If the Waimea Menehunes were lacking in offense this season, they made up for it in one electrifying afternoon. The Menehunes (3-3) belted three home-runs on 12 hits and committed no errors to down the Kapa’a Warriors (2-3) 13-6 at
If the Waimea Menehunes were lacking in offense this season, they made up for it in one electrifying afternoon.
The Menehunes (3-3) belted three home-runs on 12 hits and committed no errors to down the Kapa’a Warriors (2-3) 13-6 at Ron Martin Field.
“Slowly we’re getting to be a closer team”, Menehune head coach Kui Souza said after the game “And they’ve been working hard at practice. Weve been seeing some good things so were happy about that.”
The win will force the postponed rain-out game to take place this Saturday in Kapa’a (Game time 1 p.m.). If Kaua’i wins, they clinch the first round. If they lose, there will be a three-way tie and a playoff situation.
Clarence Aki (1-1), who went 4-4 with four runs at the plate, got the win; Jon Ancheta got the loss.
Waimea struck early. A Kapa’a error juiced the bases for Correa, whose sacrifice fly scored Aki from third. The Menehunes led 1-0, but it didn’t last long.
Tyler Wakuta’s lead-off triple was rewarded with an RBI-single from Jared Raquel, who drove in the shortstop to even the score at one-apiece.
Yadao launched a solo-homer to left put Waimea in front 2-1 in the second, and at the top of the third, M.Ishibashi sent a two-run homerun to left-center to give the Menehunes a 4-1 advantage.
The Warriors brought the score to 4-2 in the third, but it wasn’t sweet and rather bitter. The Menehunes loaded the bases on walks, which scored Keoni Nakano, but Warrior base-running errors ended their chances to make a run at the lead – Kapa’a still trailed by two heading into the fourth.
Waimea capitalized.
Correa knocked a two-RBI single to score Aki and M.Ishibashi, just before Leonard Zalopany’s RBI single sent Rayson Cacal home from third. Correa scampered home on a Warrior error during the scoring melee, and in an instant, Waimea led 8-2 after five innings.
Aki got into trouble in the bottom of the fifth. He hit three straight batters, which set up an RBI-single from Brian Merkel. A wild pitch scored pinch-runner Clesson Hiranaka, and the Warriors closed the gap to 8-4 heading into the sixth.
Waimea kept pumping.
With no outs and runners on second and third, M.Ishibashi’s sacrifice grounder scored Yadao, a Correa sac-fly brought home Maeda, Ruiz’ RBI on a fielder’s choice scored Aki and the Menehune lead extended to 11-4 after six.
In the seventh, Cacal knocked out Waimea’s third home-run, and M.Ishibashi knocked in his fourth RBI on a triple.
Kyle Newberger knocked a two-run homer at the bottom seven, but by that point, hope was lost for the Warriors, who fell to the Menehunes 13-6.
*Stats and game quotes provided by Manny Henriques
Waimea 13, Kapa’a 6
Hitting
Waimea – 13
Player h r ab rbi
Aki 4 4 4 0
Shonberg 0 1 0 0
M. Ishibashi 2 2 3 4
B. Ishibashi 0 0 2 0
Cacal 0 1 0 0
R. Correa 1 1 2 2
Ruiz 0 0 3 1
L.Zalopany 1 0 3 2
Delima 0 0 3 0
Cacal 1 1 1 1
Yadao 2 2 4 1
Maeda 1 1 2 0
Moniz 0 0 1 0
Totals 12 13 28 11
Kapa’a – 6
Player h r ab rbi
T.Wakuta 1 1 4 0
Nakano 0 1 3 0
Panui 0 0 3 0
Raquel 3 2 3 1
B.Wakuta 0 0 2 0
Hiranaka 0 1 0 0
Noone 0 0 1 0
Newberger 1 1 1 2
Merkel 1 0 3 1
Bonilla 1 0 1 0
Mundon 0 0 1 0
Isoda 1 0 3 0
Cremer 0 0 1 0
Totals 8 6 26 5
Pitching
Name IP H R ER BB SO
Waimea –
Taniguchi 2 4 2 2 4 3
Aki 5 4 4 3 1 3
Kapa’a –
Ancheta 2 4 4 3 1 0
Lopez 3 3 4 3 2 3
Newberger 0 1 2 2 1 0
T.Wakuta 2 4 3 2 0 2
Score by Innings
Team 123 456 7 – R H E
Waimea 112 043 2 – 13 12 0
Kapa’a 101 020 2 – 6 8 4
