2008 Season dedicated to the memory of Larry Elenes

It was with a heavy heart that the death of former major-league pitcher Larry Elenes was announced in November. The ex-Houston Astro dominated the KonaBaseball.com league for a number of years, picking up Most Valuable Player awards in 2001 and 2002. Sadly, his playing career ended when the down-on-his-luck Elenes suffered a burglary of his campsite, losing what few belongings he had in life, including his hard-to-find, size-13 baseball shoes.

The story of Larry's life cannot be told here, but a lesson of life can be learned. Here was an amazingly talented athlete who fell prey to the demons of drugs and alcohol, erasing his every accomplishment and causing him mental anguish in life to the very end. The politically-correct obituary appearing in the newspaper stated that Larry died in his home. However. those who knew him realize that his home was the great outdoors, somewhere near Puako.

A large group of people turned out for his funeral, way more than one might expect for an individual of his position in the community. So, despite Larry Elenes' shortcomings, he was still loved by people. In the crowd was a handful of KonaBaseball.com participants, mostly oldtimers, like former teammate Guy Newbury, Jim McManus, Russ Roy, and coach Michael Harris (& wife Anita - not one of the "oldtimers") who brought a special water-logged baseball for inclusion with the scattering of Larry's ashes at sea later that afternoon. Umpire Jim Donovan and league Commissioner Katherine Donovan also attended the services.

So, take note, MLB, NBA and NFL, yesterday's heroes are not all millionaires with pensions and benefits. Some need your help, even if it is just a new pair of shoes.

As for those of us who continue to play baseball here in Hawaii each Sunday, we dedicate the 2008 season to the memory of the greatest player who ever donned a KonaBaseball.com league uniform ... Larry Elenes.

Wubba fubba - no bubba?

While reigning champions Mountain Thunder and the Black Sox quickly came to the table in the winter meetings, the Hurricane's manager John Vaughan reported that the Bubba Gumps restaurant had felt the downturn in the economy and was forced to withdraw its team sponsorship. Furthermore, with several key players moving to the mainland, he would be joining another team as a player, no longer be managing a team of his own. Accordingly, one of the eight team positions in the 2007 league became available to others.

Regularly a 7-team league, it was condensed to 6 teams in 2006, but then grew to 8 teams in 2007. For 2008, the interest among new and existing players seems high, but off-field management has been scarce. For example, the position of top bannana has been a hot potato, eventually falling in the lap of Adrian Villanueva.

The KonaHeadz Mariners, the most successful team in league history, has sailed its last cruise. Team manager and utility infielder Michael Harris reported that he is retiring from active play now. In addition, because of the fact that his sons are now grown up and have moved to Oahu, Michael's incentive to be involved as a manager is no longer there.

The ripple effect of the economy seems to be costing our teams' sponsorships league-wide. The most recent casualty was Waikoloa Chevron, citing increased rent as their reason for withdrawing sponsorship.

Undaunted, manager Ray Uribes is moving forward, even if his team (and others in the league) need to resort to self-funding wherein the players pool their money in order to satisfy the team's fee requirements.

He knows that men's recreational hardball is a good value for everyone.

Thunder continues to roar, prevailing 12-9 over Sox

The Black Sox hosted the reigning KonaBaseball.com league champs and almost beat them Sunday morning. In fact, they took the Mountain Thunder team to its final strike in its final at-bat before fate turned mauka. What an opener for 2008, the contest played in mid-season form by both clubs.

With the game tied at one run apiece in the third inning, Jim Nestman, Jon Vitale, and Dylan Bunnell delivered a barrage of extra-base hits to give the Thunder a 6-1 lead. The celebration was short-lived, however. The opposing Black Sox team rallied in its own half of the inning too, then again in the fourth, knotting the score once more at seven. Momentum remained on the side of the Sox, grabbing the lead with a couple more plate crossings.

The tenacious Black Sox appeared to have the reigning premiers on the ropes. But those Mountain Thunder boys "cannardly" be take for granted these days (a reference to the team that, once upon a time, was known by that name - cannardly blame them for changing it) as they clawed back from their backs-against-the-wall circumstances.

Andrew Wanat grounded out to start the final inning. Jim Nestman singled, stole second base (perhaps as result of defensive indifference), then advanced to third on Vitale's fly ball to the rightfielder. With two outs, Black Sox pitcher Shiloh Chenoweth threw a wild pitch to Bunnell that allowed Nestman to score, and the Mountain Thunder coffee pot started "a-brew'n". The next batter Shadow Diessner delivered the game-tying base hit then came around to score the winning run on Joey DePaulo's bone-rattling triple against the fence.

Even though the Affordable Business Services Earthquakes were competitive throughout the game, the Kona Crush kept a step or two ahead of them from beginning to end. For example, despite plating three in the first inning, the Earthquakes yielded five runs back to the other guys - math that simply doesn't work.

Multiple scores were recorded by Jason Hurst, Ryan Vashaw, and John Marshall for the Earthquakes, and by Jason Cheyne, J.R. Mori, and Ikaika Andrews of the Crush.

The fifth inning was the deciding point of the game when the top of the Kona Crush's batting order added four runs. In response, the Earthquakes rallied for three runs of their own in the top of the sixth - again, math that doesn't work. So, it was the story of too little, too late, the Pop Warner Kona Crush cruising to a 10-7 victory.

The Dodgers have been searching for a pitcher all spring. Unfortunately, they found themselves in trouble on the mound early on opening day. Starter Radley Pilanca had difficulty finding the plate, and the game was essentially over by the middle to the first inning. Reliever Aaron Murphy faired much better, striking out six, but the damage had already been done.

Across diamond, the Angels' veteran fastball pitcher Jorge Perez was unstoppable, striking out ten batters in a game that was shortened to five innings pusuant to the mercy rule. The offensive attack was led by number double-zero, Oscar Delgado scoring three times to take the day's top honors in that department.

Dodgers pull off triple play, take Crush to the brink

It was the Aaron M. vs. Aaron M. show on Sunday morning's game at Simmons Field ... both teams sending men to the mound with almost identical names. The similarity didn't stop there, each pitcher yielding five runs over four innings.

The tie was broken in the fifth inning when the Crush's Jason Cheyne smacked a two-run double which spelled defeat for one of the Aarons ... Murphy. On the other side of the field, Aaron Mori was happy to put a victory in his pocket, handing off the mound duties to teammate Dorian Rivera, who finished matters for the Crush and recorded the save.

