LIHUE — The Kauai PONY 13 all-star team went undefeated to take the 2013 Hawaii Region PONY 13 Tournament in a dominant fashion. Kauai completed the task by beating the host Hilo all-stars 6-2 on Sunday. Boogie Yam got the
LIHUE — The Kauai PONY 13 all-star team went undefeated to take the 2013 Hawaii Region PONY 13 Tournament in a dominant fashion.
Kauai completed the task by beating the host Hilo all-stars 6-2 on Sunday.
Boogie Yam got the win, with Aaron Renaud getting the save, while Kauai’s defense committed no errors.
Offensively, Kauai banged out 11 hits, with Kaiolohia Perreira-Alquiza leading the way going 3 for 4 with a double, Renaud 3 for 4 and Cody Taniguchi 2 for 4. Ekolu Rivera and Yam also had two hits.
To win the tournament, Kauai had to win three straight games. The team was able to take down Maui in the opener 7-0 and followed that up with a 15-6 win over Hilo, before again beating Hilo in the championship.
Despite being away from home, Kauai had plenty of support in Hilo with both the Kauai Bronco all-stars and Mustang all-stars filing in to show support.
Kauai will now prepare for the 2013 PONY 13 West Zone Tournament, which will be hosted in Fullerton, Calif.
The tournament will host eight teams, which includes four from California and one each from Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. The tournament will be held from July 20 to 25.
Winner of the zone tournament will then secure a spot in the PONY 13 World Series, which will also be located in Fullerton, Calif. from July 26 to 30.
Preparing on the field is not the only thing that needs to be accomplished by head coach Kirk Correa and his team. Because the team is not one of the traditional PONY age groups, its trip will not be covered by PONY.
“Fundraising is a daunting task,” Correa said in an email. “We have 2 1/2 weeks to raise funds to cover airfare, lodging and transportation.”
Correa said they are looking at about $20,000 in order to cover all expenses for all players on the team.
“We humbly ask for donations in any form,” Correa said. “All donations will be used for airfare, lodging and ground transportation for the team.”
If interested in donating, contact Correa at 652-5381 or email correak002@hawaii.rr.com.
• Rick Killeen, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or sports@thegardenisland.com.
