KonaBaseball.com men's hardball league - 2007 Archives

Winter brings baseball managers out for initial meeting

Excitement is beginning to build as the new baseball season approaches. Managers are recruiting players as a record pace, each team hoping to dethrone the might Mariners, undefeated in 2006. With ALL players in the league deemed to be free agents at year's end, several teams launched campaigns right away on New Years Day.

The 7-team league was condensed to six teams in 2006, but all indications are that West Hawaii will, once again, have seven teams in 2007. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Come January 31st, we will see how many managers render their $100 deposit at the managers' meeting. The event, scheduled for 5:00 p.m., is when and where such declarations are to be made. The declaration fee for teams entering the league after 1/31/07 is $175.

In the first managers' meeting, held January 17th, team declarations were made by the Black Sox, the Kona Crush and the Angels. Subsequently, Ray Uribes (former co-manager of the Steelers), declared a team sponsored by Waikoloa Chevron (likely to be named the Dodgers). Holdouts are the Mariners, the Steelers and the Hurricanes.

New teams and other interested individuals are invited to join the gathering at Simmons Field, near the gymnasium/pool in the Old Airport complex. For more information, call Jim at 883-3331.

The managers met for the annual declaration of intent. The Mariners and the Hurricanes came to the table, but not the Steelers. Nevertheless, a seven team league seems most likely in 2007. The Dodgers, Angels, Thunder, Crush, and Black Sox round out a field of seven competitors.

Accordingly, unless there is a last-minute entry of an eight team, the seven-team format of the 2005 schedule will be used and adapted to the 2007 calendar. The rumored entry of a team sponsored by Hooters would prompt a 2-division format of four teams each.

New players are invited to participate in the free-agent draft in April. Interested individuals should call Jim Donovan at 883-3331.

8.0 Earthquakes registered as a result of the free agent draft

With spring fever in the air, baseball players turned out in strong numbers for the KonaBaseball.com free agent draft day at Simmons Field on Sunday. The seven teams' managers, faced with the dilemma of swelling ranks in their rosters, mutually agreed to forego a full 2007 draft in order to enable the establishment of another team in the men's hardball league. Under the direction of league veteran player Jeff Bailey, the Earthquakes have emerged as the eighth team.

Chris Brunson was the top free agent in this year's draft, but the Black Sox immediately optioned him to the newly-formed Earthquakes. The gesture was apparently designed to foster parity in the league by giving Bailey's startup organization a stronger roster. The details of the transaction were not disclosed, but future concessions to the Black Sox were rumored.

A new, eight-team schedule is now available on the web site and supersedes the seven-team schedule previously posted. A printable "pdf" file is also available for downloading. Regular season play begins May 6, 2007.

New players of all ages and levels of skill are still invited to join the league, even if they missed the formal free-agent draft. Interested individuals are invited to call Jim Donovan at 883-3331. With the league's recent expansion, there are a few positions available on several teams' rosters. There are a couple of opportunities for scorekeepers and umpires. Both are compensated activities.

Waikoloa Chevron Dodgers' debut is more than just "gas"

Brad McPherron will forever hold the Dodgers' record for first base hit, first stolen base, and first run scored. And that was the only run given up by the Angels' Gerardo Ibarra, eventually tagged with the 1-0 loss.

Sporting new uniforms (courtesy of team sponsor Transmission Technology), the Angels simply could not get "into gear" offensively in this game. But let's give some credit to the pitching of Brian Moore who was impressive in his league debut as he captured the victory and to Chris Brown who snuffed out a last-inning Angels' rally to preserve the save.

The Dodgers held their opponents in check, except for one. The Angels' slugger Adrian Villanueva reached third base twice, but was left stranded both times, including the play that ended the game.

Scoreless through three innings, the Mountain Thunder's Carl Pires and the Hawaii Hoku Star Realty Crush's Cameron Kawai were embroiled in a pitchers' duel. Both teams' defensive play was crisp on this opening day, and the quality of KonaBaseball.com league action was already in mid-season form.

The Crush finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth when J.R. Mori walked and later came around to score on Ray Estrella's base hit. The Thunder answered with a game-tying run in the seventh inning at the expense of relief pitcher Eduardo Andrews (last year's MVP of the Black Sox team).

But, in the end, it was Andrews who was in the right place at the right time to record the win, tipping his hat to teammate Cameron Kawai. Afterall, it was Cameron Kawai who did the lion's share of the pitching (the starter who left the mound with a lead), and it was Cameron Kawai who used his keen base-running prowess to score the winning run in walk-off fashion.

The reigning league champion Mariners, undefeated in 2006, are stamping their authority again in 2007. In contrast to Sunday's early-day games (both defensive nailbiters), the mighty M's wasted no time in taking their opponents' shrimpboats out to sea, tallying a final catch of 10-0.

For the haberdashery-sponsored KonaHeadz Mariners, Keegan Lerma pitched a two-hit shutout, accommplishing the feat of striking out the side 1-2-3 in the second inning. The Mariners' offensive attack was led by youth players Klifford Hawkins (star of the Makua Lani High School team) and Keao Fessenden (star of the Konawaena High School team), each plating thrice.

Debuting pitcher Whitman Van Velsor took the loss for the Bubba Gumps Hurricanes. The always-hungry Mariners simply "sampled" his box of chocolates all game.

Black Sox spoil Earthquakes' debut, but who gives a hoot?

It was an unusual Mother's Day for Cindy Hanna, watching both her son and husband in action - for opposing teams. Interestingly, with this year's expansion to an eight-team league, son Craig joined the new Earthquakes while Craig, Sr. remained a coach for the Black Sox.

Instead of Mom fretting over a nail-biter, the pressure was off by the end of the second inning. The Black Sox went on to seal the issue in the third inning, scoring eight times, and they were off to the races, winning by a final tally of 16-5. Royden Leong yielded two runs in the top of the first, but settled down to earn the pitching victory.

For Jeff Bailey's Earthquakes, there is hope on the horizon. Aside from that wild-n-crazy third inning, the newly-assembled group of players looked reasonably good both on the field and in the dugout. Uniformly clad in new shirts, courtesy of the team's partial-sponsor Hooters, the orange-and-black Earthquakes are the new kids on the block.

For Mike Sofranko's Mountain Thunder team, crossing home plate has been all but impossible so far this season. Starting pitcher Dmitriius Ludwig was highly effective through four innings, marred only by Angel Oscar Delgado's RBI triple in the second inning. But, without offensive support, that one run was enough to cost Ludwig and the Thunder the game.

With all this whimpy weather talk (thunder that is little more than a "grumble" and earthquakes that barely "tickle" the Richter scale), we finally had a hurricane in Sunday's third game.

