HANAPEPE — The Kauai Senior Softball League converged on the Hanapepe Stadium softball diamonds for a sunny and breezy morning allowing for the rare occasion of all the teams in the league to playing at a single location. The softball side of Hanapepe Stadium open field was covered with team tents and smoky grills at the tailgate gallery.
Barteks hosted the day full of games on the main diamond while Hana Hou set up the field in the opposite ball field. Four games were played on each field starting. The windy conditions wrecked havoc in the outfields, helping the hitters and challenging the fielders.
Barteks had the main diamond in sterling shape to open up with the red-hot Rookies. There’s plenty of history when these two teams meet, especially in Hanapepe. Barteks added some spark to their hitting lately and put the pressure on defending the home field with seven runs. The Rookies were able to match hits and runs and cashed in on the long-ball, running away with a 16-7 win over Barteks.
Kuku’s Aces took on Solid Steel in the second contest. The Steel put the aluminum to the ball and posted a 12-run advantage for an early knockout.
The Ohana Motors Rebels squared off with Ohana in the late-morning matchup. Ohana jumped out to an early 3-0. In a maneuver to defend the lead, Ohana intentionally walked Rebel slugger Aaron Garcia each of the four times he came to the plate. The deliberate walks resulted in two late-inning runs, setting up an eight-run rally down the stretch. The Rebel defense gave up one run over the final six innings to close the game with an 8-4 victory.
The Rebels played back-to-back games for a doubleheader and a make-up game with Kuku’s Aces for the fourth and final game. This game was previously scheduled at Puhi Park and postponed due to extremely wet conditions. The Aces stretched the game through six innings with a terrific defense that held off the Rebel scoring. As the Rebels drew close to the 12-run rule, the Aces put up a rally and forced the game to continue and earning an additional trip to the plate as the visiting team. The Rebels were able to wrap up a doubleheader win with a 13-1 rout.
The action was equally exciting on the all carpet ball park in the opposite diamond with Hana Hou going up against the Keonimana Gents in the early-morning contest. With the wind gusting to right field, the Gents launched line drives across the outfield getting out in front. Hana Hou has been enjoying a strong first year on the circuit but found out it was hard to score against the defending champs, coming up with just two runs. The Gents continue to lead the league extending their current win streak with an 8-2 triumph.
Kawaihau beat the Hanamaulu Hillsiders in the second contest.
West Kauai was home taking on the Aloha Kia Lihue A’s. The A’s put together a sterling day in the field, smothering the offense from West Kauai. Lihue’s hitting was in fine tune, ringing up 12 runs as the game got underway. With the stingy defense and 12-run advantage, the A’s made short work of the game with a 12-0 shutout by Miles Tone.
Da Kruzers came out west to host the Islanders in the early-morning feature. Spirited by the absence of coach Duane Girard, Da Kruzers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead putting the game on edge. The Islanders’ rallies fell short as the bats could only produce four runs. Da Kruzers put the game away with a 7-4 win.
The Keonimana Gents are in control of the league with a 17-1 record to top the 15 teams. The Ohana Motors Rebels remain close at 16-2. The Aloha Kia Lihue A’s and Rookies are tied for third in the standings with 13-4 records. The two new teams to the league, Hana Hou and Solid Steel, are locked in fifth posting 12-5 records. Ohana comes in at 11-6 followed by Barteks at 11-7 in the top-half of the standings.
Kawaihau is a few games out of standing at 6-11, one game in front of the Islanders and East Kauai Legends which are at 5-11. Da Kruzers stand at 5-13. The Hanamaulu Hillsiders, Kuku’s Aces and West Kauai close out the leader board.
The league comes back to town with four games at Isenberg Softball Stadium and a triple-header on tap at the Peter Rayno Softball Park in Hanamaulu.
The Aloha Kia Lihue A’s will host the games at Isenberg opening up with the Rookies. Ohana takes on Solid Steel in the second contest. West Kauai goes up against the Ohana Motors Rebels in the matinee, and Barteks will have their hands full taking on the Keonimana Gents.
At the Rayno Park the Islanders will roll out the welcome mat taking on Hana Hou in the first game of the day. Kuku’s Aces will come in from the west side to take on Kawaihau in the mid-morning game. The triple-header wraps up with Da Kruzers squaring off with the East Kauai Legends.