The highlight of the game (and perhaps of the entire day) was a rare triple play executed by the Dodgers in the third inning. This sparked a rally in their next at-bat, allowing them to take a brief lead in the game.

In the end, however, the favored Crush team maintained its composure. They added insurance runs in the late innings, running out winners, 12-6.

The Transmission Technology Angels had to come from behind to send the Black Sox to the hamper in the noon game.

Angels' starter Gerardo Ibarra's normally elusive junkball pitches did not seem to be fooling the Black Sox batters on this particular afternoon, a situation which prompted manager Adrian Villanueva to go to fastballer Jorge Perez in the third inning, much earlier than anticpated.

Black Sox youth pitcher Keao Fessenden-Grace showed new-season jitters, uncharacteristically throwing several wild pitches and hitting a pair of Angels batters, eventually being tagged with the loss. Despite the defeat, the Sox weren't without their share of highlights - the most memorable being Sterling Hettel's snowcone-style catch in right field, snuffing out a would-be Crush rally.

Captain Doug's Kona Hai, the newly-formed team consisting primarily of high school coaches and high school players (representing a variety of schools islandwide) started the season on a high. The team scored a whopping nine runs in its first inning of existence - a record likely to remain intact for a long time.

Bombarded, the Earthquakes starting pitcher C.J. Hanna was not himself Sunday afternoon. The strike zone constantly eluded him, and he occassionally stopped to rub his shoulder, an indication that the southpaw is perhaps nursing an injury. Hanna released a number of pitches that went wildly astray, eventually forcing him to admit to coach Jeff Barbas that Sunday was simply not Hanna's day. Fellow Earthquake Pono Kadooka (last season's team MVP) had better control, but his teammates' defensive play was sub-par throughout the game. Across the diamond, the fired-up Kona Hai team took advantage of virtually every opportunity.

For the victors, Bailey Pattengill was almost assured a win from the beginning, taking the mound in the bottom of the first inning with a 9-run cushion. Offensively, just about everyone on the Kona Hai squad posted a tally. Christian Moore and Preston Rohner eclipsed all scorers with three plate crossings apiece in the lopsided, 18-3 shellacking.

Josh Kaiwi showed why college recruiters nationwide are knocking on the high school junior's door. In relief of Pattengill, Kaiwi completely shut the door on the stymied Earthquakes, striking out the side 1-2-3 to finish the game.

Angels feast - come back for 2nds & 3rds

Losing pitcher C.J. Hanna and the entire Earthquakes team would like to forget the second and third innings in Sunday morning's contest. One might suppose that, if it hadn't been for the dozen runs that the Angels scored in those two frames, the game might have been close. Such a supposition would be false.

Jorge Perez continues to show league dominance, going the distance once again to claim a 14-4 victory in a game shortened by the 10-run mercy rule. In typical fashion, the Angels displayed offense prowess up, down and around the batting order, seven players crossing home plate. Top honors go to lead-off hitter Emilio Ibarra Garcia who batted 2-for-3 plus a pair of walks, with three plate crossings.

For the Earthquakes, manager Jeff Barbas limps along with a skeleton crew, awaiting the return of several players who are wrapping up college semester studies. On Sunday, the 'quakes welcomed veteran third baseman Mailo Blair to the team, but the day truly belonged to the Angels' Jorge Perez.

Wow, does the Crush ever have pitching depth in season 2008! In Sunday's noon game, the pitching trio of Ikaika Baptista, Eduardo Andrews, and Dorian Rivera frustrated the Black Sox all afternoon. Jason Cheyne was top scorer with a pair of runs for the Crush.

Following a pair of ho-hum runaways, the nitecap of the day gave fans a thrilling finish, a finish that ended the Thunder's undefeated streak from the 2007 season by the narrowest of margins, 3-2.

Despite the temperature being in the 80's, both starting pitchers delivered pitch counts in the 80's in Sunday's late-day game. For the reigning champion Mountain Thunder team, it was Cameron Smay on the mound, producing one of the best outings in his KonaBaseball.com career. For the opponents, the unlikely hero Loren Shoop was even better, the two pitchers duelling in one of the most exciting games in league history.

Each team scored a pair of runs in the first inning. Kona Hai tacked on another tally in the second, and that is where and when the scoring stopped. Who knew that Smay's curve ball would be so effective? Who knew that Smay would strike out eight batters in five innings? Who knew that Smay would, nevertheless, wind up with the loss?

The answer to those questions could be found on the face of a young man on the Kona Hai bench, a player by the name of Loren Shoop. Yes, that's the same Loren Shoop who has been on the baseball diamond ever since he was a kid, the player who was always contributing, but, until recently, hardly ever emerged as a star. That's right, he's that same quiet kid who, just a few weeks ago, led the Kealakehe Waveriders as they dealt Hilo High School a devastating blow to that school's chances for a bid to the state championships, a performance that earned him a spot on the all-BIIF second team.

On Sunday, however, he was facing more than just high school players. He was facing the championship team in the men's league. And he was almost good enough to do the job singlehandedly, happy that teammate Klifford Hawkins was available to come to the rescue, securing the final two outs of the game.

The pivital point in the game was in the sixth inning when Dylan Bunnell singled, eventually advancing to third base on a fielder's choice and wild pitch. Then, in an attempt to tie the game by stealing home, Bunnell was sent back to third when, during the suicide steal, the pitch struck the batter's foot, thereby immediately making the ball dead. The joyous pandamonium on the Thunder's bench was suddenly ended when the team realized that Bunnell's plate-crossing was to be nullified. But who was to care? With two runners now perched aboard the bases, victory was within the Thunder's grasp. Besides, they had finally rattled the pesky Shoop. But the Kona Hai starter settled matters down, escaping unscathed.

With one out in the seventh, Captain Doug Pattingill realized that the pitch count was getting high. So, he decided to turn to one of the youngest players in the league Klifford Hawkins, who, despite an apprehensive look in his eye, methodically delivered perfect strikes, causing the remaining Thunder batters to tap hapless grounders. The last-inning tension was brief as it took only four pitches for Hawkins to record his first save in 2008, Shoop to log his first victory in 2008, and Mountain Thunder to suffer its first defeat in 2008.

Of particular note is the fact that Shoop struck out one of Mountain Thunder's most formidable batters Shadow Diessner all three times that they faced each other - perhaps spelling the difference in the game.

