Kalaheo Farmers preserved its lead in the Americans of Japanese Ancestry baseball league with a 9-2 win over the Makaweli Indians, Sunday at Hanapepe Stadium. The Kalaheo win opened the Sunday double-header in Hanapepe and was followed by the Hanapepe
Kalaheo Farmers preserved its lead in the Americans of Japanese Ancestry baseball league with a 9-2 win over the Makaweli Indians, Sunday at Hanapepe Stadium.
The Kalaheo win opened the Sunday double-header in Hanapepe and was followed by the Hanapepe Rivermen keeping its challenge for the top spot alive with an 8-4 showing over Kapa‘a.
A single game at Vidinha Stadium had Lihu‘e Builders picking up its second season win with a 10-6 showing over the Waimea Tsunami.
Baseball fans will have to keep their gloves on ice this weekend as the Kaua‘i AJA league suspends play for the Super Bowl.
Games resume Feb. 14 with two games at Hanapepe Stadium and a single game at Vidinha Stadium.
The league-leading Kalaheo Farmers (5-1) will face Kapa‘a (1-5) starting at 11 a.m. Makaweli (3-3) will open against Waimea (3-3) in a battle for third place starting at 10 a.m. in Hanapepe. That match will be followed by Lihu‘e (2-4) taking on Hanapepe (4-2) starting at 1 p.m.
Kaleo Saiki went the distance for the Kalaheo Farmers, allowing one earned run while scattering nine hits, striking out six and walking three to pick up the win, Sunday.
Saiki singled to start the action and scored on a Kaina McCallum fielder’s choice for the first of two Kalaheo runs in the first inning.
Saiki continued to help the team when, in the fourth inning, came up with an RBI single to push Brandon Ishibashi across the plate, Ishibashi getting aboard on a double and advancing on a Duane Miyasato hit.
That was the first of four Kalaheo runs in that frame, Mikeo Rita and Saiki scoring on Makaweli miscues and Keola McCallum crossing on a Jason Koga RBI.
Hanapepe Rivermen faced a 2-0 deficit against Kapa‘a entering the third inning.
But the Rivermen capitalized on the Kapa‘a mound as Justin Ganaden walked to start a 6-run rally that pulled Hanapepe into the lead.
Robin Correa followed, getting first on a Kapa‘a error. Tyrus Matsumoto singled and Wendall Nonaka claimed firstbase on another miscue to load the bases.
Quintin Natividad cranked out a 2-RBI double followed by Troy Yamase driving in two more runs for the lead.
Earlier, Kapa‘a got the lead with runs coming in the first and second innings as Evan Gibson opened the scorebooks on a Hanapepe error in the first and Waylon Kupihea mashed a triple to get on and scored on a Gibson RBI.
Natividad, finishing 3-4 in the batter’s box, led the Rivermen bat with 2 RBIs on a double and two singles.
Kawaihau Torio, 1-2 in the box, led the Kapa‘a effort with an RBI on his double. Kupihea finished 1-2 with a triple and Gibson, 1-5, marked an RBI. Brandon “Nappy” Hirokane was 2-3.
Lihu‘e opened with two runs in the first inning and capped its win on four runs in the eighth inning over Waimea.
Derrick Lacaden and Mikey Cardinez opened the books for Lihu‘e, those scores being answered by Waimea when Kevin Agena crossed on a Brenden Hew RBI hit.
The battle continued until the bottom of the sixth when Waimea knotted the match, 5-5 when Casey Agena and Jordon Kitabayashi scored for the Tsunami.
Lihu‘e answered in the seventh when Lacaden cranked a triple to get aboard and went on to score for the 6-5 go-ahead.
That lead widened in the eighth when Bobby Texeira, Wesley Abalos, Shea Shimabukuro and Scott Ebesu marked runs.
Waimea’s final effort came in the bottom of the eighth, but fell short as Kiley Perreira came home before Lihu‘e shut the door.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
