Third place for 670 Babes in Queens of the Pacific softball tourney

In sports, it’s never over until the final out, the last whistle, or time expires, and the 670 Babes proved that point with a late tournament surge to finish third in Guam’s inaugural Queens of the Pacific Softball Tournament, held Jan. 16–18.

The tournament was held in memory of Jesse Balajadia, a highly respected figure in Guam’s baseball and softball community who passed away in 2024, and featured teams from Korea, Japan, the CNMI, and Guam.

After starting the tournament in last place, the 670 Babes battled their way back to claim the bronze medal. In the final day of games on Sunday, they opened it up with a strong 14-6 win over Queen B’s, then followed it up by beating K-Town Batties 10-6. In their final game, the Babes fell to Smokin Hot, 5-12, to clinch the bronze.

On Saturday, it was another full slate for the Babes. They were shut out 0-12 by American Legion in the opener, but bounced back in Game 2 with a 13-5 win over the Warriors. The day ended in a tight matchup against K-Town, with the Babes coming up just short in a 12-11 loss.

The tournament opened Friday with three games for the Babes. They dropped their first game to Smokin Hot, 6-9, then fell again in Game 2 against K-Town Batties, 3-8. In their final game of the day, the Babes were defeated by Queen B’s, 5-12.

Second place went to American Legion, while the champions were Guam’s Smokin’ Hot.

Erlinda Naputi, manager of the Babes said that the tourney was a great experience for the girls.

The team wasn’t made up of the original players but players from other teams as well, and she said they started practicing in November. She said they didn’t start the tourney too hot, but with hard work, they bounced back and secured a place in the third place game on the final day.

“For such a short period of time putting our last minute girls together, we had a really good team. We had great communication and we had two good pitchers—Jovie Omar and Janice Celis. They were an asset to the team,” she said. “The experience was good. The girls had fun, it was an elite tournament—we came in underdogs—maybe the expectation of winning was not there, but we played hard. In the very last moment when we needed to prove ourselves, we did it. We’re just really happy to come out and represent the NMI out there loud and proud. Win or lose, we had our NMI flags out there.”

The Babes with Naputi consisted of Pauline Camacho, Kuki Pangelinan, Jennifer Palacios, Julie Palacios, Bel Igitol, Jovie Omar, Janice Celis, Anu Aldan, Sherika Cabrera, Lana Diaz, Kayla Edwards, Gin Joseph, Alannah Sablan, Miah Duenas, Angela Duenas, Shani Aldan, Anna Canico, Pat Suel, and Emy Oiterong Sablan. The coaching staff included Bill Camacho and Mart Naputi.

Naputi thanked their sponsors Gov. David Apatang, Lt. Gov. Dennis Mendiola, Bridge Capital LLC., Sen. Jude Hofschneider, Rep. B.J. Attao, Rep. Marissa Flores, Shine Tenorio, JEM Corp. DBA Kagman Mobil, Herman’s Modern Bakery, Grow family (Billy, Bonnie, and Tasi), Oriental Corporation, Veterans Vending Solutions, and AK Guam-Avis, Budget, Payless Car Rental.