Couldn't quite dodge the Thunder

The sun shined bright in the early game and the skies were blue for the Dodgers, but thunder still prevailed in the morning air. However, the final score of 9-2 looks more lopsided than the game appeared to have been played.

Memorial Day weekend marked the introduction of new uniforms for the Thunder - silver gray with cherry red lettering and accents. It's a good thing that the cameras were clicking before the game started and before the dust around second base took its toll.

Mountain Thunder's winning pitcher Shadow Diessner scattered four hits and an equal number of walks to keep the Dodgers to only a pair of runs. Diessner also helped his own cause, crossing home plate thrice to lead all scorers - what a showoff!

The thrill of the game for the Dodgers was a home run hit by Drew Comacho.

The rosters of the two teams in Sunday afternoon's game, the Crush and Kona Hai, are largely comprised of high school players and their coaches. This has created situations where high school teammates are suddenly finding themselves playing as opponents upon completing matriculation. The other side of the equation is that new friendships are fostered. Accordingly, the matchup of these two undefeateds at noon on Sunday promised to be a blockbuster.

Determined to secure first place in the standings, the Crush let the students learn from the masters. Former U.H. star and current head coach of Kealakehe High Ikaika Baptista and pitching coach Eduardo Andrews, a former pro in his own right, secured a win and a save, respectively, all at the expense of the left paw of youth catcher Tanner Benbow whose mitt did little to mitigate the sting of an afternoon of fastballs from this pair, not to mention an inning or so of pitches from Dorian Rivera.

Just about the only break for the throbbing hand of the dedicated catcher came when coach J.R. Mori decided to allow one of the team's youngest players to debut for an inning in the big boys' league. Under the watchful eye of Andrews, neophite Devland Zakar was respectable in his first appearance, but seemed to be rattled after hitting the lead off batter. Reluctant to pitch inside, he strayed too wide, not getting that "plate plus" strike sometimes awarded by umpires in the kids' leagues. In the outing, Zakar yielded three base hits, walked one, and allowed two runs. Perhaps he let pitch counts get too high on the batters, but he got the job done, recording a strikeout and closing out the fourth inning without bullpen assistance. All in all, it was a good initial performance. Some boys never join the ranks of the men; For others, it takes only an inning.

Let credit be given to Andrews for the relief pitcher on the other side of the diamond as well - for it was Loren Shoop, who almost bested his teacher. But, the reality of this game was that you simply cannot give a team as strong as the Crush a 5-run head start and expect to catch up.

A four-run seventh inning sparked a ray of hope on the Kona Hai bench, but it was quicky extinguished when Eduardo Andrews re-entered as pitcher. With the Crush keeping its nose out front throughout the game, it was starting pitcher Klifford Hawkins of Kona Hai who was charged with the loss, 10-8.

Kona Hai Hori-fied by Sox in walk-off thriller, 7-6

The Black Sox' starter Sam Hori was the workhorse of the game but didn't figure in the win/loss pitching statistic. Who cares? The esteemed professional dinner house waiter kept serving all of his tables on the baseball field Sunday morning, eventually delivering the ultimate dessert: a 2-RBI base hit to end the game in walk-off fashion.

The meal was particulary savory to his Black Sox teammates, veterans who have been starved for a victory in the 2008 season. Picking up the tab to record the win was relief pitcher Andrew Wanat, the Sox' top off-season free-agent acquisition, former team MVP of the Mariners.

On the other bench, the Kona Hai players were stunned by the last-inning rally of the Black Sox. In relief of Bailey Pattengill, Josh Kiawi was charged with the loss. It looks as though, at the end of the party, he got stuck with the bill.

The noon confrontation of the bottom dwellers gave fans another treat, a game that went down to the wire in a similar, yet very different way than what everyone had seen in game #1 earlier that morning. In a contest of yet-to-wins, the Dodgers wore out the arm of the Earthquakes' pitcher C.J. Hanna who carried the load solo, the team's other mound talent Jason Hurst still off island.

The Dodgers' pitcher Aaron Murphy also threw a slew of pitches, finally yielding to reliever Jeremy Gee in the seventh. With the crowd poised for a replay of the morning game's finish, Gee dashed those thoughts by putting out the fire, squelching an exciting comeback by the Earthquakes in their final at-bat.

Double plate crossings were recorded by Justin Camacho and Pono Kadooka for the Earthquakes and by Aaron Murphy and Drew Camacho for the victorious Dodgers.

The Angels were victims of fourteen kabooms in the third game. Interestingly, Mountain Thunder pitchers Jon Vitale and Ian Glass needed only one such blast. The two hurlers combined to throw a no-run, no-hit baseball game. Should there be the need for an asterisk here, the deflated Angels were glad to leave the field after five innings, the game shortened pursuant to the league's 10-run mercy rule.

So what went wrong for the Angels here? Afterall, the Angels is a team that is rarely ever blown out! Why was a team like the Mountain Thunder, usually scratching and scraping for every run, suddenly catching up with the fastballs of guys like Jorge Perez and Solomon Vasquez?

Of course, before passing judgement on the Angels from on high, let's take note that another part of the equation is that the men of Mountain Thunder are the reigning champs. On this particular afternoon, guys like Jim Nestman, Jon Vitale, Dylan Bunnell and Cameron Smay all contributed with multiple scores.

The one and only highlight for the Angels was a spectacular catch made by Jesse Guzman, snagging a line-drive off the bat of Jon Vitale in the second inning. That was the only time the Angels were able to stop winning pitcher Vitale all day. Final score (ouch): 14-zip.

Kona Hai can't Dodge 2nd straight loss, 7-6

The Dodgers have emerged from the darkness over the last two weeks, this Sunday welcoming former Mariners' relief pitcher Keegan Lerma to the team. Wasting no time, the lefty notched a victory in his first 2008 appearance, this time in a Dodger blue uniform.

Speaking of uniforms, Captain Doug's Kona Hai team arrived at the field in matching crisp white shirts. They announced that they are adding "Marlins" to their name, much like the blushing bride affixing the groom's surname to her monikker. And, in the fashion of the day, the bridal party posed for the photographer, some players old, others new, a striped hat borrowed by everyone, and numerals that were blue.

Three hours later, most of the white linen was soiled, some jerseys may have even suffered a tear, and the honeymoon was over. When the reception are was cleared, the new "Marlins" had inadvertantly forgotten their protective gear. It is kind of like those autumn-spring romances you read about - left the old bag on the bench. Lost and found, anyone?

