Recap
In the opening game of Sunday’s finals, the offenses of the Mellieha Northenders and the Sliema Patriots were firing on all cylinders. Both teams started off with a big 5-run first inning highlighted by a 3-run inside-the-park home run to left field from Mellieha’s Matheus Konno. Solid defense from Mellieha and Sliema kept the game close in subsequent innings. Jorge Acosta gave the Patriots a slim lead with an RBI double to right field in the 4th inning.
Mellieha erupted for 5 runs in the next inning, as with Michael Bartolo on base, Masashi Suzuki hit a 2-run inside-the-park home run to left center field for the lead. The Patriots, down by 2 runs, responded immediately. Anderson Nuñez and Fernando Berroterán hit a single each to set up the table for Richard Avilez. Avilez proceeded to hit a line drive to right field for a 3-run inside-the-park homerun to retake the lead late in the game.
Looking for an important insurance run, Alvin Barroso of the Patriots connected for a deep home run to left field in the 7th inning to seal the 16-14 win for the Patriots.