The 2025 National Baseball League season started with a bang on Sunday as Mellieha Northenders hosted the Mustangs in an exciting match filled with powerful hitting, solid defence, and impressive pitching from both teams.
The Mustangs took an early lead when catcher Andres Susarra hit a single, followed by Jorge Acosta smashing a two-run homer in his first at-bat. Mellieha quickly responded in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs to level the game.
In the second inning, Gabriel di Sabatino hit a solo homerun to give the Mustangs the lead, and further hits from Acosta and Efrain Dejan extended their lead to 4-2. Mellieha kept it close, adding another run to make it 4-3.
The Mustangs added more runs in the third, with di Sabatino’s double, Acosta’s single, and Dejan’s two-run double pushing the score to 6-3. Pitcher Henry Wang then shut down Mellieha in a quick 10-pitch inning.
In the fourth, the Mustangs added four more runs, including doubles from Acosta and Dejan and a run-scoring double from Daniele Palumbo, to make it 10-3.
Mellieha’s pitcher Mattheus Konno finished his outing strong, and reliever Cesar Hernandez pitched well for three innings, with a standout defensive play by third baseman Matt Borg.
Acosta continued his stellar performance in the seventh, hitting an RBI triple for the cycle. Mellieha’s Michael Bartolo hit a solo homer in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Mustangs.
Solid pitching from Wang, Michael Pitzschel, and Acosta kept the lead, securing the Mustangs’ first win of the season. The next game is scheduled for Sunday, 23rd March, at the Marsa Baseball and Softball field, where Mellieha will aim to even the series.