In victory, Kurt Peterson and Jeremy Gee led the offensive punch for the Dodgers. No longer at the bottom of the standings, it appears as though manager Ray Uribes' recent loosening of the reigns in the Dodgers' dugout is paying dividends.

For the Marlins, Bailey Pattengill was tagged with the loss. His teammate (and the leadoff batter for Kona Hai) Klifford Hawkins went 3-for-4 on the day with a pair of stolen bases. It was all to no avail, however, but by only the narrowist of margins.

Hey, it's not football season yet, so why do the Angels keep giving up a pair of touchdowns? In fairness however, after last week's no-hit loss, things did seem to improve - somewhat. This week they again lost 14-0, but at least catcher Mike Medina managed to get a base hit. However, that was all that the Crush's Cameron Kawai yielded, awesome on the mound, hurling a one-hitter.

In contrast to the fastballers used in last week's game, Angels' manager Adrian Villanueva chose knukleball pitcher Gerardo Ibarra in hopes of disrupting the opponents' timing. When that didn't work, the he turned to the normally-hard-throwing Solomon Vasquez in relief. But the distinctive pop of his pitches was simply not there either on this particular day, the game already a runaway by the time he took the hill.

That diet of angelfood cake and meatballs may not sound so appetizing to you and me, but the Crush feasted. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the day was a mammoth home run socked by Cody Maeda in the fifth inning, putting an exclamation point on the victory. The 3-run blast was one of the longest ever witnessed at Simmons Field, easily clearing the right-centerfield fence, landing in the upper parking lot on the fly. In view of the fact that this feat was performed at sea level, there is little doubt that such a hit would have been a home run in virtually any field in any ballpark anywhere.

Dodgers - 9, Black Sox - 7

Well, the fate of the Dodgers certainly has changed dramatically since the arrival of Keegan Lerma only a fortnight ago. In Sunday morning's game, the lefty picked up his second consecutive win. In relief, teammate Jeremy Gee was credited with the save. Offensively, Kurt Peterson led all scorers with supporting punch from the bats of Brad McPherron and Aaron Murphy.

For the Sox, it simply was not the day for either pitcher Shiloh Chenoweth (eventually charged with the loss) or reliever Sam Hori, who fared a bit better, but the Dodger-blue damage had already been done. Despite the team's defeat, catcher Atlee Riddle went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Black Sox, scoring twice.

Suffering back-to-back droughts, the Angels were thirsting for the nectar of victory, and it came up a bit fishy tasting, but delightful just the same. Kona Hai (a European class of shark-like competition sailboats) has added the name "Marlins", so the Angels had their seafood platter of choice at this luncheon, courtesy of Captain Doug.

Jorge Perez went the distance for the Angels, picking up his league-leading fourth win. His fastball was overpowering all game. His curve might have been even better! Credit goes to catcher Mike Medina for generating the winning score for the Angels.

Despite yielding only a handful of hits (some of which could have been recoreded as fielding errors), Loren Shoop took a heartbreaking loss for the Marlins, whose defense was suspect all game. In fact, none ot the Angels' runs were actually earned. It hardly seems fair to see Shoop charged with the loss, doesn't it?

It's probably just as well. Afterall, the kid who came from nowhere this year might have been getting a bit too comfortable with his recent success. Let's see what the rest of the season holds for Loren Shoop now that he's had a pruning.

Despite the team's defensive shortcomings, Matt Orvis provided a thrilling highlight with a diving catch of a line-drive off the bat of the Angels' Jesse Guzman in the third inning.

After facing only three batters in the very first inning, starting pitcher Jason Hurst suffered an injury and had to be replaced. The malady is of particular concern to the team, Hurst being their ace moundman. He had been out for the last few weeks, traveling on the mainland. Now, this injury could sideline him further. In the game, he faced just enough Mountain Thunder batters to get tagged with the loss.

Regardless of the injury to their pitcher, the Earthquakes were "dismayed" in this one, in the most literal sense - for it was Cameron Smay looking good on the mound for the reigning champion Mountain Thunder team. Smay was the quiet achiever on this particular afternoon, making short work of the Earthquakes in every inning. The only flaw came in the second when Ronnie Walzer plated for the foes. Otherwise, Smay was on cruise control all the way, final score: 14-4.

Marlins outlast Earthquakes, 5-3

The game tied at three runs apiece, a pair of scores in the fifth inning sealed the deal for the Marlins Sunday morning, fending off a scrappy Earthquakes team. In fact, had it not been for the stellar play of Klifford Hawkins, the M's might be suffering from aftershocks this week. But to the dismay of the EQ's, Hawkins failed to sleep in that day, securing the win for Bailey Pattengill and the save for Loren Shoop.

For the Earthquakes, Jason Hurst shook off his recent injury to pitch a respectable game, but could not get offensive support from his teammates. All in all, the quakes looked pretty good, but find themselves going to mid-season still searching for their first win.

What a difference a couple of weeks make! The Angels are suddenly back in form and back to their winning ways. But this week's feast was not exactly served on a platter ... it came in a bottle.

Angels' workhorse on the mound Jorge Perez went the distance for his fifth win this season. However, his road on Sunday afternoon was a rocky one, the Black Sox taking a five-to-nothing lead through the midpoint of the game. That is when their starting pitcher Andrew Wanat fatigued.

Still, everything seemed to be secure as the ball was handed over to the team's new arrival, veteran Black Sox pitcher Kai Miller. Just back on island from college, Miller's mind must have still been on academic matters. Sensing an educational opportunity, the Angels threw the book at him.

Multiple plate crossing were registered by Adrian Valenzuela for the Angels and Bryant Komo for the Black Sox.

Early in the season, week #7 might have appeared to be a cakewalk on the Crush's schedule. To the contrary, Sunday's late game turned out to be a close contest.

Eduardo Andrews eclipsed all scorers, preserving the victory for Cameron Kawai of the Crush.

The loss was charged to Jeremy Gee who pitched well, but faced an uphill battle all game. Unfortunately for team captain Ray Uribes and fellow Dodger teammates, Gee announced that he is returning to the mainland for personal reasons and may be out for the rest of the season.

Compounding the bad news, the Dodgers' catcher Joe Kern may be also be sidelined for several weeks with a shoulder injury, hopefully available for the playoffs.

