HANAMA‘ULU — The Kaua‘i Senior Softball League brought the seven-game series to the outskirts of Lihu‘e with a triple-header at the Peter Rayno Softball Park with four games at the Puhi Neighborhood Softball Stadium.
The Leagues had four undefeated teams with a tight schedule with three of the teams playing one diamond. There was one head-to-head match in the “game of the day” between the Aloha Kia Lihu‘e A’s and the Rookies, while Barteks took on the one-loss Rebels in Puhi.
The fourth club with no losses, Keonimana Gents, were matched up in a battle with Solid Steel in Hanama‘ulu.
The scores got out of hand early and often at the Peter Rayno Softball Park with three lopsided games.
Gents 19, Solid Steel 6
The Gents began the morning in Hanama‘ulu with the one-loss Solid Steel. Both clubs packed bats in their arsenal and manufactured runs on the scoreboard with ease. Tom Christy has the Steel rolling along, and despite facing a stifling defense, posted six runs on the scoreboard. The Gents finished the game early, and blasted their way to a 19-6 decisive win.
Hillsiders 23, Legends 6
The Hillsiders faced East Kaua‘i Legends for the mid-morning match. Peter Rayno has the Hillsiders knocked in runs and put up a stingy defense. The Legends played well but ran into late-game challenges. Norman Holt’s Legends’ line-up ready to break out, and Saturday was the day. Hanama‘ulu strung a six-run notch on the board and tried to make it stand. That was to little avail as the Legends exploded at the plate, and banged in double-digit runs to capture a 23-6 victory.
‘Ohana 23, West Kaua‘i 9
The morning series began with West Kaua‘i up against ‘Ohana. Both ball clubs needed a win to retain their place in the league standings.
West Kaua‘i continued to put together scoring opportunities and had one of their better outputs with nine runs.
Ohana made this the third blowout of the day, hammering the park with a full arsenal of hits. By the fifth inning, the game was out of control, and ‘Ohana evened its record with an impressive 23-9 triumph.
Kawaihau 13, Islanders 12
Across town, at the Puhi Neighborhood Park, the pavilion tents stretched from the right-field corner around to the left-field pole with a capacity crowd on hand for four pivotal contests. The all-grass ballpark challenges the best defenses with the largest outfield in the league and an entirely different infield environment compared to the crushed infields.
Kawaihau, a team playing with a single loss on the season, took on the Islanders in the early morning game.
The Islanders were close throughout the early season. Joe Bertucci elevated their defensive side of the team, adding firepower at the plate. Henry Hee has Kawaihau, playing some exciting baseball.
The two clubs experience numerous lead changes. The huge field opened up the offense and gave way to aggressive base-running. It came down to the last inning and last at-bat for Kawaihau. Clutch-hitting brought them a hard-earned 13-12 victory.
Da Kruzers 10, Kuku Aces 3
Da Kruzers tangled with Kuku’s Aces with each club in search of their first success in their fourth game. Kuku has put some spark in the Aces this season, and they are turning plays and collecting rally-producing hits and runs. Da Kruzers kept showing their fire, but have fallen short early.
The Kuku Aces have a productive line-up, and can score runs. The Aces opened the game. with a three-run opening. Da Kruzers had several rallies behind their well-placed hitting. After an exciting seven innings, Da Kruzers pulled away with a 10-3 win.
Rebels 13, Barteks 6
The third game pitted undefeated Barteks against the one-loss ‘Ohana Motors Rebels. While home team assignment went to Barteks, the Rebels had home-field knowledge to their advantage playing at their home park. Bartek’s features a solid run-scoring lineup, and they went to work, taking an early 3-1 lead through the first four innings.
The two clubs traded a pair of runs in the fifth inning for a 5-3 Barteks advantage. The Rebels rallied behind two home runs for eight scores over the final two innings, to hold Barteks to two runs. The Barteks loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7th, but the Rebels got a high-fly to center to end their scoring threat. The Rebels handed Barteks its first loss of the season with a 13-6 decision.
Rookies 16, Lihu‘e A’s 4
The park had capacity crowd when the Rookies took on the Aloha Kia Lihu‘e A’s in the feature game of the schedule, which was a battle of the undefeated. Two powerhouse rosters with great pitching, and durable gloves in the field.
The Rookies gained the upper hand with towering drives into the deepest portions of the outfield. Dwight Fujii kept the A’s in the game with nice team glovework. They strung together their hits, and registered runs on the scoreboard. Lihu‘e remained close in the early innings, but found trouble in the late innings. Alan Horikawa has the Rookies in full steam and lets the bats bang away relentlessly up-and-down the lineup. They turned magic on defense with spectacular catches to prevent any chance Lihu‘e had of getting back into the game. Despite an even match-up, the Rookies steamrolled the A’s in route to a 16-4 victory.
On Deck
The Keonimana Gents and the Rookies are the two undefeated teams in the league after four games.
There are four teams knotted at 3-1 with the Aloha Kia Lihu‘e A’s and Barteks joining Kawaihau, and the ‘Ohana Motors Rebels. ‘Ohana and Solid Steel are just one game back at 2 and 2. There are another four teams with one victory, including Da Kruzers, East Kauai Legends, Hanamaulu Hillsiders, and Islanders.
Kuku’s Aces and West Kaua‘i have their winning-streak in tact.
The games coming up this weekend split the island from Kaua‘i to Kaumakani. The heavy load will be at the Softball Stadium at the Bryan J Baptiste Sports Complex with four games. A triple-header is on tap at the Wally Sonoda Field.
At the Kapa‘a field, ‘Ohana will have its hands full, taking on Barteks in the early morning match. The ‘Ohana Motors Rebels will be home to the East Kaua‘i Legends in the second contest. The Keonimana Gents tangle with Kawaihau in a must-watch game.
The day will conclude with the Islanders against Da Kruzers.
Out west in Kaumakani, the Kuku’s Aces will be home to the Rookies even though the two teams share and care for the park as their home diamond.
The brunch game features Solid Steel and the Hanam‘ulu Hillsiders hitting the road for the west side match-up. The morning concludes with the Aloha Kia Lihu‘e A’s taking on West Kaua‘i. The first pitch of that game is slated for 9 a.m.
