LIHU‘E — What started out as a three-way tie for the lead of the Kaua‘i Americans of Japanese Ancestry baseball league finished with just two teams vying for the lead slot, Sunday. Lihu‘e was handed an 11-3 loss by Makaweli
LIHU‘E — What started out as a three-way tie for the lead of the Kaua‘i Americans of Japanese Ancestry baseball league finished with just two teams vying for the lead slot, Sunday.
Lihu‘e was handed an 11-3 loss by Makaweli to eliminate the blueshirts from the chase, and at Hanapepe Stadium, the Rivermen came up with five big runs in the fifth en route to a 20-10 win over a scrappy Kapa‘a team led by a Micah Furtado two-run homer in the sixth. Kalaheo fished out six runs in the sixth inning to ice an 11-2 win over the Waimea Tsunami to round out the day.
Curtis Sadamitsu lined up a 2-RBI two-bagger in the first inning with two outs to push Shea Shimabukuro and Mikey Cardinez across the plate.
Shane Sadamitsu walked in the second inning and scored off an RBI single by Shimabukuro to give Lihu‘e a 3-0 bulge before Makaweli bats came alive.
Kyle Romano singled and scored on a Leighton Otoman RBI shot to leftfield and Kaylen Wakumoto, drawing first on a fielder’s choice, crossed on a Brendan Hew play.
Jason Miyazaki, tripling to start the fourth for Makaweli, scored to tie the contest.
Fueled by a 2-RBI triple to centerfield by Hew and RBI shots from Miyazaki and Wakumoto, the Indians pushed five runs across to overtake Lihu‘e in the fifth inning, finishing the contest with 14 hits to Lihu‘e’s six singles.
Hew (2-6) and Miyazaki (2-5) led the Makaweli hitting with triples, Hew getting three RBI and Miyazaki getting one.
Curtis Sadamitsu (1-5) had the hot bat for Lihu‘e with two RBI followed by Shimabukuro (1-4) with an RBI.
Hanapepe finished with three batters notching four RBI apiece in their win against Kapa‘a that saw Micah Furtado lace the season’s first homerun, a two-run shot in the sixth inning.
Tyrus Matsumoto (4-4 with a double), Kevin Suga (2-3 with a double) and Quentin Natividad (4-4 with three doubles) notched four RBI apiece for Hanapepe. Mike Yaris (2-4) had three RBI with Mason Lorenzo (1-4) and Devin Yamase (1-2 with a triple); each pegged an RBI apiece as Hanapepe logged 16 hits in its 20-run performance.
Kawaihau Torio (1-4 with a double) led the Kapa‘a hitting with three RBI followed by Furtado (1-4) and Brad Wakuta (0-2) with two RBI each. Waylyn Kupihea (1-4) and Shane Matsumura (1-4) each had an RBI. Allen Mundon (1-3), Branden Kamibayashi (1-2), Nappy Hirokani (1-3) and Dustin Mundon (1-2) each singled as Kapa‘a logged eight hits in its 10-run showing.
Troy Kaneshiro’s 2-RBI double and Jason Koga’s 2-RBI single in the sixth fueled the Kalaheo offense to cap its win over Waimea with 17 hits.
Kaleo Saiki, going the distance on the mound for Kalaheo, finished 2-5 in the box with two RBI. On the mound, Saiki gave up six hits, struck out seven and walked one with one earned run.
Kalaheo leadoff man Kainoa Santos finished 5-6 with an RBI. Kaina McCallum (2-6), Zoom Bukoski (2-4), Lannon Kashima-Rice (2-5) and Reid Yoshioka (1-5) marked Kalaheo hits.
Jordan Kitabayashi (1-4) led the Waimea bats with an RBI. Kahai Hosaka (2-4), Kevin Agena (1-4), Kelsey Morikawa (1-4) and Dylan Ishihara (1-4) marked hits for Waimea.
Baseball fans will have to take a back seat to the National Football League’s Super Bowl this Sunday as the Kaua‘i AJA league has no games scheduled.
The next games will be played on Feb. 8 with Kalaheo meeting Lihu‘e in a single game at Vidinha Stadium starting at 11 a.m.
Kapa‘a will go up against one of the two-way leaders, Makaweli, in the opener of a double-header at Hanapepe Stadium. Their first pitch is at 10 a.m. followed by Hanapepe taking on Waimea starting at 1 p.m.
