KAUMAKANI — The Kauai Senior Softball League packed the stands in Kaumakani at the Wally Sonoda Field and Rebels Park at Ohana Motors Stadium in Puhi. The Rookies played host to the games on the Westside, and the Rebels opened up their home field for an overflowed crowd.
Alan Horikawa and the Rookies were up early grooming the gem of Kauai softball fields at the Wally Sonoda grounds. The first of three games pitted the Rookies with Joe Bertucci’s Islanders. The Islanders are battling to get to the .500 mark on the season and needed a crucial win. The home field advantage proved to be too much as the Rookies slugged their way to an 18-6 rout and continued their streak of victories.
Ohana gave the Aloha Kia Lihue A’s all they could handle in the middle contest. Frank Bukoski had his Ohana turned in one of their best games and stayed even with the A’s. But Dwight Fujii has the winning formula as the A’s pulled off a narrow 8-6 win.
The Westside fun concluded with the Keonimana Gents up against Pat Baniaga’s Barteks. Barteks is working through a tough section of their schedule and ran full speed into the Gents juggernaut. The Gents went to work early and pounded their way to an 18-4 knockout.
Ohana Motors Stadium, Kauai’s largest softball park with a massive outfield in Puhi, was manicured to perfection for three big games. Tents and pavilions surrounded the all grass field as the Rebels opened up with Kawaihau as the sun rose over the diamond.
Gary Yates turned up the Rebel pressure on defense cashing in on three double-plays in six innings. Kawaihau got their lead -off hitting on base with a hit and scored the run in the first inning for their one and only mark on the scoreboard. The Rebels scored in every inning, and Ernie Koerte and Kawaihau went down in a shortened contest, 13-1.
West Kauai got tangled up with Norman Holt’s East Kauai Legends in the mid-morning match. Neil Zaslow’s crew continued their steady climb up the standings and used the long ball for extra base hits and big blasts from Al and Benji Aranio, Dana Palama and Kevin Lowry. The West Kauai hitters wore down the Legends and captured a 12-4 win.
The tightest game of the day came in the final challenge with Da Kruzers squaring off with the Hanamaulu Hillsiders. Pete Rayno had the Hillsiders were at full strength and back to the regular line-up. Barry Toy enjoyed a day he could field 10 players with a compete score card. The two clubs battled throughout the late morning making clutch defensive plays in the wide open allies. The Hillsiders scrapped their way to a slim 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. Da Kruzers threw a fierce rally at Hanamaulu, scoring two runs to cut the lead to one and the tying and winning runs on base. Franklin Riopta pitched a gem of a game and got the final out on a ground ball to preserve the win, 4-3.
There is more action coming up this weekend with Senior Softball returning to Kapaa and the Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex. The Keonimana Gents will welcome the East Kauai Legends and four other teams for four games. The Islanders will be in town to take on Da Kruzers, and Kawaihau will take on the Hillsiders from Hanamaulu. Kawaihau will have a doubleheader with a make-up game with the Islanders as a fourth game of the day.
West Kauai will set up the compact park in Eleele for an early morning date with Kuku’s Aces. Ohana and the Ohana Motors Rebels will battle in the middle game. Barteks will go up against the Aloha Kia Lihue A’s to wrap up the slate. All games begin at 9 a.m., 10:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
