The senior softball players dropped their championship bid 17-9, but got a standing ovation in St. George, Utah. Playing against Physio Motion for all the marbles in Division C, ages 65-70, Hekili, the team of Kaua‘i players from the Kaua‘i
The senior softball players dropped their championship bid 17-9, but got a standing ovation in St. George, Utah.
Playing against Physio Motion for all the marbles in Division C, ages 65-70, Hekili, the team of Kaua‘i players from the Kaua‘i Senior Softball league, never let the defeat spoil their Aloha spirit.
Holding up a Hawaiian flag, they sang “Hawai‘i Pono‘i” for the spectators who showed their appreciation for the Kaua‘i style sportsmanship with a standing ovation.
Nicole Isoda, a student at Kapa‘a Middle School and the granddaughter of one of the Hekili players, Kenneth Tamashiro, said, “It was not hard to find my grandpa at the airport because he had a huge grin on his face.”
Isoda said Tamashiro told her the team had won the silver medal, and he hit two home runs.
“Last year, they won the bronze, and this year they came home with the silver,” Isoda said. “I’m so proud of my grandpa and the other guys that played with him.”
Tamashiro finished the tournament 12-19 with six doubles, three triples, a pair of homers and a RBI.
Playing in the 2007 Huntsman World Senior Games, Hekili was just one team among the field of 300 other teams from the United States and Canada.
Adopting a player from Honolulu and Colorado, Hekili started with a loss to the Mill Bay Coyotes, 3-16, but rebounded on the opening day with a 25-9 win over the Sacramento Rebels.
Isoda said that came because four girls from LaVerkyn High School “adopted” the Hawai‘i team and started cheering them on.
But the cheering section disappeared and Hekili dropped its second game of the tournament to Scrap Iron, 9-13 on the second day.
Rebounding on its third play at the tournament, Hekili opened with a win over Johnny’s Canucks, 17-8 only to be brought down by Physio Motion, 10-15. That was the same team that eventually beat the Kaua‘i players for the gold in the division.
Alejandro Lomosad smacked into an RBI single in Game 6 to break a 14-14 tie against St. Albert Royals. That hit earned Hekili one of the semifinal slots.
From there, Hekili went on to down the Big Valley Classics and Sangudo Seniors by scores of 13-10 and 19-14, respectively to advance to the championship slot where they eventually dropped to Physio Motion.
Isoda’s grandparents said none of this would happen without the help from the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau, the County of Kaua‘i, Kaua‘i Cookie Company and Americo Morris.
They contributed items that the team could distribute to the other teams and volunteers at the tournament.
