Rookies Win Kuku’s Aces managed to score six runs in a five inning TKO game to fall to the Rookies, 6-20 in Kaua‘i senior league baseball action on June 5. The Rookies were at their finest with home field advantage,
Rookies Win
Kuku’s Aces managed to score six runs in a five inning TKO game to fall to the Rookies, 6-20 in Kaua‘i senior league baseball action on June 5.
The Rookies were at their finest with home field advantage, scoring 20 runs on 28 hits. Seven runs came across the plate in the first inning on base hits from Walter Souza, Stan Dela Cruz, Archie Fontanilla, Nelson Mendonca, Charlie Carveiro, Wayne Hashimoto, and Wally Sonoda. Souza also had a SF in this inning. Rookies came back in the second with a repeat performance of seven runs. With one out Mike Folster hit a solo HR followed with base hits from Raymond Espino, Dela Cruz, Fontanilla, Mendonca, Carveiro, and Sonoda. In the third inning, first batter Hank Nishikawa kept up the rally with a base hit that was duplicated by Dela Cruz and Fontanilla. Dela Cruz scored Nishikawa and Fontanilla scored Dela Cruz. Mendonca then hit a HR bringing in runs three and four. Rookies put the final lock on this game in the fourth inning by adding two more runs on hits from Ichi Chiba, Nishikawa and Folster. Winning pitcher was Archie Fontanilla. Hitters were: Wayne Hashimoto with 1 for 2, Souza and Sonoda with 2 for 2, Dela Cruz, Fontanilla and Mendonca with 3 for 3, and Nishikawa and Folster with 2 for 4. Folster and Mendonca had one HR each. Fontanilla and Souza had three RBI a piece, Mendonca had four RBI’s.
K-Makule lost the battle against the Rookies in the second game of the day, 8-15. K-Makule jumped out in the top of the first inning and came up with six runs off seven hits from Ernest Domingo, Gordon Arakaki, Guy Ruiz, Danny Smith, John Taboniar, Eddie Dela Cruz and Doric Remata. K-Makule did not score again until the sixth inning when Ernest Domingo hit a double to right field and came home on a fielders choice hit by Gordon Arakaki. Danny Smith hit a solo HR in the top of the seventh inning for run number eight and the end of the game for K-Makule. Losing pitcher was Dado Paiste. Hitters were Domingo, Ruiz, Smith, Dela Cruz and Doric Remata with 2 for 3. Ruiz and Smith had two RBI’s each.
Rookies struck back from the onset of the game by scoring seven runs in the first inning off four K-Makule errors and hits from Walter Souza, Mike Folster, Archie Fontanilla, Nelson Mendonca, Charlie Carveiro, and Wayne Hashimoto. The second inning brought on two more runs off the Rookies power hitters Nishikawa, Espino, Dela Cruz, and Fontanilla. The score was now K-Makule six, Rookies nine. The Rookies continued to display their fine tuning in the third and fourth innings with four additional runs off hits from Souza, Hashimoto, Fontanilla and Mendonca, topped with a SF from Nishikawa. The final Rookies runs came home in the fifth inning when Souza hit a single and scored on a HR from Folster. Winning pitcher was Fontanilla. Hitters were: Folster with 2 for 4, Mendonca and Hashimoto with 2 for 3, Fontanilla with 3 for 3 and Souza with 4 for 4. Souza and Mendonca each had three RBI’s.
Lihu‘e A’s dominate
Meanwhile, the Lihu‘e A’s dominated Kawaihau, 11-3. Kawaihau came up with one run in the first inning on base hits from Steve Fujii, Ron Alfonso and Tets Tamashiro with Tamashiro credited with the RBI. Kawaihau’s final runs came in the fourth inning with Paul Gusman and Paul Awazu each drawing a BB and both scoring on a base hit by Bob Herrmann. Losing pitcher was Tets Tamashiro. Hitters were: Ron Alfonso with 2 for 3, and Steve Fujii with 3 for 4.