Angels continue to dominate Dodgers, 7-0

A steady offense led by a different player each week, combined with a steady defense led by the same player each week, has hoisted the Angels into second place. Sunday morning's attack was led by the batsmanship of Gerardo Ibarra and by the pitching prowess of Jorge Perez (6-1).

With a seven-to-nil score, there were few highlights for the Dodgers. However, despite the formidability of the Angel's ace, both Radley Pilanca and Mark Droscoski seemed to have Perez's number, each tagging the Angels' hurler for a pair of base hits. In similar fashion, each man managed to advance to third base once and to second on his other occassion. Nonetheless, all runners were left stranded, the Dodgers simply unable to cash in against the Angels all morning.

When Mountain Thunder grabbed a 7-1 early-game lead, it looked like business as usual for the reigning league champs. Likewise, the Black Sox seemed destined for an almost-win, an all-too-often occurrance for the hard luck team of season 2008.

As the innings progressed, the margin on the scoreboard shrank like a wool sweater in a hot dryer, the score suddenly knotted going into the seventh (last scheduled) inning. That is when the bag of Black Sox surprises was opened, spelling trouble for John Vitale, the Thunder's moundsman who had gone the distance to that point, logging almost 100 pitches.

Plating a pair to take a brief lead, the Sox could not shut the door on their opponents. The home-team Thunder then rallied in its half of the seventh as well, sending the contest into extra innings. A scoreless eighth heightened the tension on both benches and throughout the crowd, hooting and hollering abounding in the rightfield parking lot (Kona's answer to the Chicago Cub's "bleacher bum" seats).

The ninth inning looked like an entirely different game; it began raining base hits for the Black Sox. The Thunder ace pitcher's arm had then notched over 130 pitches, spelling the "Vitale finale". The Thunder changed pitchers, but momentum was with the Black Sox who kept on hammerin' Cameron and had their way with Jay. A record-breaking 14 runs were scored in the inning which sealed the deal, Black Sox over Thunder, 22-8. In fact, the only Black Sox player not to cross home plate in the ninth was Nate who gets a mention here, just for that!

With the victory, the Black Sox secure the tie-breaker over the Thunder, a statistic that could have consequences in the seeding for the playoffs.

The Earthquakes looked pretty good against their more favored opponents in the late game Sunday, hardly what one would think of as a "first vs. worst". Losing pitcher C.J. Hanna and his reliever Phil Prisby were both reasonably effective, but the Crush kept the game in check throughout.

With the Crush enjoying a modest cushion going into the fourth, former professional pitcher (and now top mentor to young would-be pitchers) Eduardo Andrews had the opportunity to give one of his proteges Devland Zakar a second chance at the art of pitching to the big boys. As one might expect, the younster was tagged, this time for three runs in his inning of work. However, he did he remain composed enough to close out the frame.

Top scorers were J.R. Mori and Kaiwikuamo`o Canda-Alvarez for the victors. The final score was a win for the Crush, 12-5.

The regular season now just past the mid-point, the Crush remains undefeated, but hasn't faced last year's champs - not until Saturday play, later in July.

Thunder knocks out Earthquakes, 14-2

Mountain Thunder returned to its championship form in the morning game, taking out the lowly Earthquakes in five innings, courtesy of the 10-run mercy rule. The 'quakes, however, did rumble and produce a couple of tremors.

Surprisingly, the Thunder found iteslf down a pair of runs at the start of the game, a result of winning pitcher Shadow Diessner's iffy opening round. Initially plagued by a walk to the lead-off batter, a yielded single next, and several wild pitches to follow, the lanky moundsman suddenly found the strike zone. He then proceeded to fan seven batters on his way to perfection in the innings numbered two through five.

That one-hit, zero earned-run performance overshadowed a fine outing by C.J. Hanna of the Earthquakes, whose arm fatigued in the third inning. Short of depth in the bullpen, Earthquakes manager Jeff Barbas turned to first baseman Todd Brinkman to fill the void atop the mound.

Ouch! That decision seemed to backfire as the Thunder plated everyone up and down the lineup in the third inning (except for Andrew Emsley, go figure).

It was a battle for fourth place in the standings, the Black Sox stepping past the blue crew in the noon game.

Andrew Wanat had a firm grip on the laces of his favorite baseball, his curve ball effective, carrying his team to victory. Five innings later, after giving up only one run on three base hits, he and his fellow Black Sox had, without a doubt, stamped their authority on the Dodgers.

Aaron Murphy was charged with the loss for the injury-ridden Dodgers, a team still searching for the right combination of defensive positioning on the field.

The third game Sunday deserves to be long remebered as one of the greatest games ever in KonaBaseball.com history, the Marlins pulling off a come-from-behind, walk-off victory, 7-6. Even more impressive than the score was the manner in which the game was played and managed by Bailey Pattengill of the Marlins, a testament to the multi-generational principle that is a cornerstone of the league itself.

With liberal substitution rules, the KonaBaseball.com League circumvents age-stratification in its structure as ther is not enough local population for multiple, age-stratified leagues. Th welcomed result is that it fosters of a number of father-son, on-the-field relationships. Normally, the fathers introduce their sons to the league. In this game, however, the opposite was the case, and the result was the same.

On this particular day, Marlins team manager Captain Doug was unavailable, his son delegated those responsibilities. As game time approached, the new skipper realized that his team might be short a couple of players and at risk of forfeiting to the Angels. Without hesitation, the young Pattengill looked to the stands where he successfully recruited a pair of dads, Mike Hawkins (father of Kurtis and Klifford - eventually the winning pitcher) and Scott Orvis (father of Matt and Ryan).

Now the story here could be about how these dads carried their sons to victory with base hits and home runs, but that isn't the case. Instead, it is the story about dads who have carried their sons to victory from the sidelines for years, now sharing the game of baseball in its purest way. And nobody really cared that the old guys logged a strike out or two, undoubedtly the blame to be placed on rusty frames that will probably be better oiled next week.

The second-place Angels, pleased to play a real game (rather than accept a forfeit), seemed poised for a cakewalk at the expense of the skeleton crew across the diamond. A multi-generation team in its own right, the group of Angels again had its side bolstered by family members galore, kids Jorge Perez, Jr. (batboy) and friends including Miguel, poised to retrieve foul balls and help the scorekeeper in the updating of the manual scoreboard. The final updating of the scoreboard however, did not favor the Angels. The league's winningest pitcher Jorge Perez led all scorers in the game with three offensive plate crossings, but ended up taking the defensive loss (only the second loss for him in 2008).

