
By Patrick Lujan
Franklin Ninete, Jr. switched schools last year from GW to FD with one goal in mind: win a championship.
This year’s league MVP came through on the big stage with a complete game on the mound, striking out 15 batters as the Friars edged out the tough Notre Dame Royals 4-3 Saturday night in the 2022 ISA Baseball League championship game.
“This is why I came to FD,” the junior pitcher said. “My team put in the work ever since December. We never took any team lightly and tonight showed our results.”
Ninete didn’t find his groove until midway through the game. He got into trouble in the top of the third as he walked two and gave up an infield single. ND’s Rick Leon Guerrero made him pay with a two-run double to give the Royals a 3-2 lead.
From that point on, Ninete was lights out as he struck out eight of the next nine batters and four of the last five he faced on the night.
“As they started making contact, that was it. I had to bring it. I didn’t expect that, but I had to bring it to them, too.”
The Royals’ lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the third, catcher Ayden Aguon delivered what would be the game-winning hit as his clean single past ND shortstop Dominic Cruz, Jr. scored Sean Balauro and Ninete.
It was a pitching gem from then on as Ninete and ND’s Leon Guerrero were matching each other’s excellence. In fact, Leon Guerrero kept the high-powered Friar offense at bay, giving up only three hits and striking out 11 FD batters to go the distance himself.
ROYALS FIGHT
The Royals were never out of the game despite being severely compromised. Nolan Cruz, arguably their best player, couldn’t recover from a sprained ankle suffered in the semifinals on Wednesday and fellow stud Dominic Cruz, Jr. was in serious visible pain from a shoulder injury. Every time Dominic would make contact at the plate, he’d grimace in pain holding his left shoulder. His last at bat, he was forced to bat left handed to attempt to minimize the pain.
ND got on the board right away when sparkplug catcher Xavier Panes look the first pitch of the game to the gap in left center for a quick double. He’d score on a heads up play, catching the FD defense sleeping while on the base paths as he slid in for the game’s first score.
Panes had two of ND’s three hits, but it was the last at bat that he wished to get a hit as his pop up to short in the 7th inning ended the game.
It was also Ninete’s 123rd and final pitch of the night, an amount he didn’t realize he threw.
“I never threw this much, but anything for my team and anything to get this trophy.”
– Spider Jr. on throwing 123 pitches
The Friars are totally loaded for next season as they will be losing only Balauro to graduation. Everyone else is expected to return.
GECKOS TAKE 3rd
The GW Geckos took a wild and exciting consolation game 10-9 over the Southern Dolphins. The game went into two extra innings and took nearly four hours. That extra time delayed the 7 pm championship game back to 8:16 pm.
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GPS Sports Calendar
October 2023
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for September
30th
Events for October
2nd
ISA H.S CROSS COUNTRY
IIAAG M.S. GIRLS BASKETBALL
Events for October
3rd
IIAAG GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
IIAAG M.S. GIRLS BASKETBALL
Events for October
3rd
Events for October
5th
ISA H.S CROSS COUNTRY
ISA M.S. CROSS COUNTRY
IIAAG M.S. GIRLS BASKETBALL
ISA H.S. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Events for October
6th
IIAAG H.S. CROSS COUNTRY
IIAAG GIRLS VOLLEYBALL QUARTERFINALS
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Events for October
7th
ISA H.S. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Events for October
7th
Events for October
9th
ISA H.S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-ISLAND
IIAAG M.S. GIRLS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS
ISA M.S. BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
Events for October
12th
ISA M.S. CROSS COUNTRY ALL-ISLAND MEET
ISA H.S. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
IIAAG M.S. GIRLS BASKETBALL FINALS
Events for October
13th
IIAAG H.S. CROSS COUNTRY ALL-ISLAND MEET
IIAAG GIRLS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
BRAWL 3
Events for October
14th
ISA H.S. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Events for October
14th
Events for October
15th
Events for October
17th
MEN’S SOCCER: GUAM V SINGAPORE
ISA H.S. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Events for October
17th
Events for October
20th
IIAAG GIRLS VOLLEYBALL ALL-ISLAND MEETING
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Events for October
21st
ISA H.S. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Events for October
21st
Events for October
22nd
Events for October
24th
Events for October
28th
ISA H.S. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Events for October
29th
I MAS METGOT COMPETITION (GUAM’S STRONGEST MAN & WOMAN)
Events for October
29th

Basketball
FUETSA SNAPS BOMBERS’ 41-GAME WIN STREAK

MMA/Boxing
BRAWL 3 TO PACK A PUNCH WITH LOADED CARD
COMING SOON …
- High school girls volleyball playoffs
- Brawl 3: Oct 13
- Guam’s Strongest Man and Woman Competition October 29