Lihu‘e pulled a high roll of eleven to capture this game 3 to 11. A single run crossed the plate in the first inning on base hits form Peter Rayno and Tomoo Hiranaka topped with a SF from Glenn Akina. Herbert Honjo came home for run number two in the second inning as a result of two Kawaihau errors. In the third inning Rayno, Hiranaka and Akina all had base hits with Akina scoring Rayno. Hiranaka came in on a Kawaihau error. With two runners on, Shigeo Oshiro hit a SF and Akina scores. John Ochoco comes up with a base hit and Yoshishige comes in. Dwight Fujii gets his first hit of the day in the fourth inning with Akina following suit. Randy Tomlinson and Isamu Yoshishige both hit into a fielders choice allowing Fujii and Akina to score. Two was a magic number for Lihu‘e as two more runs was added to the score on hits from Oshiro, Fujii, Rayno and Hiranaka. The final run was scored in the seventh inning on base hits from Tomlinson and Honjo. Winning pitcher for Lihue was Hiranaka. Hitters were: Akina and Honjo with 2 for 3, Hiranaka and Fujii with 2 for 4, and Rayno with 3 for 4.
East Kaua‘i prevails
The battle of the day was saved for the last game with East Kaua‘i getting the best of West Kaua‘i, 17-16. In the top of the first inning West Kaua‘i scored four runs. With one out Frank Bukoski get on first with an error. Larry Ephan then draws a BB. Bruddah Rittmeister hits a single and scores Bukoski. Ephan and Rittmeister both score on a right field error off Bernard Mahuiki. Junior Rivera then drives in the fourth run on a base single. East Kaua‘i refuses to be left behind and scores four runs off hits from Damien Victorino, Ron Javier, Alex Youn, and Dickie Koerte. At the end of one, the score is tied at four all. In the top of the second inning West Kaua‘i comes back with five runs off base hits from John Patt, Boni Garma, Bukoski, Ephan, Mahuiki and SF from Rittmeister. Not to be out-done, East Kaua‘i retaliates with seven runs in the bottom of the second inning. Les Kubo an Al Salvador both get on with singles, Ray Sam Fong draws a BB and loads the bases. Norman Holt also draws a BB and Kubo waltzes in. Next batter, Victorino, hits a shot to left field and gets a triple and three RBI’s. Javier and Youn both draw a BB and the bases are again loaded. The next batter flies out but Don Boro also draws a BB and Victorino sails home. Jerome Hew hits a double to center field and runs six and seven in this inning comes across. The score after two, West Kauai 9, East Kaua‘i 11. West Kaua‘i scores just a single run in the third inning off base hits form Patt and Garma. East Kaua‘i, however, scores two more runs off hits from Kubo and Salvador and a BB to Sam Fong and Norman Holt. The score after three is West Kaua‘i 10, East Kaua‘i 13. West Kauai scores three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Lead off batter Daniel Manus gets a double. Frank Bukoski also gets a double driving in Manus. Ephan does a repeat and in comes Bukoski. Next batter Rittmeister gets on with a single and following batter, Mahuiki drives in Ephan. East Kauai does not score in the fourth inning and the score is now tied at 13 all. West Kaua‘i fails to score in the fifth but East Kauai comes up with the much needed single run off a base hit by Kubo who comes in on a fielders choice hit by Sam Fong. After five complete innings the score is West Kaua‘i 13, East Kaua‘i 14. In the sixth inning West Kaua‘i scatters some magic dust and scores three big runs off base hits from Ephan, Rittmeister and a HR from Mahuiki. East Kaua‘i manages to score a single run in the sixth off a base hit from Youn and a RBI from Koerte. The score after six is West Kaua‘i 16, East Kaua‘i 15. No runs for West Kauai in the seventh. For East Kaua‘i; Jerome Hew gets on with a single and is taken out at second on a fielders choice hit by Kohler. Les Kubo then drives in Kohler on a base hit bringing the game to a tie at 16 each. Al Salvador also gets a single and Kubo advances to second base. Next batter strikes out for out number two. Next batter Norman Holt hits a single up center field allowing Kubo to score the go ahead run and the game is all over for West Kaua‘i.
Losing pitcher for West Kaua‘i was Frank Bukoski, winning pitcher for East Kaua‘i was Ronnie Holt. Hitters for West Kaua‘i were: Manus, Bukoski, Riveira, and Patt with 2 for 4, Ephan and Rittmeister with 3 for 3, Mahuiki and Garma with 3 for 4. Hitters for East Kaua‘i were: Norman Holt with 1 for 2, Victorino, Koerte, and Hew with 2 for 4, Youn with 3 for 3, Salvador with 3 for 4, and Kubo with 4 for 4.
Next games will be at Kaumakani park on June 19 starting at 9.00 a.m. with K-Makule meeting Lihue followed by Lihu‘e meeting East Kaua‘i, Kuku’s Aces meeting the Rookies and West Kaua‘i meeting Kawaihau.
