Lady Ayuyus clinch fastpitch title over Lady Dolphins

The east side lady sluggers from Kagman High School brought the heat in their championship showdown against Marianas High School, locking in the title in the inaugural PSS-NMISA Girls High School Fastpitch Softball League 2024-2025. With the sun blazing high above the Capital Hill Softball Field last Saturday, the Lady Ayuyus fired past the Lady Dolphins, 22-2.

After MHS upset Saipan Southern High School in the semis, they went up against a championship-hungry Kagman team. While they had put up a great fight against the Lady Manta Rays, the Lady Ayuyus had their eyes on the prize—and it showed from the start.

Kagman’s ace Jayda Norita struck out five batters by the end of the third inning, and on the offensive side, the Lady Ayuyus lit it up with 15 runs, including seven in the third inning alone. That stretch featured a base-clearing home run from Jewel Malwelbug.

The Lady Dolphins needed to get on the board to keep the game alive, and they managed to do just that in the fourth inning, thanks to runs from Shaena Yamada and Paulette Somol. But KHS could already taste victory. Their bats stayed hot, and by the time the dust settled, they had added seven more runs in the final inning to seal the 22-2 win.

KHS’ roster included Norita, Malwelbug, Diandra Adelbai, Marlaina Benjamin, Wynona Blas, Nevaeh Camacho, Kysha Kileleman, Shamae Kileleman, Pia Ngewakl, Lena Ngiraked, Lyandra Ngiraked, Hayden Norita, Amaya Ogumoro-Uludong, Wylynn Pua, Rayven Quitano and Ry'ahna Quitano. Their head coach was Jerome Taisacan while assistant coaches were Elizabeth Basa, Kennedy Benjamin, and Aling Ogumoro.

For coach Taisacan, he said the championship win is a long time coming as they fell short of the final round in last season’s slow pitch league. “We’ve been waiting for this day and after all the hard work, the effort, and the commitment and time—everything that was put in, I’m glad we got it done.”

As for what’s different this year with their undefeated season, he said, “I told the girls, ‘one day at a time. Let’s not get over our heads and focus on the moment, and communication is key.’”

There are five seniors in the team and Taisacan said, “What a way to end their school year with the championship.”

He then said of fastpitch back in the schools, “We still have a lot to improve on but I’m glad we’re back, because the last time we had fastpitch was 10 years ago.”

KHS’ ace Norita said of winning the championship, “It feels good. We put in a lot of work and it feels good for it to pay off.” As the ace of the team who carried their team to the title, she said what was going through her mind was, “I just wanted to do it for my team and our families that came out to watch here—just wanted to bring it home to Kagman High.”

In the finals against MHS, said the graduating senior, they all felt the pressure but also had fun.

She added that the Lady Dolphins put up a good fight and she was glad that her team got to bring the championship home.

As the Lady Ayuyus were undefeated throughout the season, she said they were ready when it came to the championship. “We’ve been waiting for this moment. We worked really hard and we just wanted to win this one,” she said.

On how she learned how to fast pitch, she said she watched her sister who used to pitch and also watched a lot of YouTube videos. “It took a lot of practice, but eventually you get the hang of it,” she said. She shared that she would be going out to Colorado for college and hopes she finds some softball leagues so she can continue to hone her skills, then down the line, hopes to come back and give back to the community.

As for the sport of softball, she said she loves it. “It’s a place where you build a family, you get to do what you love, you get to meet new people, and you get to play on the same field who share the same passion.”

She then thanked her teammates, families, coaches, and everyone who made it possible because they wouldn’t be where they are without them.