An all-star team made up mostly of Kaua‘i AJA (Americans of Japanese Ancestry) baseball league champion Hanapepe Rivermen, supplemented by outstanding players from other teams in the league, scored a third-place (consolation) finish in the 2009 State AJA Championship Tournament
An all-star team made up mostly of Kaua‘i AJA (Americans of Japanese Ancestry) baseball league champion Hanapepe Rivermen, supplemented by outstanding players from other teams in the league, scored a third-place (consolation) finish in the 2009 State AJA Championship Tournament last weekend.
The Kauaians lost their first-round game to the eventual champions from host O‘ahu, 9-2, mustering just six hits against three O‘ahu pitchers, according to information from tournament organizers.
The tournament was held at Les Murakami Stadium on the University of Hawai‘i Manoa campus.
The Kaua‘i team bounced back, beating Maui 6-3 in the third-place game, with Mike Cardinez the winning pitcher, pitching the final two innings in relief of starter Klayford Naka‘ahiki in the time-limit-shortened, six-inning game.
Cardinez also batted 2-3 with an RBI in the third-place game, with Kainoa Santos getting 3 RBI and also going 2-3 at the plate. Tyrus Matsumoto and Vince Nitta were the Kaua‘i catchers.
In the earlier game, Matsumoto was 2-4 with a double and RBI, but the O‘ahu (representing the Ewa side of O‘ahu) squad lit up Kaua‘i pitchers for 14 hits, and the Kauaians made four errors.
Mike Yaris took the loss, and Jason Nakata came on in the sixth inning in relief.
Also on Saturday, the Big Island squad took out the Maui team, 7-1.
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