Chris Nelson led all scorers with a pair of runs for the Bubba Gumps Hurricanes. Whitman Van Velsor went the distance for the pitching victory. Other than a brief wild spell in the fifth inning that cost him two runs, his box of chocolate samples was bitter for the Crush's batsmen all game. That stingey array of pitches, coupled with crisp defensive play by his Hurricane teammates, preserved a win with the narrowest of margins, 3-2.

Even tough Kealii Cecil was charged with the loss for the Crush, he surely must have made his mom Julie proud on this Mother's Day, the lanky 15-year-old having taken the step up from high school ball to the men's league. But this ain't no mama's boys' league, and the Hurricanes reminded him of that.

Mariners dodge threat, remain unbeaten, 3-2

The Waikoloa Chevron Dodgers gave the Mariners a wake-up call Sunday morning, almost upsetting the league's reigning champs. It was the first time in quite awhile that last season's undefeated team found itself looking uphill at its foe - this time a newly-assembled team from Waikoloa.

The Dodgers jumped off to a 2-0 lead, a lead that held up until the fourth inning when the Mariners finally cracked through. The M's tied the game in the fifth, then captured the lead for themselves in their next at-bat. Klifford Hawkins' produced the game-winning RBI, plating Matt Harris in the sixth inning.

Matt's brother, freshly graduated (U.H. Manoa) Gabe Harris, was a bit rusty in his return to the Mariners, going hitless with a strike-out. Apparently, his studies took priority. Nevertheless, the mighty Mariners, under the direction of their father, player/coach Michael Harris, prevailed once again.

The late contest was a disappointment for Mountain Thunder, a team that cannot seem to score in 2007. Conversely, across the diamond the Black Sox were poised to maintain their sophomore team's winning start this season. Royden Leong, now atop the charts with a 2-0 start this year, pitched a 3-hitter in the 5-inning shutout, a game shortened by the 10-run mercy rule. Complementing those efforts, teammate Mailo Blair stood out as the offensive player of the game, smashing a pair of solid doubles, coming around to score each time.

For Mountain Thunder team captain Mike Sofranko, the 2007 season has begun on a rocky note. Aggressive offseason recruiting of free agents cost the Thunder several key players this year (including a pair to the Black Sox - a situation that seemed, on this day, to sting like salt rubbed on a wound), and Sofranko has his work cut out for him.

Black Sox roll the dice well against Hurricanes, 11 - 7

By the time winning pitcher Shiloh Chenoweth stepped on the field at the start of the second inning, his Black Sox teammates had already given him an eight-run lead over the Bubba Gumps Hurricanes, and there was no way he would be giving that kind of lead away to anyone.

It was as though the Southbound, LLC Black Sox were taking batting practice off of losing pitcher Matt Cunningham, everyone except Atlee, Mailo, and Chris scoring in that wild first inning (and we all know that those three guys usually aren't much good). The only surprise here is that Craig Hanna, Sr. didn't come in as a pinch hitter and get in on some of the action.

The newly-formed Affordable Business Services Earthquakes, resulting from KonaBaseball.com's expansion in 2007, celebrated their inaugural victory Sunday in top fashion. Winning pitcher Craig Hanna, Jr. relied upon his defensive teammates, and that trust was well founded. Offensively, multiple scores were recorded by Tyler Roy, Jason Hurst and Jeff Barbas.

Winning pitcher Jorge Perez was outstanding in relief, striking out seven batters in a span of only two-and-two-thirds innings, shutting down a powerful lineup of Mariners. The losing pitcher, Andrew Wanat, was also quite good on this day. But someone had to be the one on the mound when the Mariners' winning streak eventually would come to an end, and he gets the lucky honor.

Knotted at two runs apiece, the game went into extra innings when the Angels turned to Emilio Garcia, pinch hitter. He pulled off his cowboy boots, grabbed his baseball spikes, and proceeded to draw a full-count walk. Subsequently, he come around to score the walk-off, game-winning run when Gerardo Ibarra punched a base hit over the heads of the drawn-in defensive Mariner players - and the place literally went bananas.

The KonaHeadz Mariners streak consisted of the entire 2006 season (12 regular season games and 4 playoff victories) plus 2 games here in 2007. The last time the Mariners lost was on October 2, 2005 in that season's championship game when the Kona Crush beat them, 6-5.

Cam Crushes Angels' hopes and prayers, 9 - 1

The Kona Crush's winning pitcher Cameron Kawai scored three times himself Sunday morning, appearing to almost single-handedly beat the Transmission Technology Angels. He struck out five batters, but also relied upon the quality play of his teammates. Player/manager J.R. Mori posted a pair of runs, and the contributions of on-the-field player/co-manager Eduardo Andrews were instrumental in taking the youthful Crush team to its third victory of the season and to the top spot in the Mauka division.

The losing pitcher was Manuel Gonzalez, the Crush seeming to have the "manual" on him from the very start. Angels' junk-ball pitchers Gerrardo Ibarra and Jesse Guzman faired better in relief, but the damage had already been done. Even then, the leak in the boat was never patched as the Crush went on to score three more runs to seal the issue.

In the losing cause, Angels' first baseman Martin Morones thrilled the crowd with three solid smacks to the deepest parts of the ballpark, only to see two of them tracked down by the fleet-footed Crush outfielders. His other at-bat resulted in a base hit and subsequent plate-crossing, accounting for the Angels' only tally.

Mountain Thunder's losing pitcher Carl Pires appears to have drawn the short straw on this day. Without offensive support, the best of pitchers cannot win games. And that has been the sad saga of the Mountain Thunder team this season - no run support. Today was a little different, the batsmen producing a pair of scores, but not enough to get the job done.

On the other side, Dodgers' winning pitcher Brian Moore improved to 2-1, thanks in large part to several new additions to the team, none of any lesser importance than the versatile Tyler Tveit, the former Black Sox catcher who, as a free agent, joined the local Waikoloa team (the Dodgers) just last Friday. Immediately put into action, he produced a pair of RBI's and recorded the pitching save for his hometown Chevron-sponsored team only two days later.

With last place on the line, Sunday's third game turned out to be the most entertaining of the day, a come-from-behind victory packed with excitement. In relief, the Affordable Business Services Earthquakes' winning pitcher Jason Hurst was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the opponents' miscues. However, in the late innings he needed help from Pono Kadooka, picking up the save by squelching a last-ditch effort mounted by the Bubba Gumps Hurricanes.

