Northern Mariana Islands win gold at Pacific Mini Games baseball event, Guam silver, Palau bronze
Baseball and softball, which are showcased in various multi-sport competitions, were among nine sports featured at the Pacific Mini Games 2022.
No. 78 Northern Mariana Islands claimed the gold medal at the Pacific Mini Games event after a 12-9 win over No. 38 Guam in the final match of the baseball competition, played on Friday (24 June) at Francisco “Tan Ko” M. Palacios baseball field in Saipan. Guam claimed the silver medal, while No. 76 Palau earned the bronze medal.
Guam scored four in the third frame to grab a 4-0 lead, but host Northern Mariana Islands recovered with a four-run fourth to deadlock the match, and a five-run fifth to take the lead in the Gold Medal Game.
Lefty Joshua Jones was the winning pitcher for Northern Mariana Islands, tossing six innings in relief, while allowing eight hits and five runs, with nine strikeouts.
Earlier on Friday, the host team defeated Palau, 2-0, in the second semi-final, which doubled as the bronze medal game. Jones pitched a two-hit, 17-strikeout shutout to send his team to the final.
A total of five nations participated in the baseball competition, with No. 68 Fiji and Salomon Islands completing the field of teams.
Baseball has not appeared on the Pacific Games sports program since the 2011 edition in New Caledonia when the Northern Mariana Islands won the gold medal.
