By Nick Akimoto
In the matchup between the teams with the two best records in the league, the Father Duenas Friars came out with an 11-3 victory against the Southern High Dolphins at the Okkodo baseball field Tuesday night. The Friars finish the season with a perfect 7-0 record while securing themselves a semifinal spot in the postseason.
“All our hard work paid off throughout the season,” said FD first baseman, Franklin Ninete Jr.
Against an explosive Southern High team, the Friars locked up by efficiently fielding hits and converting them into outs. Despite the wet and windy conditions, FD was deliberate and focused on making as few defensive errors as possible. The Friars finish with 13 runs allowed all season, further demonstrating the emphasis FD places on their fielding.
“Everyday, we get our reps in and work to perfection,” said FD’s third baseman Zachary Muna on the Friars’ defensive mindset in practice.
Kaiden Weakley pitched a full seven innings on the mound in their victory and finished with 10 strikeouts on the night.
“I pitched 105 pitches, but I could go maybe one or two (more innings). All the hard work we put in is paying off, so we just gotta play hard and play us,” said Weakley on his performance and on FD’s playoff mindset.
The Friars were productive on the other side of the plate as well. After finding themselves down 1-0 after the first inning, the Friars stormed back putting up two runs in their next at bat. FD used that momentum for the rest of the game as they would go on a 9-2 run in the next five innings. Nearly the entire lineup either got on base or drove in a run, but Ayden Aguon had a particularly impressive day as he was just a home run shy of hitting for a cycle.
“It was okay. Starting to feel my swing more, but I’m gonna get that home run soon,” vowed Aguon with a smile.
Despite the loss, the Dolphins retain second place and sit at an impressive 5-2 to end the season. The squad displayed an explosive offense going into the playoffs, but they are not content to dwell in their regular season accomplishments. Southern High looks to improve as they move on to the postseason.
“Simple plays. We made a couple errors today, but we need to clean it up and get ready for playoffs,” said Dolphin pitcher Traven Pangelinan.
“We played hard today and we’re proud of ourselves, but we need to come back stronger.” said Dolphins’ shortstop Tim Tenorio.
In the second game, the Notre Dame Royals finished the regular season on a four-game win streak by beating the Tiyan Titans 7-3. The Royals and Dolphins both are at 5-2, but Southern won the head-to-head at the beginning of the season in a close 2-0 game.
FD, Southern and ND have secured their spots in the semifinals on Tues, Feb 28. The fourth and final seed is still up in the air.
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