For Bubba Gumps, their box of chocolate remained intact, but all of the cookies crumbled the wrong way for them in the 5th inning. With the bases loaded, the Hurricane infield booted four back-to-back grounders, each one with "inning-ending double play" written all over it. Instead, the errors cost them run after run and, eventually, the precious lead. Losing pitcher Eric Simbeck did what a relief pitcher should do with men on base - get the opponents to hit ground balls. On this day, however, his efforts were misplaced.

The unlikeliest of heroes was a "ZZ Top" - looking, senior member within our local multi-generational league. It was none other than the stoutly-statured Dave Strohl's plate-crossing in the sixth inning that turned out to be the game winner for the Earthquakes.

Mariners survive scare, end Black Sox's winning streak, 12-8

After jumping out to a nine-run lead, the KonaHeadz Mariners allowed the undefeated Southbound LLC Black Sox back into the game Sunday morning, almost a fatal mistake. In the third inning, the league leaders posted eight runs of their own, and the margin was reduced to the narrowest of possibilities. From that point forward, however, it was "business as usual" for the reigning league champs. The Mariners did not allow another score, and as the game progressed, put three additional insurance runs on the scoreboard themselves to run out winners.

One might think that a ten-run lead would be safe in almost any baseball contest. In fact, after five innings, a lead of that size invokes the "mercy" rule (also known as the "slaughter" rule - depending on one's point of view) in the KonaBaseball.com league. Unfortunately for the Bubba Gumps Hurricanes, apparently comfortable with their early success, they forgot to play the rest of the game.

On the other hand, the Waikoloa Chevron Dodgers realized that if they maintained a steady course against their jackrabbit-like opponents, the tortoise would perhaps arrive at the finish line first - and that's exactly what happened . Persistent and focused, the Dodgers scored two runs in their half of the first, added five more in the second inning, another run in each inning: fourth and fifth; then grabbed the lead in the sixth inning with a pair of plate crossings. Offensive credits go to the Dodgers' Wailupe Diaz for hitting a triple and to Brian Culbertson for scoring the game-winning run.

The Dodgers' winning pitcher was Chris Brown who, in relief, was able to continue to keep the Hurricanes in check. This allowed his teammates the time needed to catch up on the scoreboard. The Bubba Gumps' losing pitcher was Whitman Van Velsor, this time his box of chocolate samples melting in the sun as inning after inning was prolonged by the Hurricanes' fielding errors.

In what may have seemed to be a carbon copy of last week's 8-7 game, the Kona Crush stamped its authority over the Angels by ousting them again, both wins logged by Cameron Kawai. In the bottom of the seventh, the Crush loaded the bases with nobody out. The Angels proceeded to retire a pair, but then lost the game when losing pitcher Jorge Perez threw a wild pitch over which he will probably agonize all week. The game-ending play allowed Shadoe Valenzuela to score.

The Crush's victory solidifies that team's position atop the Mauka division standings. In addition, having already faced the Angels twice (and defeated them both times), that potential tie-breaker (for seeding in the playoffs) is already established. For the Angels, the taste is even more bitter as, on this day, they also watch the Dodgers pass them by in the standings.

On this side of the island, Mariners keep Earthquakes in check, 12-2

While geological reports were tracking as many as several hundred tremors in the Volcano area of the Big Island Sunday morning, calm seas and good fishing were the Father's Day presents of the day for the Mariners here in Kona. Taking an early six-run lead, the KonaHeadz Mariners never looked back as they cruised to a ten-run victory over the Earthquakes.

Andrew Wanat overpowered the Earthquakes' batters all game, going the distance for his third win of the season. Offensively, the Mariners' Larry Stoich was accidentally hit by pitches twice in the game, "taking one for the team" in both the first and fourth innings. But, having the last laugh, he made the opponents pay the toll, leading all scorers in the contest.

Recognizing the power of the mighty M's lineup, Earthquakes manager Jeff Bailey's strategy was to call upon Craig Hanna, Jr. as his starting pitcher, a junk ball specialist. It was for that reason that he was selected, offering a change-of-pace to the diet of fastballs that the Mariners always seem to enjoy. C. J. (eventually charged with the loss) was tagged in the first inning, but went unscathed in the second. Keeping with his plan, the 'quakes manager turned to fastballer Jason Hurst. But the contrast in pitching styles was no problem for the Mariners, equally adept at clobbering him in the third inning. From that point forward, Hurst settled down, but the devastation had already occurred.

Billed as a blockbuster, Sunday's noon game did not disappoint anyone - except the Angels' fans ... but not until the very the end.

For the halos, a very sound performance by Solomon Vasquez went to waste, one pitch costing him the game when the Black Sox's Bryant Komo skied a 3-run homer over the left-field fence. While such an occurence may be routine elsewhere, hitting a baseball over the fence of an NCAA-regulation baseball field AT SEA LEVEL is a true feat. In fact, Komo's blast was the first out-of-the-park home run this season in the KonaBaseball.com league.

On this Father's day, perhaps it was Gerardo Ibarra who enjoyed festivities most. Despite the fact that his team went down to defeat, his relief pitching was absolutely superb, and he was regularly treated to stereophonic "Go Dad!" cheering throughout the game, prompting one to ponder, "How many kids does this guy have?"

The winning pitcher was Royden Leong (now tied with the Crush's Cameron Kawai atop the league's pitching stats) with Shiloh Chenoweth picking up the save.

Well, it was finally time for Mountain Thunder to wake up and smell the coffee, notching its first win in the 2007 season. Sunday's third game turned out to be an exciting battle of the basements, the two division cellar-dwellers facing off.

For Mountain Thunder, multiple plate-crossings (did I say that?) were logged by Andrew Emsley, Jim Nestman, Tony Mancuso and Ian Glass. The "glass man" also picked up the save in relief of winning pitcher Shadow Diessner.

Across the diamond, the Bubba Gumps Hurricanes' frustration continues, having lost three 1-run games this season - the last two by identical scores. So there are no chuckles about a "box of chocolates" or "stupid is as stupid does" in this week's report. But tell me, Forrest, how do you allow one of your guys to get picked off first base late in a game when you're down by only one run?

Dodgers good, but Crushed 4th inning

Instead of looking at the final score of 7-5 from the loser's prospective, things might have been much different for the Dodgers, had they not broken down in the fourth inning Sunday morning.

Perhaps it was a mistake to replace starting pitcher Brian Moore so soon, effective through three innings, leaving the mound with game tied. Reliever Kyle Tsukiji faced only two batters, both reaching base safely and coming around to score. The new inning started by Clarence Alcoran's double. More trouble ensued when Dodger skipper Ray Uribes used a quick hook, replacing his hurler with Chris Brown. Brown yielded two more singles, issued a walk, and commited a balk, all of which cost the Dodgers dearly on this Sunday morning.

