The Bronco all-star teams from the East (Lihu‘e Baseball League) and the West (West Kaua‘i) will meet this afternoon at the Kato Field to determine who will represent Kaua‘i at the zone tournament on Maui. The series continues Saturday morning
The Bronco all-star teams from the East (Lihu‘e Baseball League) and the West (West Kaua‘i) will meet this afternoon at the Kato Field to determine who will represent Kaua‘i at the zone tournament on Maui.
The series continues Saturday morning at the Bronco field at the Lihu‘e County Park located in the back of the convention hall parking lot with the first pitch there going off at 9 a.m.
Should a second game be needed, it will follow the first game on Saturday.
Playing in a Best-of-three series, the Broncos are vying for more than the island title. Lihu‘e has historically battled valiantly against the West, but the outcome has always seen the title end up on the westside.
In the 2003 season, West Kaua‘i nailed down the title in two straight games, but in 2002, spectators were treated to a great series as the Lihu‘e all-stars opened with a win against the westsiders only to fall in the remaining two games at home, the championship being determined on a Sunday after time constraints forced the third game to be played on Sunday.
The winner of this year’s championship matchup will head to the Bronco zone tournament on Maui where they will be pitted against representative teams from each island as well as state representatives from the zone.
A win on Maui will advance the Broncos to Monterrey, California as they advance in the championship bracket. One parent on Saturday noted that should that happen, the teams won’t have an opportunity to return home. They’ll leave Maui for California.
The Mustang division will follow the same best-of-three series with their first meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at the Hanapepe field starting at 4:30 p.m.
The second game in that series will be played Saturday at the Lihu‘e County Park Mustang field located close to the former police station.
Start time for the Saturday series depends on the outcome of the Bronco contest as traditionally the Mustang contest always follows the Broncos.
However, with concerns of players being idle for an indeterminate amount of time depending on whether there is one, or two games, league officials are planning on discussing a format that would allow the Mustangs to start their games following the completion of the first Bronco game.
At any rate, one West Kaua‘i parent noted, “If Lihu‘e can pull off a win in this series, it’ll be historic. They’ve never won.”
That said, baseball fans can expect to see some great baseball this week as championship titles are determined starting with the first pitch this afternoon in Hanapepe.
