At the end of June this year, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) hosted the inaugural Micronesian Baseball Classic. Coverage of the tournament was excellent, as both the Saipan Tribune and Marianas Variety provided game recaps and photos, but there was no tournament website and results were only in the stories, rather than available in a schedule. The following is a reconstruction of the MBC, which was played at Francisco ‘Tan Ko’ Palacios Ballfield.
Joining the CNMI are Kosrae, Guam, Palau, and the CNMI Junior National Team, which is made up of players from the Big League All-Stars. The Commonwealth’s junior crew, however, will only play in the preliminary and their record will not be counted in the standings, as the playoff round is exclusive for the four participating countries. The CNMI Big League All-Stars are allowed to play in the MBC as they will not be able to represent the Commonwealth to the 2016 Asia Pacific Regional Championships in China next month due to visa problems.
Pool:
(June 24, 18:30) CNMI 9 – Kosrae 7
(June 25, 14:00) Kosrae 6 – CNMI Juniors 4
(June 25, 18:30) Guam 13 – Palau 9
(June 26, 14:00) CNMI 14 – Guam 5
(June 26, 18:30) CNMI Juniors 14 – Palau 9
(June 27, 14:00) Palau 5 – Kosrae 1
(June 27, 18:30) CNMI 19 – CNMI Juniors 5
(June 28, 14:00) CNMI 12 – Palau 1
(June 28, 18:30) Guam 15 – Kosrae 2
(June 29, 14:00) CNMI Juniors 13 – Guam 10
Standings after Pool Play (Games against CNMI Juniors not counted)
CNMI 3-0
Guam 2-1
Palau 1-2
Kosrae 0-3
CNMI Juniors 1-2
The tournament implemented a two round-robin format with a page system in place for the playoffs. Under the page system rule, the No. 1 and 2 finishers after the preliminary games will battle for the first finals berth. The loser will then duel the winner of the knockout match between the third and fourth-ranked squads for the second and last finals ticket. All matches will be played in nine innings.
Semis:
(June 30, 14:00) CNMI 15 – Guam 5
(June 30, 18:30) Kosrae 12 – Palau 11
(August 1, 14:00) Kosrae vs Guam (assuming this game occurred)
Standings after Pool Play and Semis
CNMI 4-0
Guam 2-1
Kosrae 1-3
Palau 1-3
CNMI Juniors 1-2
Finals
(August 1, 18:30) CNMI 15 – Guam 14
Final Records:
CNMI 5-0
Guam 3-3 (assumes they had to beat Kosrae to advance to championship)
Kosrae 2-3 (assuming they beat Palau and then lost to Guam in the semis)
Palau 1-3
CNMI Juniors 1-2
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