TRIDENTS HARD-LUCK LOSS TO KINGS

PRESS RELEASE – Some strange omens were present on Sunday at the Triple J Baseball Complex at Okkodo High School as the Kings and Tridents took the field for the championship game of the Guam Amateur Baseball League. The first bad omen was that the semi-final game that the Kings defeated Homeplate 14-4 to advance to the championship, started an hour late due to only one umpire showing up for the game. The championship game could not start until 3:45 pm instead of the scheduled 3 pm and that extra 45 minutes would end the championship early and a Trident standing 90 feet from home-plate to tie the game.

The game started well for the UOG Tridents, the University of Guam club baseball team. The team took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when leadoff batter Calahan Kirkland singled to open the game, Jathan Muna-Barnes followed with a single as well which advanced Kirkland to 3rd base. Kirkland would score on a groundout by Dominic Pangelinan and Muna-Barnes would score on a double by Pat Muna. 

This would be all the scoring in the first 5 innings of the game, as Rico Seman for the Tridents pitched a 3 hitter through 5 innings with 5 strikeouts and the Kings pitchers of Franklin Ninete Jr. and Arren Yatar would hold the game at 2-0.

But as another omen was present, a big rainbow was seen over the field, and the rains began in the bottom of the 6th inning, the Kings would strike for 3 runs as the first 3 Kings batters in the inning would reach base by two singles and one hit batsman. Calahan Kirkland would come into the game to pitch for UOG and would give up a sacrifice fly to Athan Yatar to make 2-1 and then a single by Javier Concepcion would make it 2-2 and then a ground out by Javen Pangelinan would give the Kings their lead at 3-2. A final flyout would end the inning as the rain got worse and darkness was settling in.

The Tritons would start to bat in the top of the 7th, Rico Semen would strikeout, but Calahan Kirkland would reach base on a walk and then steal 2nd base. Jathan Muna-Barnes would send a fly ball to right center that the Kings centerfield dropped and UOG would have runners on 1st and 3rd with one out, but the umpires sent the teams to the dugouts in the hard rain and would call the game 5 minutes later due to the rain and darkness and the Kings would win the game 3-2.

The Kings finished the season with a perfect record of 11-0 while UOG was 7-5 for the season and has finished 2nd the Amateur League for two seasons in a row.

The Tridents/or hopefully the Tritons, will host their own tournament in late January/early February when the site and the teams are determined.