Alegre Jr.)

The Agat Cardinals set out to earn a win against the top team of the Guam Amateur Baseball Latte Spring League. And so they did. The Cardinals shocked the undefeated Chalan Pago Amigos with a 10-7 win Monday night at Okkodo in a make-up game a week before playoffs. The game was called to a close at the top of the sixth due to the two-hour and fifteen minute time limit.

The Cardinals were led by winning pitcher Geremiah Pecina who pitched all six innings and recorded five strikeouts.

“Good job for my team. They did it; I couldn’t do it by myself,” said Pecina about his team’s win.

The Cardinals played catch-up as they were down 4-0 after the Amigos jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first. The Cardinals answered back with three runs in the bottom of the first to close-in on the Amigos.

The Cardinals stepped up their defense only allowing the Amigos one run and recorded a total of five runs of their own to take the 8-5 lead by the end of the second. Latte All-Star game MVP Dave Pecha hit a two RBI double for the Cardinals to bring home Jason Castaneda and Justin Candoleta. Next batter up Roy Gamboa brought in another two runners, Cisco Aguigui and Pecha, to put the Cardinals in the lead for the first time.

The Cardinals went on to score two more runs in the fourth and fifth innings to ensure the win. The Amigos tried to rally back in their final inning of play; however, they could not gather enough runs to take the ball game.

Coming off a big win in their last game of the season, the Cardinals have more confidence going into the playoffs—and bragging rights too.

Pecina and the Cardinals will walk into the playoffs with their heads a little bit higher and an extra spring in their step, “Hopefullly we can go on top and win.”

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