For the victors, Cameron Kawai notched his league-leading fourth victory of the season with no defeats, and Clarence Alcoran recorded the save. Despite the loss, Dodgers Ross Tanenbaum and Brad McPherron provided multiple scores. For the victorious Crush, Cameron Kawai helped his own cause by also scoring twice.

Highlights of the game were captured by local sports television personality Rosey Rosenthal for airing on local access channel 54 on Saturday morning, June 30th at 7:00 a.m., scheduled to be re-broadcast on Sunday evening, July 1st at 8:00 p.m.

Similar to the morning game, Sunday noon's contest can be summed up very simply - the fourth inning went to pieces. This time, however, it was the time for the Thunder to blunder. In actuality, after starting the season with four straight losses, the beleagured Mountain Thunder team has been playing some very good baseball lately, almost good enough to toppled the might Mariners.

Both teams' pitchers went the distance, feats in themselves, given the full sunshine early afternoon Kona weather. The game was scoreless through three innings, each side bringing only 10 batters to the plate. The ice was finally broken in the fourth inning when the visiting Mariners reminded the boys from the mountains of the power and punch of the reigning champions' lineup, plating five.

Mountain Thunder put a run on the board themselves in the ir half of the fourth,then tied matters in the bottom of the fifth. That "new ballgame" feel swept across the lightning-bolt attired bench, and everyone knuckled down for what might just be a major upset in the KonaBaseball.com league.

After a controversial trade that sent Mountain Thunder's Dmitriius Ludwig and Ronnie Walzer to the Earthquakes, the game began under protest - one that would never be needed. The freshly-acquired Ludwig was immediately put to task, the task of pitching ... and he went the distance for his new teammates.

The one-run variance in the score makes the game look closer than it was, the Black Sox seeming to remain in control all afternoon. Shiloh Chenoweth eclipsed all players offensively with three runs scored. Credit should be given to the Earthquakes for their tenacity, mounting multiple run rallies in their final two at-bats. However, in reality, the game belonged to the Black Sox.

Mariners suffer 2nd loss of year - this time to the Crush

The Crush extended its lead in the Makai division and simultaneously knocked the Mariners off the top perch in the Makai division with a 10-6 victory Sunday morning.

The winning pitcher was Cameron Kawai (5-0), who was a one-man show, scoring three runs himself. Player/manager J.R. Mori picked up the save for the Crush. The Mariners' Andrew Wanat took the loss.

Both teams were able to score runs, but the Crush seemed to be able to score them in bunches. Rallies in the third and seventh innings were the difference. By contrast, the Mariners scattered their attack, and it fell a little short each time.

When Angels' starting pitcher Gerardo Ibarra gave up a double to start the fourth inning, he knew that his highly effective "stuff" was gone. However, through three and two third innings, he and his Angels had played perfect baseball, and the overall effort was good enough to secure an 8-3 win. Teammate player/manager Oscar Delgado led by example, scoring multiple runs.

Hard luck pitcher Whitman Van Velsor was charged with the loss for the Bubba Gumps Hurricanes. The second inning was this week's heartache for Bubba Gumps, as Van Velsor walked five Angel batters. However, even though he was not able to find the strike zone, one pitch did result in a hit batsman. Finally, when the dust cleared, six runs worth of irreperable damage had occurred. As Forrest Gump said, "_ _ IT HAPPENS".

The Black Sox took the lead early and never looked back on their way to a 5-2 decision over the Waikoloa Chevron Dodgers in Sunday's third game. The victory lifted the Sox into first place in the Makai division standings, nudging past the once-unbeatable Mariners.

Royden Leong (4-0) remained perfect in season 2007, earning the victory for the Black Sox. The Dodgers' Chris Brown was charged with the defeat.

It was Bryant Komo's triple in the top of the fourth inning that sealed the deal for the Black Sox. Komo, a former Kealakehe High School standout (both academically and as a baseball player) was passed by as a walk-on at U.H. Manoa. He has been hitting the ball with authority each summer here in his home town league, prompting speculation that U.H. Coach Mike Trepasso might give Komo a closer look in 2008.

Thunder's hopes Crushed

Outmatched on paper, the Mountain Thunder played right up to its highly-favored opponent through four innings Sunday morning, the wheels coming off the wagon in the fifth when the Crush registered six tallies.

The winning pitcher was Sean Fujii in his 2007 debut for the Crush. A save was credited to Eduardo Andrews who provided strong middle-game relief, snuffing out any hopes of a meaningful Thunder rally. The loss was charged to Mountain Thunder's Shadow Diessner.

Manager Michael Sofranko has made some changes to the Mountain Thunder team recently, trading away three players to the Earthquakes and adding several new players from outside the league. With improved performance and enthusiasm, the Thunder seems to be on the right track. However, the Crush was too good a team on this particular day, the final score being 9-3.

If one were to look back to the last dozen games played by both teams (during the tail end of 2006 and to-date in 2007), each was coming off a 10-2 record as the clock struck noon on Sunday. Could it be that the second-year team was about to show everyone that the Black Sox are the new "team to beat"?

Well, the one-word answer is "no," and the longer answer is "at least not yet." Mariners' regulars Ric Cespedes, Matt Buxton and Aaron Shapiro each scored twice as did Andrew Wanat, helping his own cause on the mound to pick up his fifth win of the season. When all was said and done, the Mariners had reclaimed first place from the Black Sox with a final score was 10-5. Previously unbeaten Royden Leong took the loss for the Black Sox.

Adrian Villanueva led the offensive charge for the Mauka division 3rd place Angels in their 13-5 victory over the Makai division 3rd place Earthquakes in the late game Sunday afternoon. Manuel Gonzales was the winning pitcher for the Angels, with Jorge Perez earning the save.

Starting pitcher Craig Hanna, Jr. took the loss for the Earthquakes. In reality, however, he was more effective than relievers Dmitriius Ludwig and Jason Hurst, both of whom were treated rudely by the Angels' hitters.

The victory lifted the Angels into second place in the Mauka division, displacing the idle Dodgers.

Dodgers literally no match for Crush

After weeks of speculation that the Crush was going to forfeit its Saturday morning game, the surprise turned out to be that the Dodgers were one player short come gametime. Accordingly, a 15-0 forfeit was logged in the records in favor of the Crush.

According to league policy, a scrimmage game was held, any players in the league invited to fill in for missing players. In this case, the Crush decided to send three players over to the other side. Interestingly, a good balance was achieved, and the game turned out to be rather entertaining for everyone involved.

The forfeit puts the Dodgers at risk, should they fail to field a team a second time this season. If so, they would be automatically seeded last in the playoffs. You've gotta play or you're gonna pay!

