AJA cream rising to top

Kalaheo, Hanapepe win and begin to pull away from pack

HANAPEPE — First

place Kalaheo maintained its lead in the Kaua’i AJA Baseball League by edging

Makaweli 10-9 last Sunday at Hanapepe Stadium.

Kalaheo also remained

undefeated at 3-0-1.

Hanapepe out-slugged Lihu’e 14-13 to improve to 3-1

and move into sole possession of second place.

The two league-leaders will

meet in a showdown this Sunday at Vidinha Stadium at 1 p.m.

Lihu’e will go

up against Kapa’a in the early 10 a.m. game.

In the two games last Sunday,

there were 45 hits.

Kalaheo 10, Makaweli 9

Liko Pereira cranked a solo

home run and two singles for the winners. He also drove in two runs and scored

three.

Kainoa Santos also had a big day for Kalaheo with a triple, a double

and two singles with two RBI. Other offensive contributors included Kalani

Salazar and Jason Koga with two hits each and Galen Itamura with a two-run

double.

Duane Miyasato pitched four middle innings for Kalaheo and took the

win. Itamura was the starter and Koga finished up.

The Makaweli offense was

powered by Ikaika Pezario with two hits and two RBI, Micah Furtado with an RBI

double, and Tyler Kobayashi with a double and three runs scored.

Mike

Shimatsu, who was relieved by Jason Nakata, suffered the pitching

loss.

Makaweli led by 5-4 after two innings and 6-5 after four innings, but

Kalaheo came back with four runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth to take

the game away.

Hanapepe 14, Lihu’e 13

David Hanashiro tagged a grand

slam home run for Hanapepe in this slugfest.

Hanashiro also had two singles

and he finished with a total of seven RBI.

Others joining in offensively

for the winners were Kelly Robinson with four singles and three RBI, Davin

Yamase with two hits and three runs scored, Scott Yamase with two singles and

two RBI.

Robinson, the third of three Hanapepe hurlers, gained the pitching

win. Wendall Nonaka was the starter and Chris Dela Cruz also made a pitching

appearance

Barry Kawamura, the middle of three Lihu’e pitchers, took the

loss. Blaine Tsukayama and Mike Cardinez also worked the mound for

Lihu’e.

Lihu’e’s got its offense from David Bukoski with a double, single

and three runs scored, Cardinez with two doubles and a single, Dan Tanimoto

with four stolen bases, and Kawamura with two hits.

Hanapepe took an 9-4

lead after four innings, but Lihu’e roared back to go ahead 10-9 and

13-10.

Hanapepe made the final charge with four runs in the bottom of the

seventh to win it.