HANAPEPE — B.J. Freitas broke a 2-2 deadlock in the fourth inning with an RBI triple to lead Hanapepe to a 7-3 win in the first of two games Sunday at Hanapepe Stadium in the Kaua‘i Protect Our Nation’s Youth
HANAPEPE — B.J. Freitas broke a 2-2 deadlock in the fourth inning with an RBI triple to lead Hanapepe to a 7-3 win in the first of two games Sunday at Hanapepe Stadium in the Kaua‘i Protect Our Nation’s Youth baseball league.
The Hanapepe victory pushes the blueshirts to a 9-2 record, clinching the regular-season PONY championship.
Sunday’s game was the second of three make-up games remaining on the Hanapepe and Kekaha slate. Thursday, Hanapepe moved a step closer to clinching the title after taking a 15-3 win over Kekaha at the Kekaha field in the first make-up game.
Dondi Viquelia, the Kaua‘i PONY commissioner, said a single win Sunday would give the regular-season title to Hanapepe.
But the Kekaha Boyz were not out as the team looked at a 6-4 standing following the Thursday loss; they needed a Sunday sweep to force a three-way tie for the title with Lihu‘e, finishing the season 8-4.
Kekaha came to play, pushing two runs across the plate early as its lead-off hitter capitalized on a Hanapepe error and settled at second base.
Nick Salas, the Kekaha starting pitcher, followed with a two-run in-the-park-homerun to rightfield for the 2-0 bulge with no outs.
But the hard-throwing Salas had his ups and downs on the mound as Hanapepe patiently waited for its window.
Ka‘eo Parongao nudged the window open in the second inning, getting first on a walk and scoring on a wild pitch to pull the blueshirts back into contention.
Kamalei Compoc-Dela Cruz, the Hanapepe catcher, deadlocked the match, 2-2 in the third frame, crossing on another Kekaha passed ball.
By that time, Freitas, the Hanapepe pitcher, had settled down and a good mix from his bag kept Kekaha bats at bay.
In the bottom of the fourth, Freitas lit up the scoreboards with his RBI triple and came home on a Mikey Rita fielder’s choice for the 4-2 go-ahead.
More pitching woes beset Kekaha as Salas hit two Hanapepe batters and a walk pushed the scoreboard to a 6-2 Hanapepe lead in the fifth inning. Another Rita fielder’s choice saw the Hanapepe first baseman crossing for the 7-2 lead.
But Salas was not out of the picture yet as he crossed in the sixth inning for Kekaha’s final run. Freitas shut down Kekaha in the seventh, striking out two of the three Kekaha batters for the title.
Kaua‘i PONY teams start a single-elimination tournament starting May 25. Details for that tournament will be forthcoming.