The Angels had to come from behind to beat a stubborn Mountain Thunder team in the Saturday afternoon contest. Mountain Thunder started off the game with back-to-back singles by Jim Nestman and Jon Vitale, each coming around to score, giving starting pitcher Carl Pires a rarely experienced early-game lead. Unfortunately for him (and for them), it was not enough. By the time the fifth inning had past, Pires' two-hitter was history and so was his stint on the hill. Reliever Jon Vitale restored order for the duration of the game, but the Angels had already posted enough points on the scoreboard to go home in victorious triumph.

Jorge Perez was undoubtedly the star of the game. Despite yielding two scores at the very start, he scattered six hits over seven innings, keeping the Thunder lineup from mounting any other rallies. In addition to being named the winning pitcher, Perez scored twice, earning honors for the top offensive performance on the field.

Thunder finally really roars, Dodgers' weekend spoiled

It was the Kory Pulluain and Andrew Emsley show in Sunday morning's game, the two combining for six scores and an RBI to boot, leading the Mountain Thunder to a victory by the final score of 10-7. Pulluain also earned the pitching victory, and Jon Vitale was credited with the save.

Scrambling to finalize his lineup, Dodgers' manager Ray Uribes undoubtedly smelled trouble when his starting pitcher Tyler Tveit showed up at the field only moments before noon, hardly enough time to properly warm up. Could young muscles spring into action, simply at will? Could youth make up for the failure to properly prepare? The answer to those questions on this day was "no". Tveit's normally steady ship had its leaks in this game.

When all was said and done, the weekend had taken its greatest toll on the Dodgers, their two losses pushing the one-time division leaders down the standings to only one game out of the basement.

While the score of ten-zip spells an old-fashioned shellacking, the Earthquakes actually looked reasonably good in this game with solid field play. But you can't win games without runs, and the Richter scale did not register on this day.

Give credit to the Mariners' Andrew Wanat who was outstanding on the mound, shutting out the 'quakes. Over a 5-inning game (pursuant to the 10-run mercy rule), he recorded eight strikeouts, gave up no walks, and yielded only two singles.

In the true multigenerational spirit of the KonaBaseball.com league, there was an inning with Mariners' manager Michael Harris playing second base with sons Gabe and Matt at shortstop and first base respectively. Their failed attempt to pull off a double play fell short of what would have undoubtedly been a moment to remember.

With barely a moment left on the game clock (the 2.5 hour limit for last inning to begin), the Black Sox breathed another gasp of hope; they would get one more inning to overcome the 4-run deficit that the Hurricanes had handed them. But, be careful of what you wish for (not grammatically correct, but it sounds funny any other way it is written).

In this case, instead of the Black Sox' dream of pulling out a walk-off win, they were never able to get any Hurricanes out at all in the top of the new frame. Eventually (six runs later), umpire Sosimo Tabieros, Jr. (we just call him "Junior", because no one can seem to say "Sosimo" - not even him) called the game over. The light drizzle that began midgame had been turned up a notch or two (the Hurricane effect?), the skies were darkening, and baseballs were getting too hard to see in the chief umpire's opinion.

Had he been at the field, Tom Hanks himself would be proud of the performance of the Bubba Gumps team and winning pitcher Whitman Van Velsor. Shiloh Chenoweth took the loss for the Black Sox.

Too many Dodgers and not enough cans to crush

It is said that "turnabout is fair play". If so, the Dodgers got a dose of their own medicine Sunday morning ... the bitter-sweet taste of a victory, but only because their opponent failed to field a team of at least eight players. In identical fashion, the Dodgers forfeited to the Crush only a fortnight ago.

On this particular day, a number of the Crush team were involved in a softball tournament in Hilo. With so much depth in the roster, on-the-field player/coach Eduardo Andrews held hope that enough of their "maybe" youth players would arrive. However, come game time, the Crush was one "no-show" too many. According to league ruiles, a score of 15-0 is recorded for a forfeit.

It was like a wrestling match, each contestant appearing to have the other in a predicament, only to see the tables turned just a moment hence. The final score was 15-10, Black Sox pitcher Royden Leong picking up the win, with new-to-the-league Greg Aganowski suffering the loss in his debut for the Earthquakes.

The Black Sox took a 2-1 lead at the end of the first inning, only to have the Earthquakes plate four in the bottom of the second for a 5-2 reversal. Then in the third, the Black Sox tied matters at five, but the 'quakes answered by doubling up on their foes to take a 10-5 lead.

Nibbling back with two runs in the fourth inning, the Black Sox regained the lead with four more scores in the fifth. The barrage was highlighted by Bryant Komo's home run over the left field fence. From that point forward, the Earthquakes' bubble showed signs of having been burst, the Sox adding four more insurance runs in the last inning.

Thunderous weather for Angels

The Mountain Thunder really woke up and smelled the coffee Sunday morning, stunning a bewildered Angels team with an 11-1 decaffinating. It was the first walk-off victory of the season for the Thunder, Kory Pulluain doubling to score Joey DePaulo with game-ending run. That plate crossing took the Thunder's lead to ten runs, the variance that invokes the mercy rule.

The once-upon-a-time, down-and-out Thunder team looked more like a legitimate contender than an "also-ran" in this game. With only a few weeks left until the playoffs, this seems like a good time to start to gel, doesn't it?

The highlight of the game was a spectacular catch made by the Thunder's Mike Sofranko off the bat of the Angels' Manuel Gonzales, a fly ball that had "double" written all over it, but miraculously ended up in Sofranko's glove. Stunned by the catch, the Angels' baserunner Gerardo Ibarra found himself in no man's land, and he was doubled off.

The winning pitcher was Kory Pulluain, and Manuel Gonzales was tagged with the loss.

Lead-off batter Donald Goings started the game by doubling, sparking the Black Sox to a two-run opening frame, only for the Hurricanes to match matters with a pair of runs in their half of the first inning. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, they left the bases loaded, a saga that would repeat itself in the fourth inning and again in the sixth. And that was the essence of this particular game, Bubba Gumps unable to cash in at critical moments.

The casual observer would have thought that the Hurricanes were winning the game, so much base-running action by the burgundy-clad team. But the reality was that, when the chips were down, the Black Sox stiffened as though they suddenly found starch in their black (and sometimes raunchy old) socks.

Perhaps some of the defensive credit belongs to the Black Sox management for quick-hook decision making by Craig Hanna, Sr., utilizing the 4-man pitching combination of Sam Hori, Shiloh Chenoweth, Kai Miller, and Royden Leong, the latter two picking up the win and save, respectively.

It has been said that "candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker". By the end of the noon game, that saying appeared to be true: winning pitcher - Miller; losing pitcher - Whitman.