This game was one of strategy and prudent management, Bailey Pattengill relying on younger brother Holden Pattengill, the youth catcher assuming on-field defensive leadership well beyond what one would expect of a player his age. The more-favored Angels took a 2-1 lead in the first inning and kept ahead of the underdogs as the game progressed until the fourth inning when the Marlins edged ahead, 4-3 . In response, the Angels posted three scores in the top of the fifth inning,

The game appearing to be "on ice". But somebody forgot to tell Bailey Pattengill and the Marlins about it. The newly united sons & dads remained true to their course, playing small-ball to score a run in each of the last three innings, the final tally occurring as a result of a long sacrifice fly ball hit by Bailey Patternigill himself, enabling who else but winning pitcher Klifford Hawkins to touch home plate with the walk-off score. Does baseball get any better than this?

The Marlins' victory was good news to the die-hard Thunder faithful, many of whom were still in the Simmons Field area after beating the Earthquakes in the morning game. The overall effect of two events was that the Angels drop from second place, yielding to the Thunder.

It takes Glass to finally crumble Crush, 10-1

It took veteran pitcher Ian Glass and the reigning champion Mountain Thunder team to put a halt to this season's undefeated front-runners. However, it may already be too late for anyone to catch the Crush, at least during the regular season.

Offensively, it was Jon Vitale eclipsing all players on the field with three crossings of home plate. And while the victory was impressive, the reality is that some of the Crush's stronger bats were missing in action for this rare, Saturday morning game. Aaron Mori took the loss for the Crush.

In a game where the lead changed hands four times, spectaters began wondering if anyone actually wanted to win the game, each squad squandering opportunities to take control. In retrospect, the Earthquakes looked to be the better team, but couldn't seem to cash in when the chips were down.

Black Sox starting pitcher Andrew Wanat was the workhorse on the mound for most of the game, giving way to the bullpen after six innings. Reliever Bryant Komo kept things on hold, but got in trouble with one out in the bottom of the ninth. However, closer Kai Miller was able to come in and strike out the final two batters in the frame, keeping the opponents' last at-bat rally to only one, harmless run and preserving the victory for Komo.

For the still-winless Earthquakes, Phil Prisby took the loss, despite his aggressive bat, coupled with offeinsive prowess displayed by teammates C. J. Hanna and Pono Kadooka. All was for naught, but at least one thing is for sure. The Earthquakes will not lose this upcoming weekend. The time off will allow them to prepare for a repeat matchup with their nemesis the Black Sox, just two weeks away.

Marlins get Crushed, 12-2

Having tasted defeat for only the first time this season, the Crush was back on track by the following morning, making short work of the Marlins. Under the careful tutaledge of player/coach Eduardo Andrews it was finally time for the young Devland Zakar to capture his first victory in the men's league, an impressive outing in which the kid went the distance, albeit only a 5-inning contest in the end. And, although enjoying a comfortable lead that kept him out of hot water, he still had to retire the opponents, and he was pretty good at handling such duties.

Worthy of note was the playing debut of Jack Shoop for the Marlins, the latest dad (father of Loren Shoop) to be added to the team, a recruitment effort that landed dads Mike Hawkins (father of Klifford and Kurtis) and Scott Orvis (father of Matt and Ryan), just last week. Coupled with the fact that Captain Doug Pattengill is the father of Bailey and Holden, this team has a total of eleven players from just four families!

Other than teams entered in special father-son tournaments, this may be a record for the most father-son oriented team ever in competitive hardball! But, then again, besides the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records (and they didn't show up), who cares? The Marlins still lost the game.

After toppling the league leaders on Saturday, perhaps the Thunder took the hot-and-cold Dodgers too lightly on Sunday. Through two innings, winning pitcher Keegan Lerma enjoyed a 7-0 lead, and heads were shaking in disbelief. It suddenly seemed possible that the reigning champs might be whitewashed.

In the third-base dugout, the men of Mountain Thunder were not about to give up, however. As the game progressed, the lead began to dwindle, eventually to only a 2-run margin in the seventh inning. That's when manager Ray Uribes called upon Aaron Murphy to put the finishing touches on the Thunder's rally, thereby notching the save for himself.

It was a disappointing outing for losing pitcher Carl Pires whose wild first inning cost him the game. On the other hand, offensive credit should be given to the top of the Dodgers lineup, multiple scoring by Kurt Peterson, Justin Parages, and Mark Droscoski.

Each July, the KonaBaseball.com league takes one week off in order for Simmons Field to be available for use by the Kalae Iki Youth Baseball Clinic, sponsored by the Jack Gifford Foundation and the Betty Kanuha Foundation. Top NCAA coaches and former professional players conduct a baseball clinic that is unmatched by anything offered on the mainland.

No self-incrimination as Black Sox take the fifth

Paper may cover rock, and scissors may cut paper, but Glass can't be Crushed. So went the saga for the first place Crush on Saturday, once again unable to get past the 2007 champs. League leaders all season, the Crush has now been swept by the Thunder in season 2008. However, nobody else has beaten the Crush this year, not even once.

Ian Glass, on cruise-control, picked up the victory over Devland Zakar, who sputtered a bit, overthrowing and aiming the ball at times. Mid-game, the Crush's player/coach Eduardo Andrews realized that his rookie pitcher had enough action for one day. The ex-pro then called his own number, came in as the relief pitcher, and restored order. However, the damage had already been done.

The top of the order was on top of its game for the Thunder, Jim Nestman, Joey DePaulo, and Dylan Bunnell providing plenty of punch, scrong early and often. The final result was Thunder - 9, Crush - 3.

Crush has triple treat at expense of Angels

After dropping their Saturday contest, the Crush rebounded on Sunday morning, fending off a scrappy Angels team. Pitcher of effort Eduardo Andrews is credited with the win over Solomon Vasques.

For the Angels, their pregame hopes were quicky dashed when the Crush posted four runs in the first inning. The handwriting on the wall, the Angels turned to their ace Jorge Perez (usually a starter) to come in as a relever. Perez faired better, but the Crush tagged him as well, posting a run in each inning for the rest of the game. The final tally was Crush - 9, Angels - 3.

