Nick Vallatini, Lihu‘e Youth Baseball League’s pitcher, limited the West Kaua‘i Midget Baseball League batters to just four hits through four innings Tuesday. But exhaustion caught up with the LYBL workhorse and the WKMBL pushed five runs in the fifth
Nick Vallatini, Lihu‘e Youth Baseball League’s pitcher, limited the West Kaua‘i Midget Baseball League batters to just four hits through four innings Tuesday.
But exhaustion caught up with the LYBL workhorse and the WKMBL pushed five runs in the fifth inning.
That effort fell short as LYBL took a 13-4 win and the lead in the best-of-three playoffs in the Mustang division. The victory sets the stage for this afternoon when the Lihu‘e contingent travels to the Kalawai Park for the second contest starting at 4:30 p.m.
Another Lihu‘e win gives them the title. However, if the WKMBL squad takes the win, a coin flip will determine Game 3 which is scheduled for Saturday.
Davin Vidinha-Lazaro and Acetyn Emayo announced WKMBL with back-to-back singles against Vallatini in the opening inning. But West Kaua‘i could not capitalize and left both runners stranded.
Vallatini came back strong in the second inning to throw three straight K’s. He followed that by allowing the Lihu‘e defense to keep the WK bats at bay in the third.
But exhaustion began creeping in, and in the fourth frame, Vidinha-Lazaro came up with his second hit of the game followed by Emayo doubling with no outs.
Chasing five runs at the point, WK couldn’t capitalize again, as Vallatini stiffened and shut down the next three batters in order.
After scoring his second of three game runs, exhaustion finally took its toll on Vallatini who opened the fifth inning with two straight walks. That sent Lihu‘e coach Milton Koga to the mound, replacing the tiring Vallatini with Nicholas Tabura.
But the effort couldn’t stop the bleeding as WK batters hit around in that frame while crossing the plate with four unearned runs.
Brock Tacata, Justin Pagtolingan, Brayden Perez and Lopaka Ventura walked, Tacata scoring on Ventura’s jaunt. Vidinha-Lazaro followed on another walk, scoring Pagtolingan before Tabura got the first out on a strikeout.
An infield fly to first got the next out, and with Deannalyn Tafiti in the box, Perez chalked up run No. 3 on a passed ball, rattling the mound for a walk to Tafiti.
But Lihu‘e couldn’t close the door and Brock Ephan walked to score Ventura before the final out came on another infield fly to first.
Those four runs served to agitate the Lihu‘e bats as the redshirts followed a four-run fourth for four more runs in the fifth inning for the final math.
Lihu‘e clean-up hitter Bryton Lumabao, finishing 3-4, ignited the fireworks in the fifth with a RBI single to third, pushing D.J. Alao, bunt singling to first, across the plate.
More pitching woes came to the plate as WK pitcher Emayo, replacing starter Javan Torres in the third inning, gave up a run on one of two balks in the frame. He also hit two Lihu‘e batters, both of whom went on to score.
Cal Koga’s 2-RBI shot to rightfield scored Lumabao and Tyler Manibog, getting to first on a hit. The other Lihu‘e run came when Vallatini, hit by a pitch, crossed on a balk with Koga in the box.
Lihu‘e finished with 13 runs on 11 hits and went through three pitchers including Vallatini to keep WK to just five hits.
Lumabao led the Lihu‘e bats with three hits, three RBI and scoring twice.
Vallatini, scoring three times, was 1-2. Leadoff hitter Nakoa Ibaan also finished 3-4, scoring twice and marking an RBI. Catcher Manibog scored twice and finished with two singles in four at-bats.
Kanoa Iwasaki, 1-3, came up with a 2-RBI ground-rule double in the third inning while going on to score once on a Keoki Planas RBI single, his only hit in the game.
