The Sports Leigh-Out: January 10-16

Hafa Adai yan Tirow sports fans, this is Leigh Gases bringing you Marianas Press’ weekly wrap-up—the Sports Leigh-Out for the week of Jan. 10-16.

Let’s take a closer look at what our athletes have been up to in off-island competitions and on their home turf—whether it’s on the pitch, mat, courts, fields, track, or the beautiful ocean.

IT&E hands Marpac its 1st loss, 91-83

IT&E moved with lightning speed and continues to hold a reputation as a top contender after they beat top-seeded Marpac-Budweiser into a drunken stupor and handed them their first loss of the season with a 91-83 final on Monday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

IT&E stormed through the court and had an early lead as Marpac scrambled to get their bearings. Marpac didn’t have their key player, Coby Santos, in this game and they struggled to attack within the paint and convert attempts. However, they closed the gap in no time and turned things around to lead 20-15 at the end of the first quarter.

Ervin Villarin and Daniel Madreo of IT&E then put the pedal to the metal and labored their way to tie the game up, 41-41, with seconds left in the second quarter. From there, the dynamic duo drowned out Marpac’s efforts and scored 40 points and 34 points each respectively.

Marpac’s Chioni Dela Cruz led Marpac with 29 points, while Greg Sablan was right behind at 27.

Also on Monday, Docomo Pacific slipped past CUC, 65-62. On Wednesday, CPA defeated CHCC, 104-55, while DFEMS forfeited against PSS. Then on Thursday, Priority Care trounced CUC, 80-49, and Docomo won over the Feds, 78-57.

Blue Jays rally to win, 9-8 over Dodgers

The No. 1 seed Blue Jays held on to their top spot as they rallied to win via walk-off against the formidable Dodgers, 9-8, in the continuation of the 2024-2025 SBL Masters League on Wednesday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.

The Dodgers burned bright in the night sky as they got on board early with a four-run second inning, followed by a three-run third for a 7-1 lead.

The Blue Jays, on the other hand, crashed the party fashionably late as their offense sputtered and were nonexistent through the first four innings besides their one run in the first from Shawn Matsutaro.

With a flair for the dramatic, the Blue Jays stunned the Dodgers in a reversal of roles as they got things started with two runs in the fifth to bring the game at 3-8. They then had an explosion of runs in the sixth inning with Marino Hiroichi, Rick Bauer, Ben Pangelinan, Harlan Reyes, and Matsutaro crossing the plate to tie the game up, 8-8.

For all the marbles at the bottom of the seventh, Blue Jays catcher Rick Bauer found himself in prime scoring position. Reyes then stepped up to the plate and hit the game winning RBI base hit and secured the win, 9-8.

The Blue Jays currently lead the way at 5-2, over the Pirates’ record of 4-2. The Dodgers sits in third place at 4-3.

Colin Sinclair is 3-time doubles champ in BNC Tennis Open

ATP Tour veteran Colin Sinclair successfully defended his doubles title for the third time in a row in the BNC Tennis Open held at Nouméa, New Caledonia last Jan. 3

The 30-year-old teamed up with Australia’s Blake Bayldon and came out on top in the finals over Japan’s Ryuki Matsuda and Ryotaro Taguchi, 6-3, 7-5.

In the semis beforehand, Sinclair and Bayldon faced off against formidable opponents Theo Arribage, ranked No. 64 in the World Cup, and Francisco Cabral, ranked 76th at the ATP. Meanwhile, Sinclair, ranked in the triple digits along with Bayldon trudged on and slayed the tourney’s No. 1 seed in three laborious sets, 6-4, 4-6, 10-6.

Sinclair won his last two doubles championships with partner Rubin Statham of New Zealand.

Prior to this tourney, Sinclair competed in the fruitful 2024 Davis Cup stint with fellow CNMI netters Colin Ramsey, Tomas Abel, and Robbie Schorr last December, where they failed to earn the promotion to the next level after losing to the Philippines.

Bryan DLG, Kier Agda compete in Submit Int’l

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Bryan Deleon Guerrero and purple belt Kier Agda debuted in the return of the 2025 Submit Int’l 7 competition on Sunday at the Sand Castle in Guam.

The competition, in its 10th year anniversary, made a comeback after a five-year hiatus, with Deleon Guerrero pitted in the 140-lb no-gi co-main event.

Deleon Guerrero went toe to toe against Guam’s Scotty Eclavea and finished up every minute of their 10-minute bout which ended in a draw. Deleon Guerrero, the founder and professor at Saipan Submissions Academy said they were in a constant scramble for submissions and positions.

He said of the match, “I had my opponent in four deep submission attempts, but as tough as he is, he defended and escaped well. We were definitely the crowd's favorite match. Because no one submitted, the match ended in a draw. Looking forward to hopefully stepping on the submit stage again in the near future.”

For Agda, his matchup against Guam’s Gonzo Quintanilla also ended in a draw.