ELEELE — The Kauai Senior Softball League turned up the heat with seven games held at Kauai’s two all-grass fields — the softball stadium in Eleele Park and the Rebel Field at Puhi Park. On a hot day with little to no wind, West Kauai conducted four games with a busy schedule in Eleele while the Ohana Motors Rebels welcomed three contests to their lush acreage in the Puhi Neighborhood Park. Six of the seven games resulted in lop sided scores with a premium on hitting.
After grooming the turf in Eleele, West Kauai took on the Hanamaulu Hillsiders to open the day. The Hillsider’s continue to swing aggressively at the plate giving them scoring opportunities. West Kauai has been able to bunch their hits together for plenty of runs, but not as many as they surrender. The Hillsiders outscored West Kauai by 10 with a busy day on the bases and captured a 17-7 victory.
Barteks squared off with Da Kruzers in the second game. Da Kruzers didn’t have an answer for the fire power Barteks brought to the plate and saw the game get out of hand, falling behind by 12 runs. Barteks cruised to a 14-2 win.
The Rookies played Kawaihau in the third match. Alan Horikawa has the Westside team on a hot streak with 12 straight wins and unbeaten in the second round. Henry Hee brought Kawaihau to the tree-shrouded park looking to stay even on the scoreboard. The Rookies came with a stingy defense and worked the short field with solid hitting. Kawaihau stayed alive with five runs, but the Rookies were able to put the game away with a 17-5 knockout for their 13th consecutive win.
The day of games wrapped up with Kaumakani’s Kuku’s Aces as home team against Eleele’s Ohana. As the visiting team, Ohana jumped out to a quick lead. Their experience on the carpet paid off with a smothering defense to aid in a 12-run rule applied to a shutout. The defense came through as Ohana shutout the Aces, 13-0.
Rebel Field in Puhi put the players in sweltering conditions as the expansive field turned into a humid hotbox. The Ohana Motors Rebels had the park trimmed and ready for three games, starting with them facing the Islanders. The Rebels were coming off back-to-back losses and wanted to get back on track. Joe Bertucci’s Islanders looked for a chance to knock off the Rebels for a much-needed win. The Islanders were able to put together rallies in two innings for five runs but ran out of room as the Rebels slammed four home runs over six innings to take a 17-5 win.
The Aloha Kia Lihue A’s moved into the home dugout before taking on the East Kauai Legends. The Legends used their veteran ways to pick up hits and get runners on base in nearly every inning but found it hard to get them around to score. The Lihue A’s, on the other hand, came through with RBI hits with their base runners. Miles Tone tossed a great game for the A’s and got the most from his defense to come away with a 9-1 victory.
The morning concluded with the league leading Keonimana Gents and Solid Steel taking the field. Solid Steel used Rebel Field in Puhi as their home site and had a bit of an edge with that experience. Both clubs were able to open up their offenses using the biggest outfield in the league. The Gents got out in front to start the game and then had to hold off several challenges from the Steel. A late rally brought the game to within two, and the Gents went back to work running the bases to extend their lead. Keonimana went to the seventh and put a lid on the game to hold on for a 10-6 win.
The Keonimana Gents remain in control of the league standings with a 21-1 record. The Gents and the Rookies are the two undefeated teams in the second round. The Rookies are tied with the Ohana Motors Rebels in second at 18-4. The Aloha Kia Lihue A’s and Ohana are close behind at 16-6 in fourth. Barteks has been on a streak and now joins with Hana Hou and Solid Steel with 14 wins to round out the top half of the standings. Kawaihau climbs up the ladder a notch with eight wins followed by the Islanders, Da Kruzers, East Kauai Legends and Hanamaulu Hillsiders. Kuku’s Aces and West Kauai remain tied.
The next games will be contested at the Peter Rayno Softball Park in Hanamaulu and the Bryan Baptiste Sports Complex Softball Stadium in Kapaa. The Hillsiders will have their home park ready for a four-game slate start as they open with Da Kruzers in what should be a close contest. Solid Steel will take on Barteks in the second game. Ohana will be the home team when they face the Islanders. Kawaihau will go up against Hana Hou in the late game.
In Kapaa, the Keonimana Gents will have the field in shape for their opening encounter with West Kauai. The Ohana Motors Rebels will have the Aloha Kia Lihue A’s in the mid-morning match. The end of the triple-header comes with the East Kauai Legends taking on Kuku’s Aces.