Having already pitched on Saturday, Dmitriius Ludwig was no match for the 2006 Champion Mariners team in Sunday's 3:00 p.m. game. By contrast, the Mariners' Andrew Wanat was more than capable of handling anyone who stepped into the batter's box, giving up only three hits to the opponents while striking out nine Earthquakes over five innings.

Multiple scores were provided by Kliff Hawkins, Gabe Harris, Matt Buxton, and Keao Fessenden, combining with their teammates for the ten-run-rule-shortened contest.

The two losses sufferred by the Earthquakes over the weekend put them into last place in the Makai division. But one's bad fortune often spells another's good fate. With luck being just that, the Hurricanes climbed out of the basement, despite their own loss earlier in the day.

Thunder, the new wonder

The Mountain Thunder team continues to improve with each game. Sunday morning, it was the Waikoloa Chevron Dodgers who felt the results of the Thunder's new enthusiasm, 16-1.

Jon Vitale was in control all morning on the mound for the Thunder, striking out nine batters in the 5-inning, mercy-rule-shortened massacre. Brian Moore was charged with the loss for the Waikoloa team.

Despite the wide variance on the scoreboard, there never was any hope of a shutout, the Dodgers striking quickly in the first inning. But that initial score was all the offense that the blue crew could muster Sunday morning.

By the end of the second inning, this game was essentially over, the Angels leaping out to a seven-zip lead. The Crush's youth pitcher Evan Moniz had difficulty finding the strike zone, and the Angels made him pay for his sins on this Sunday, annointing him with a loss.

Mariners' utility player Gabe Harris put on an old fashioned clinic in the late game Sunday smashing a pair of doubles and contributing four runs in another strong performance by the Mariners. Harris displayed great agility in the infield with several crisp plays and also made a rare pitching appearance in the seventh inning, closing out the Bubba Gumps Hurricanes 1-2-3 to end the game.

Teammate Klifford Hawkins also deserves kudos on this day for overall performance as does "new papa" Dusty Bauer, celebrating the birth of his new daughter with a triple and four RBI's.

For the somewhat ruffled Hurricanes, the only consolation may be that they "went the distance" against the mighty Mariners, a team whose opponents are all-too-often erased after five at-bats pusuant to the mercy rule. There was no knockout of the Bubba Gumps boys in this prizefight. The final score was a 10-1 decision, with a rematch scheduled for next week.

Mariners floss Hurricanes

With a real-world Hurricane named "Flossie" threatening to make its appearance on the Big Island, the Mariners simply "paid no never mind", completing their season sweep of Bubba Gumps, this time by the score of 11-5.

Andrew Wanat notched his league-leading ninth win while Keegan Lerma picked up his second save of the year.

The game began with a flurry of scoring (5 runs) by the Hurricanes in the first inning, prompting one to wonder if the laundry had mixed up the two teams' uniforms since last Sunday's affair. Not only were the 'canes dominating offensively, starting pitcher (but eventual loser) Matt Cunningham seemed to have the Mighty Mariners handcuffed, especially the top of that powerful lineup. Suddenly, there was one quick Mariner out in the third inning, and the Bubba Gumps' shrimp boat seemed to really be on cruise control. Just at that moment, however, happy days were over for Cunningham when Matt Buxton broke the silence with a blistering triple. From there, the middle to the bottom of the Mariners' lineup uncorked its array of bobbers in freshly-discovered fishing waters, six batters scoring in a row.

The Mariners never looked back, adding insurance runs in the fourth and fifth innings to run away winners. Larry Strozyk, Matt Harris, and Keegan Lerma each scored twice in the game, no such players doing so for the Hurricanes.

With this victory., the reigning league Champion Mariners have sewn up the Makai division title. For that, give credit to the team's manager Michael Harris, who maintained a strong squad while rebuilding. The loss of several key players to free agency, coupled with the moving to the mainland by last year's MVP and pitching ace Joel "took-a-walk" Zwak, the vulnerable Mariners were nevertheless steadfast in 2007, at least in the regular season. They can now look forward to a first-round pairing in the playoffs against either the Dodgers or the Thunder.

In what was a nip-n-tuck battle from the start, two well-matched teams entertained the crowd in the noon game Sunday.

The offensive difference in the game was Matt Orvis whose shrewd base running threw the Thunder's infield into a tizzy on more than one occasion. With three plate crossings, he accounted for all of the scoring by the Earthquakes. But he didn't beat the opponents single handedly. On the mound, workhorse pitcher Dmitriius Ludwig went the 7-inning distance, finally recording his first KonaBaseball.com league victory. His name has been a constant fixture at the base of the pitching statistics, but he leaps past the names of ten others with this successful outing.

In defeat, the Thunder holds only a slim flicker of hope for a regular season finish of anything other than last place. But the playoffs are another matter, and anything can happen. In many people's opinions, Shadow Diessner's second inning triple was the hardest hit ball of the day. And, despite taking the pitching loss, teammate Jon Vitale played well, too. These Mountain Thunder guys just might be the dark horse team in the upcoming year-end tournament.

Crush pitcher Cameron Kawai remained perfect in season 2007 with a victory over Sam Hori and the Black Sox, 13-3.

For the Crush, the scoring was spread around the entire lineup. Multiple runs were registered by J.R. Mori, Clarence Alcorn, Bailey Pattengill, Jason Cheyne, and Efren Ziegler. With this win, the Crush clinches top spot in the Mauka division. It already holds a 2-1 edge over the Angels in head-to-head play this season, and nobody else is about to catch the Crush. Assuming no forfeit in its final game, the only uncertainty in the Crush's future is the name of its opponent in the first round of the playoffs: the Earthquakes or the Hurricanes.

Across the diamond, the disappointing loss eliminates the Black Sox' hopes of making next week's battle with the Mariners more than just a game of pride. In his first at-bat since his birthday, player/coach Nick Hill struck out, and that was typical of the fate of his team on this particular afternoon.

Black Sox finally take one from Mariners, 6-3

The top Makai division rivals met for each team's final regular-season game Sunday morning, this time with a different result. After a pair of victories earlier in 2007, the Mariners were kept from sweeping the Black Sox this year, thanks to a fine pitching effort by Kai Miller, finishing the season with a perfect 2-0 record (plus a save). Generally used as a reliever, Miller went six and two-thirds innings before finally running out of gas. In an interesting twist, Royden Leong (usually a starter) was brought in to shut the door on the Mariners, thereby earning the save.

For the Mariners, only their pride suffered. They had already clinched the division title and were using their end-of-season game as a warmup for the playoffs. However, when one goes to the dictionary, "warm" is defined as "not too hot", and that's exactly how the reigning champs finished the regular season this year.