Undoubtedly, the player of the game was veteran catcher Peter Ewing who eclipsed all scorers with three plate crossings and made a pair of outstanding defensive plays at home, tagging runners out in close attempts to score.

A perfectly-executed squeeze bunt in their final at bat proved to be the difference in the Dodgers' victory over the Marlins in the late game Sunday. It happened when Drew Comacho laid down a beautiful bunt which enabled Mark Droscowski to score from third, the play that won the game for the Dodgers, 4-3.

Keegan Lerma recorded the win in relief of Rick Neyman (who was pretty good himself, through four innings). Loren Shoop took the loss for the Marlins, the unlucky pitcher who threw the pitch that resulted in the Dodgers' game-winning play.

Finally: an Earthquake that can't be Dodged

A controversial last-minute trade, sending Black Sox' player/coach Craig Hanna, Sr. to the Earthquakes, may have been the difference in Sunday morning's game, the ground-shakers finally tilting the Richter scale.

It marked the first time in two seasons that this father and his son (C.J. Hanna) teamed up. Interestingly, this family has found that their involvement in the league has worked out well, despite the fact that the 2007 draft (formation of the Earthquakes) landed sonny-boy on the expansion team while dad was committed to the then-sophomoric Black Sox. Perhaps the biggest problem has fallen on the shoulders of wife/mom Cindy Hanna who always hopes for a tie when those two teams meet, but baseball has no draws.

After a season of disappointments, the Earthquakes finally broke ground in 2008, thanks to half-a-dozen eruptions in the fourth inning. It was Bill McCracken's bat that was a-crack'n in support of Jeff Barbas who logged the win. C.J. Hanna's late inning relief was good enough for the save, lifting him off the foundation of the pitchers' statistics. And, what can be said about the play of John Marshall? Weeds do not get his way!

The Dodgers mounted a rally in their last at bat, but could only close the gap halfway before they ran out of game. Rick Neyman, well-disciplined in finding the strike zone, was the pitcher who got tagged in this one and was charged with the loss, final score: 9-7.

Closely-matched teams with a rich rivalry, especially with a plethary of recent seasons' one-run decisions, a block-buster seemed in order. A face-off that looked better on paper than on the field, Mountain Thunder made it clear that they have the Angels' number this year, doubling up on them, 4-2. Credit one Angel player Jose Luis Ibarra for both of his teams scores, and that summarizes his team's highlights.

On the other side, credit Dylan Bunnell for keeping his cool when called out at the plate in what appeared to be a loss of focus by the umpire. Had the high-noon heat taken its toll? In the end, it didn't matter, as Jon Vitale threw a sub-100 pitch completion. Determine that the sun wasn't about to take him ... not on this day, at least ... the blue sucked it up, changed his shirt in the fourth, called Ralph on the big white phone in middle of the fifth, and finished the last two innings of the game.

Mountain Thunder still holds on to a glimmer of hope for claiming the top of the hill, a spot that has eluded everyone but the Crush in 2008. A Black Sox victory over the Crush next week, coupled with the Thunder beating the Marlins, would result in a season-ending tie for first place. In that case, the Thunder would prevail, holding the head-to-head advantage over the Crush.

With the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament concluding in Kona this last week, the Black Sox decided to do some Marlin fishing of their own Sunday, Captain Doug's team taking the bait and getting reeled in. The loss was taken by Holden Pattengill for the Marlins. However, his performance was strong, hardly an attestation to the final score.

It was Atlee Riddle of the Black Sox who batted 2-for-3, producing the game winning run, one of five for his team in the shutout. Kai Miller was close to perfect through five innings for the win, giving up only one hit. Andrew Wanat was also effective in relief, yielding only one single himself. Overall, it was a team effort, contributions up and down the lineup.

Angels secure third place, fending off Earthquakes, 10-6

With the possibility of being displaced by the Black Sox on the last day of the regular season, the Angels took control of their own destiny, but it was no simple matter. The Earthquakes had tasted victory for the first time only a week ago and were hungry for more.

Had it not been for a miserable first inning, the 'quakes' winning streak might have reached two. However, an early-game 6-1 deficit proved to be insurmountable, despite an action-packed fifth inning rally.

With a comfortable lead for most of the contest, Pedro Torres notched the win, with last-inning help provided by Jesse Guzman, good enough to earn him the save. Offensively, the Angels spread the bounty around, double-plating Jose Luis Ibarra, Oscar "Double Zero" Delgado, Jorge Perez, and Adrian Villanueva.

After the rocky start, iron horse Jeff Barbas settled down, was in hot water again in the third, and eventually went the distance for the Earthquakes, suffering his first loss of the season. His team finishes the season on an upbeat positive note, however, nipping at the heels of the lofty Angels right to the end, scoring Phil Prisby, Ronnie Walzer, Mailo Blair, and Todd Brinkman in the fifth to close the gap.

Who knows? A nine-inning game might have given the Earthquakes enough time to win. It appears as though these guys might be postured to make some noise in the playoffs and that they shouldn't be taken lightly.

Last-season's champs arrived for the noon game, still holding on to a glimmer of hope for a first-place regular season finish. In order for that wish to become reality, the suddenly-hot Black Sox would have to knock off the Crush later in the day, and the Thunder would have to beat the Marlins. The latter task was first on the Thunder's agenda, and the Marlins, although inconsistent, can never be taken lightly.

Thunder starter Cameron Smay was able to deal with just about everyone on the Marlins' squad except Klifford Hawkins, the youth player who accounted for the bulk of his own team's offensive punch. For the victorious Mountain Thunder, Carl Pires and Jon Vitale share offensive honors with the pitcher himself, batting more like Mays than Smay.

It was the oddest of sounds - hearing Thunderous applause resounding from the parking lot for the Black Sox as Ryan Landis scored the winning run. The roars grew even louder when Landis followed up with an important insurance run in the third inning, leading his team to a surprising domination of the league-leading Crush in this, the last game of the season.

It was Kai Miller pocketing the win for the Sox, going the distance, striking out five, while yielding only three hits to the opponents. For the Crush, Dorian Rivera suffered the loss, replaced mid-game when he injured his leg as a result of an awkward step taken while fielding a bunt.

With a loss in the last game of the regular season, the Crush drops into a first-place tie with Mountain Thunder. However, since these two teams' head-to-head play this season resulted in a sweep for the Thunder, the tie-breaker is theirs. Accordingly, the second-place Crush effectively forfeits its bye (an automatic win) next week in the playoffs.

