SOFTBALL COMES UP BIG OVER PALAU 11-4

It was supposed to be Rest Day in Palau for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, but because of all the rain this past week, some rescheduled games had to be squeezed into Sunday.

One of them was the big Guam/Palau matchup in women’s softball, where both teams came into the game at 3-1 in pool play with the winner virtually getting a grip on a spot in the gold medal match.

Guam came up with a huge 11-4 win over the home team to improve to 4-1. A win on Monday against the CNMI (1-4) would put them in the gold medal game on Tuesday at 2 pm.

“The anticipation towards the game was real, with the rain delays, to being postponed it can really mess with you mentally. But we stayed focused and we were able to come out with the win,” said shortstop Colleen Quinata.

Guam scored in every inning against Palau, including a big four-run 4th inning that saw Guam take the lead for good after trailing 4-2. Colleen Quinata and Tamisha Fejeran – Guam’s top of the lineup – came up with huge RBI doubles in that inning the highlight the game.

The Quinata sisters led the offense again with Colleen going 2-for-3 and scoring three runs, while sister Samantha went 3-for-4 to up her tournament average to .556.

Meagan Maratita went the distance once again in the circle. She slightly struggled in the 3rd inning, giving up three runs on three singles and a walk. Other than that, Maratita showed why she’s Guam’s ace by going the distance with five strikeouts.

“Starting off pitching, I knew I wasn’t doing the best but I continued to push through because my team needed me,” Maratita said. “I have a lot of trust with the women on this team that I know they have my back whether it’s on defense, offense, or cheering on the bench. It’s always a team win but we take it with humility and move on to your next challenge.”

A win Monday against CNMI will put the squad into the gold medal game on Tuesday afternoon.

“After many rain delays pushing games back, we were just hungry for it. We knew what needed to be done, we let our gloves and sticks talk for us and left it all on the field. We have one more game ahead of us to get to medal rounds and that’s our mission. It really all comes down to how we perform as a team and how bad we want it,” said Zaeyah Tajalle.

DOWN THE STRETCH

With only three days of competition to go, Guam looks to add some golden moments.

• Defending triathlon champion Manami Iijima is the favored to win the women’s event Monday morning.
• Distance runner Hugh Kent looks for the 5000m gold on Monday at 6 pm.
• The beach volleyball duo of Austia Mendiola/Kirsten Serrano play a tough Vanuatu team in the semifinals Monday night at 7 pm.