The Bubba Gumps suffered a low point in Sunday noon's game, scoring only one run against almost a score of scores by the Earthquakes. Winning pitcher C.J. Hanna combined mound efforts with Jason Hurst to control the Hurricanes throughout the contest.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the day was the monstrous home run by Dmitriius Ludwig. From the Hurricanes' point of view, Dmitriius got "da meat a da tree on us", slamming what some are saying is the longest home run in KonaBaseball.com league history.

In the opening game of the 2007 KonaBaseball.com season, a hopeful new team called the Dodgers stamped its authoritiy on one of the league's long-standing, perennial contenders ... the Angels. A quirk in the schedule called for these two Mauka division teams to have their three regular-season meetings spread out, not facing one another again until the last two Sundays of the regular season.

From the way the Angels played on this day, it was as though they had been harboring frustration all year. And they unleashed that frustration early and often in this game. Enjoying a comfortable cushion throughout, the pitching victory was recorded by the Angels' Manuel Perez in an outstanding effort, tossing a two-hit shutout.

The Dodgers were never in it, and the loss drops them into last place, just as the regular season is about to come to a close. The ten-run mercy rule finally ended matters, even though the final score was 16-0. Maybe the Dodgers had football on their minds. If so, they yielded three field goals and a touchdown to the Angels.

These same two squads play the rubber game next week. In order to avoid a regular season basement finish, the Dodgers must beat the Angels, and Mountain Thunder must lose to the Crush.

Double-up disaster: Earthquakes - 18, Hurricanes - 9

Ouch! This one stung like a bee, a game where outs (24 in total) were more precious than runs (27). Thanks to a league rule stating that (other than for ties) no new inning shall begin any later that two and one-half hours from inception, this game was mercifully shortened to four innings.

For the Earthquakes, Dmitriius Ludwig recorded the pitching win. Haphazard defensive play on both sides contributed to this sandlot-style, highly-forgettable game, and nobody else deserves any special recognition, except for the clock.

Gerardo Ibarra pitched as though there were no "tamara", knuckle-balling his way to a winning season in 2007. The Angels were simply the better team throughout the game. Some of the Dodgers' key players were apparently unavailable for their regular season finale, but it may have made little difference. On this particular afternoon, everyone in a blue uniform needed a flyswatter, instead of a bat, for the slow junk that the Angels' Ibarra put up as offerings. Adrian Villanueva accounted for three runs scored and a pair of RBI's in the victory.

After a disastrous 0-7 start in 2007, Mountain Thunder ended its regular season in storybook fashion: an extra-inning game-winning hit-and-run double to unseat the otherwise top-seeded team in the league.

Despite its underdog status, the Thunder looked as though it was the better team throughout most of the game, taking an early 3-0 lead. Pitchers Jon Vitale and Ian Glass shared mound duties in this one, both attacking the strike zone and making the batters put the ball in play. And when the baseball was put in play, the Mountain Thunder defensive players seemed to always be there. The Crush was still scoreless, and the innings were getting late. In addition, league-leading, unbeaten pitcher Cameron Kawai (6-0) seemed to be in trouble for the first time all year.

In the top of the fifth, the Crush finally mounted a rally, loading the bases with nobody out. In response, the Thunder defense stiffened, two outs were recorded, and the threat seemed over. Then, with a count of two balls and two strikes, the normally well-disciplined batter Ikaika Andrews surprisingly swung at a pitch so low and out of the strike zone that some people were saying that "it may have been UNDER the plate". Wherever it was is of no matter, for he put the "whenever" and the "whatever"on that "wherever", poking a triple ... to clear the bases and tie the score.

Essentially a "new game", the contest (scheduled for 7 innings) when into an overtime frame, Mountain Thunder pulling out the victory in the bottom of the eighth. For the somewhat unlikely hero Joey DePaulo, delivering the game-winning double must have been particularly rewarding, for it was he who let the first meeting with the Crush (on May 6th) slip through the Thunder's fingers when DePaulo made an errant throw, allowing the opponents their game-winning run. In the end, "he who laughs last, laughs best", and the Crush looks ahead to the day when it has the chance to wipe the smiles off the faces of that red-shirted bunch, perhaps a fortnight or so from now, should both teams advance in the playoffs.

Jon Vitale earned the win at the expense of the Crush's relief pitcher Eduardo Andrews (father of Ikaika). In the true spirit of the multigenerational KonaBaseball.com league, such participation by fathers & sons and uncles & nephews assure us that the game of baseball will live on.

Come-from-behind victory, but far from a nail-biter

The Bubba Gumps Hurricanes jumped out to a 1-0 lead, plating leadoff batter Chris Nelson who had walked to start the 2007 playoffs. And that is the extent of the highlights for the Hurricanes in this game. In response, the Crush wasted little time in its come-from-behind endeavor, scoring three runs of its own in the bottom of the first inning.

The Mauka division champs continued to pile on multiple scores in each of the next several innings, running away winners, the final score being 18-1. The top of the Crush's lineup was incredible, four runs scored by each: Cameron Kawai, J.R. Mori and Ray Estrella. Although not a shutout, the game turned out to be a no-hitter for Cameron Kawai, the Crush's ace and league's most prolific undefeated pitcher. The only blemishes in his game Sunday morning were a pair of walks and a hit batsman.

The playoff loss eliminates the Hurricanes. For the victorious Crush, its next game (round 2) is on September 16th, the opponent to be determined as a result of the remaining first round play, scheduled for September 9th.

Keegan Lerma, generally used as a reliever, more than filled the shoes of regular starter Andrew Wanat (sidelined after dental work earlier in the week). Lerma compiled a dozen strikeouts in the shut-out performance. Offensively, Gabe Harris and Dusty Bauer were standouts for the Kona Headz Mariners.

Across the diamond, the Waikoloa Chevron Dodgers were pretty good, and it was scoreless for the first half of the game. It looked as though their recent woes might be soothed by an upset over the reigning champs. And, despite the fact that they were facing strong pitching by the opposition, Brad McPherron poked a pair of base hits, and Alex Bell smacked a double. But all baserunners were left stranded, and the dream of eliminating the top seed was simply not to be for the '07 Dodgers ... their inaugural season now over.

Aftershocks rumble the heavens, 5-4

A start-up team this year, the Earthquakes were quite respectable. And, although their seismic tremors rarely erupted during the regular season, the playoffs are a different matter. On Sunday morning, the underdog 'quakes shook matters up by simply outplaying the Angels.

It was workhorse pitcher Jason Hurst who went the distance for the victors with a very solid performance. After a miserable start (4 runs yielded before the first out of the second inning was recorded), he held the Angels scoreless throughout the rest of the game. Offensively, multiple runs were registered by the Earthquakes' Pono Kadooka and Greg Aganowski.

