HANAPEPE — Two KIF teams took the field in the championship game of the 17th Annual Waimea High School Invitational Baseball Tournament on Saturday at Hanapepe Stadium, and the host Waimea Menehunes socked the Kapa’a Warriors 5-1 for the title.
HANAPEPE — Two KIF teams took the field in the championship game of the 17th
Annual Waimea High School Invitational Baseball Tournament on Saturday at
Hanapepe Stadium, and the host Waimea Menehunes socked the Kapa’a Warriors 5-1
for the title.
It was the second straight tourney final loss for the
Warriors who lost to Kaua’i High in the title game of the Ron Martin tourney
last week.
Ashley Vidinha got the nod on the hill for the Menehunes and
Allen Mundon got the start for the Warriors.
Waimea broke the ice in the
top of the third inning. as Jesse Sablan got on with a leadoff walk and
promptly stole second base. Joshua Maeda followed with a stinging single to
right, moving Sablan to third. On a 2-0 count to Scott Yamase, Maeda stole
second to put both runners in scoring position. Yamase was hit by a pitch to
load the bases, and Vance Matsumoto singled to left field, scoring Sablan for a
1-0 lead. Rocky Aviguetero hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Maeda
from third base to make it 2-0.
After the Warriors were held to a two-out
single in the bottom half of the third, Waimea came out looking for more in the
top of the fourth. With one out, Sablan walked and Maeda hit an infield fly. An
error on a Yamase ground ball advanced Sablan to third before a wild pitch to
Matsumoto scored Sablan and moved Yamase to second. Matsumoto and Aviguetero
both walked to load the bases and William Rita’s bloop single to right scored
Yamase and Matsumoto, making it 5-0 in favor of the Menehunes.
Kapa’a
finally answered in the bottom of the sixth as leadoff man Ikaika Pezario got
aboard on four straight balls from Vidinha. Sean Tamura followed with a first
pitch infield single to put runners on first and second. After a fly ball to
center for the first out, Pezario and Tamura attempted a double steal, but
Pezario was cut down at third on a heads-up throw by Waimea’s Matsumoto to Elia
Taala. Tamura took second and Justin Matsukawa came through with a clutch
single up the middle to drive him home for the Warriors’ lone run of the
contest.
After Waimea went out in order in the top half of the seventh, the
Warriors showed they still had a little fight left. Robin Lore took four
straight balls for a walk. Royce Rapozo worked the count up to 3-1 and sent a
solid shot down the first base line that went foul by inches. After fouling off
another tough pitch by Vidinha, Rapozo took ball four to put runners on first
and second with no outs. Vidinha showed that he wasn’t ready to leave the
contest as he bore down after a quick time out by Menehune coach Kui Souza and
struck out Branden Bonilla on a called check-swing third strike. He then
induced catcher Robert Merkel to pop out to the shortstop for the second out.
Pezario came up and drove a pitch to deep right field, but right fielder Kalae
Mata raced back to make the grab and end the contest.
In his complete-game
winning performance, Vidinha gave up one run, five hits and five walks. Mundon
went five innings in taking the loss, and gave up five runs on six hits and
five bases on balls. Lore pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the
Warriors.
These same two teams open the KIF season on Saturday, March 25
with a double-header at Hanapepe Ball Park.
Waimea
Tournament
Thursday, March 9
* Waimea 12, Hawai’i Prep 2
Kapa’a 9, Leilehua 2
* Campbell 7, Seabury Hall 2
* Hilo 5, Kaua’i 4
Friday, March 10
* Seabury Hall 6, Hawai’i Prep 5
* Kapa’a
17, Hilo 4
* Kaua’i 7, Leilehua 4
* Waimea 7, Campbell 1
Saturday, March 11
* 7th place: Leilehua 14, Hawai’i Prep 0
* 5th place: Kaua’i 25, Seabury Hall 1
* 3rd place: Campbell 3, Hilo
2
* Championship: Waimea 5 Kapa’a 1
