East Kaua‘i remains unbeaten after late rally

East Kaua‘i improved its record to 15-0 on the season with a dramatic comeback victory over the ‘Ohana in the Kaua‘i Senior Softball league on Saturday.

Trailing 6-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, East Kaua‘i was quickly down to its final out when Mike Curtis came to bat with a runner on first base. Curtis hit a shot down the third-base line that was too hot for the ‘Ohana to handle, putting runners on first and second.

Gordon Doo then singled to right field to bring a run home, cutting the deficit to 6-4. With runners on first and third, Frank Bukoski stepped to the plate representing the winning run. He struck the second pitch he saw so sharply on the ground into center field that it rolled untouched all the way to the fence. All three men scored on the play and East Kaua‘i came away with the walk-off victory.

Bukoski was 3-for-4 on the day, including his winning home run. Curtis, Doo and Ric Ramones had two hits apiece.

The ‘Ohana had 14 hits on the day, getting multi-hit performances from six players.

In other action, the Lihue A’s played a doubleheader, first knocking off West Kaua‘i 20-11.

Tony Matsumura had a huge game, going 4-for-4 with seven RBIs including a 4th-inning grand slam. Ron Matsumura followed suit with a 3-for-3, two-RBI outing. Dwight Fujii went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs.

The victory made Lihue 3-0 on the season, but they weren’t done there.

Lihue’s bats did not stay quiet very long as they were back in action in the nightcap against the Rookies. Lihue jumped out to an early lead and would not relinquish it as they coasted to a 19-6 win, remaining unbeaten through four games.

Ron Alfonso was 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs. Tony Matsumura’s perfect day continued with another 4-for-4 game, notching another three RBIs. Fujii was 5-for-5.

Winky Hashimoto was 3-for-3 and Stan Delacruz had two RBIs for the Rookies, now sitting at 4-1 for the season.