LIHU‘E — The Lihu‘e Protect Our Nation’s Youth Bronco All-Stars played an all-around strong game to win the PONY Sectional Tournament, Saturday, at the Lihu‘e County Park. Cal Koga threw a complete-game victory for the 6-0 win over West Kaua‘i,
LIHU‘E — The Lihu‘e Protect Our Nation’s Youth Bronco All-Stars played an all-around strong game to win the PONY Sectional Tournament, Saturday, at the Lihu‘e County Park.
Cal Koga threw a complete-game victory for the 6-0 win over West Kaua‘i, allowing no runs on two hits, but striking out 11 West Kaua‘i batters. His performance on the mound also yielded one walk with two West Kaua‘i batters hit by pitches.
The strong Lihu‘e pitching was complimented by an equally strong showing in the batter’s box where the Lihu‘e bats sang for 10 hits on its six runs, Koga, filling in the lead-off slot, getting a 3-for-4 showing in the box with an RBI in the sixth inning.
Micah Layosa, coming off a strong showing on the mound during Thursday’s opening game in the best-of-three series, finished 2-for-3 in the batters’ box and scored twice.
John Dumlao also finished 2-for-3 in the box and scored twice with two RBI, pushing Kurt Rapozo home in the first frame and scoring Layosa in the third inning.
Rapozo, Brayden Abreu and Kobey Dias finished with singles, Rapozo and Abreu each scoring once.
West Kaua‘i hits came off Brayden Silva, anchoring the mound after a strong performance at shortstop, Thursday, and Kili Kelekoma at third base.
Lihu‘e opened strong with three runs on three hits and a West Kaua‘i miscue as Rapozo opened on a two-bag bang to leftfield followed by a Layosa single with one out. Dumlao smacked an RBI single to leftfield, the only two times Lihu‘e went there as the trades began to pull the ball to the right.
Dumalo’s hit scored Rapozo with Layosa following on a Jared Killeen sacrfice fly to right field, and Dumlao marking the third run in the frame on the West Kaua‘i miscue.
But West Kaua‘i did not roll over, starting strong with two runners left aboard on Silva’s hit. West Kaua‘i went on to leave a runner stranded in the second, fourth, and fifth innings.
In the fourth inning, West Kaua‘i ignited its fan base on a strong double play when Patrick Keamoai-Strickland, anchoring the mound, Thursday, was able to get the ball from Rapozo’s sacrifice fly to center field back to catcher Levi Sagucio for a tag of Kobey Dias, getting first on an error, on a tag-up play.
West Kaua‘i pulled off another double play in the sixth inning on a Lihu‘e hit-and-run play when Rapozo hit into a fly to Ty Tomimoto at second base who put out Koga, already rounding second, on a throw to first baseman Kailen Pablo-Ottoman.
With the win, the Lihu‘e PONY Bronco All Stars will join its Mustang counterparts in Hilo for the State PONY Region Tournament, June 25-29.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