For the Angels, their ace pitcher Jorge Perez was somewhat rattled by the Earthquakes on this day, the batters finally able to time his fastball. In addition, early-game errors, so uncharacteristic of the Angels, exacerbated matters. Nevertheless, his team maintained a 4-2 lead.

When the Eathquakes mounted a fifth inning rally, the Angels opted for a change-of-pace pitcher, bringing on Gerardo Ibarra in relief of Perez. Momentum, however had shifted to the opponents, the Earthquakes continuing to erupt, Aganowski clearing the bases to tie the contest, then crossing home plate with the game winner on Dmitriius Ludwig's sacrifice fly.

The surprising victory hoists Mountain Thunder into the semifinals of the KonaBaseball.com league playoffs. It also spells the end of the 2007 season for a fine Transmission Technology Angels baseball team.

The Sunday afternoon game was a scoreless pitchers' duel (Jon Vitale of the Thunder against Kai Miller of the Black Sox) until the bottom of the fifth when the Sox' Donald Goings singled home Bryan Young.

The Thunder answered back in the top of the sixth with a rally that turned out to be the difference in the game. In the end, it was the Mountain Thunder's Andrew Emsley who led all scorers, and credit Jim Nestman with the game-winning RBI.

The win matched the early-day action, wherein the third seed upset the cross-divisoinal, second-seeded team. For Mountain Thunder, the victory is particularly sweet, the team having crawled out of the basement near regular season's end, now poised for the semi-finals in the playoffs. With both divisions' second seeds now eliminated, the next round of the playoffs pits each divisonal champ against the opposite division's third seed.

Earthquakes' aftershocks finally Crushed, 8-1

Crush pitchers Cameron Kawai and Clarence Alcorn combined efforts to toss a 2-hitter against a fine upstart Earthquakes team in the Sunday morning game at Simmons Field.

The only run given up was an unearned plating by Jeff Bailey. Other 'quakes highlights included a pair of caught-stealing throws by catcher Tyler Roy. But, throughout the game, the favored Crush team had the goods on the underdogs.

The Makai division winners now advance to the league championship game next Sunday.

Undoubtedly the turn-around team of 2007, Mountain Thunder succeeded in ousting the reigning league champs Sunday afternoon, and did so with authority.

It was middle infielders Andrew Emsley and Jim Nestman whose pictures ended up on the front page of "West Hawaii Today" newspaper on Monday morning, but the play of the game had to be the diving catch by centerfielder Shadow Diessner, an image that remains in the mind's eye of anyone who saw the game live.

While the Mariners were competing without several key members, make no mistake that the crisp play of the Thunder on this day would have likely beaten the M's full house of talent, had it been in the dugout. The Thunder's winning pitcher Jon Vitale, former University of Hawaii at Hilo player, went five innings, relieved by Ian "the glass man" Glass.

Old-timers are saying, "Canardly believe it", a reference to the Thunder's roots as a team called the Canardlys, founded by Randy Hill, and now run by Michael Sofranko. The doormat of the league for so many seasons, this is the first time in history for this team to advance to the league championship finals.

Mountain Thunder good to the last drop

In an amazing twist of fate, it is the once-lowly Mountain Thunder team that finds itself claiming the 2007 championship with an 8-2 victory over the Crush in Sunday's game.

Mountain Thunder struck paydirt to start the game, plating three of its first four batters. That was all the lead that Jon Vitale needed in order to secure the win, the Thunder's ace pitching the entire game. Vitale (5-1, 2 saves) gave up only two runs (one of which was unearned), a pair of hits and only three walks, while striking out five in the victorious outing. Top scorers in the championship game included Kory Pulluain and Joey DePaulo.

The loss was taken by the Crush's Eduardo Andrews, that team's pitching duties shared with Clarence Alcorn. Surprisingly, league MVP Cameron Kawai (8-0) was not used on the mound. Perhaps this was the real key to the Thunder's success as they also harnessed Kawai offensively, zero-for-three at the plate.

Congratulations go out to team manager Michael Sofranko and to team founder Randy Hill for a "Canardlys" team that finally "Candu". Congratulations also go out to team sponsor Mountain Thunder Coffee, awarded with both the prestigeous Chefs' Choice Award for its coffee in the Kona Organic Division and the KonaBaseball.com Championship in the same week.

2007 KonaBaseball.com League Champions: Mountain Thunder

Pitchers - 2007

Cameron Kawai, Crush ______________ 8-0
Keegan Lerma, Mariners ____________ 2-0 (2 saves)
Kory Pulluain, Thunder ____________ 2-0
Sean Fujii, Crush _________________ 1-0
Royden Leong, Black Sox ___________ 5-1 (2 saves)
Jon Vitale, Thunder _______________ 5-1 (2 saves)
Jorge Perez, Angels _______________ 3-1 (1 save)
Andrew Wanat, Mariners ____________ 9-4
Kai Miller, Black Sox _____________ 2-1 (1 save)
Pono Kadooka, Earthquakes _________ 0-0 (1 save)
Clarence Alcoran, Crush ___________ 0-0 (1 save)
J.R. Mori, Crush __________________ 0-0 (1 save)
Gerardo Ibarra, Angels ____________ 2-2
Brian Moore, Dodgers ______________ 2-2
Manuel Gonzales, Angels ___________ 2-2
Jason Hurst, Earthquakes __________ 2-2
Sam Hori, Black Sox _______________ 1-1
Shadow Diessner, Thunder __________ 1-1
Solomon Vasquez, Angels ___________ 1-1
Craig Hanna, Jr., Earthquakes _____ 2-3
Eduardo Andrews, Crush ____________ 1-2 (1 save)
Chris Brown, Dodgers ______________ 1-2 (1 save)
Shiloh Chenoweth, Black Sox _______ 1-2 (1 save) 
Dmitriius Ludwig, Earthquakes _____ 2-5
Whitman Van Velsor, Hurricanes ____ 2-6
Tyler Tveit, Dodgers ______________ 0-1 (1 save)
Ian Glass, Thunder ________________ 0-1 (1 save)
Kealii Cecil, Crush _______________ 0-1
Mike West, Dodgers ________________ 0-1
Kyle Tsukiji, Dodgers _____________ 0-1
Greg Aganowski, Earthquakes _______ 0-1
Evan Moniz, Crush _________________ 0-1
Josh Bourelle, Dodgers ____________ 0-1
Radley Pilanca, Dodgers ___________ 0-1
Eric Simbeck, Hurricanes __________ 0-2
Carl Pires, Thunder _______________ 0-3
Matt Cunningham, Hurricanes _______ 0-4