Maybe that was their strategy. They still feel that they are on their way to the 2008 championship. They just need an additional win in which to accomplish that feat.

Eight is enough for Crush over Earthquakes, 7-1

It took only eight Crush players (the minimum under league rules) to keep the Earthquakes in check in the 9:00 game Sunday morning. In a contest of 2nd vs. 7th, the Crush was the overwhelming favorite, and the final score held true to the pre-game odds.

For the Crush, astute defensive alignment was the key to its success. The team varied its infield and outfielders' positioning with each Earthquake batter and made necessary adjustments with baserunners aboard.

Nonetheless, the Earthquakes made a game of it, only to say "Oh no, Pono" when their shortstop let a made-to-order, potentially inning-ending, double-play ground ball scoot under his glove and through his legs, opening the door for a Crushing third inning. That 5-run frame spelled doom for Jeff Barbas, the pitcher who was tagged with the loss, despite yielding only two earned runs.

Off to an early five-zip lead, the Angels had their hands full when the upstart Marlins suddenly got hot in the fifth inning. Holden Pattengill, Ryan Orvis, and Bailey Pattengill put together a string of base hits and plate crossings that began to shake the confidence of the more-favored foes. In the end however, the Marlins ran out of time. In addition, the Angels' winning pitcher Jorge Perez settled matters down to close out the 6th and 7th innings with barely a threat.

The game of the day was the blockbuster that was expected when the middle-of-the-pack squads faced off. The teams could hardly have been more evenly matched. They were, at times equally good, displaying crisp defense and showing heads-up play. They were, at times, equally inept, failing to charge fly balls, allowing pop-ups to plop down. All of this prompted one to wonder which team wanted to win this one.

By the slimmest of margins, the Black Sox' Kai Miller turned out to be one-run better than his opponent Keegan Lerma. Maybe that was the difference. On the other hand, maybe it was the fact that Atlee Riddle's mother, visiting from Maui, was in the crowd. Her presence definitely made a difference in his vocabulary - hardly a cuss-word slipped past his lips all day. What a mama's boy!

Black Sox suffer Crushing blow in final inning

Over an hour had passed Sunday morning and the first inning was not yet completed. The game looked to be a slugfest being played in a time warp. Whether it was poor planning or inadequate communication, the Marlins failed to answer the bell for the morning game Sunday. Unable to field a team of at least 8 players, the Marlins found themselves forfeiting to the Earthquakes. As a result, the Marlins are eliminated from the playoffs. The Earthquakes advance in the losers' bracket and are slated to face the Dodgers next week.

In a game that was much closer than the score indicates, the league champions continued their winning ways Sunday afternoon. Ian Glass was only three batters short of being perfect on the mound for the Thunder, yielding just a pair of hits, one of which spoiled the shut out. But who cares? The Mountain men are playing consistent baseball these days, seemingly on their way to another title. However, there still are some roadblocks in their way. Just ask the other remaining teams.

Both pitchers looked good, but the Andrew Wanat's pitch count was much higher, eventually resulting in fifth-inning fatigue. Therein lies the difference in the game, the Thunder's batters literally tee-ing off on the Black Sox in the fifth and sixth, taking them to the brink of elimination pursuant to the 10-run mercy rule. However, just in the nick of time, Black Sox right fielder Sterling Hettel saved the day with a diving catch that foiled the would-be game-ender.

However, despite the renewed enthusiasm that Hettel's catch brought to the dugout, the Black Sox had already dug themselves into an insurmountable trench. Unable to mount a rally in their last-ditch effort, the Sox suddenly faced the fact that the ball game was over.

For the Thunder, the top scorer was the always-reliable J. Lidgett. Next on their agenda is a date with the Angels, the other team remaining in the winners' bracket, the matchup scheduled to occur a fortnight (two weeks) away.

Coming within a gnat's eyelash of a no-hitter, Gerardo Ibarra was in top form in the late game, baffling the normally-unbeatable Crush lineup. Oscar Delgado starred offensively, leading his Angels team by example. His most significant contribution was a blistering triple in the fifth inning that provided enough insurance to put the game on ice.

With the victory, the Angels draw the bye next week and remain in the winners' bracket. Their next task, however, is also a formidable one ... the reigning champs on September 7th.

The loss, charged to Cameron Kawai, knocks the otherwise-undefeated hurler off the top of the pile, displaced by the Thunder's Ian Glass.

Stay tuned for more on this subject, a matter that remains to be settled before the playoffs conclude.

Crush struggles to eliminate Black Sox, 16-13

In a slugfest, the first inning taking almost an hour just by itself, the Crush had to come from behind to send the Black Sox home for the winter. For awhile, it looked as though the more-favored Crush was "toast", but their tenacity paid off in the end. With their backs against the wall, they mounted a late-game rally to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The game was a wild one! After delivering more than 30 pitches, Black Sox starter Andrew Wanat found himself down half a dozen runs, even before his teammates had swung a bat. That dejection quickly turned into hopeful anticipation when the Sox answered with eight scores of their own.

By the time that six outs had been recorded, the score was 8-6. Could this pace of play continue? Of course not. Would the final tally of this game sound more like a football score than that of a baseball game? Well, maybe.

The Black Sox continued their offensive assault in the next couple of innings, padding their lead with five more tallies. Meanwhile, the Crush's bats had been quieted, Wanat settling down and getting more defensive support from his teammates in the field. However, both squad's hurlers had thrown a ton of pitches, Kanoa Santiago and Ryan Pelaries for the Crush; Wanat and relievers Sam Hori and Shiloh Chenoweth for the Sox.

Just then, along came Eduardo Andrews to put out the fire, permitting his Crush teammates the slim, outside chance of being able to mount a last-ditch effort to produce a season-saving, game-winning rally. And that is exactly what they did. Under the leadership of Peter Ewing (top scorer of the game), the Crush survives to play another day.

On the other side of the diamond, a bewildered Black Sox team can be proud of contributions by Atlee Riddle, Nathan Hanson, John Brumbaugh and Nick Hill, each double-plating on the day, but the valient effort simply wasn't good enough in the end, was it?

Similar to the first game, the afternoon affair was one that caused fans to wonder if anyone was going to win this one. Perhaps one of the most entertaining games of the year, the lowly Earthquakes let everyone in the league know that they were still in the running for the championship.

Unlike the early-day contest, it was a pitchers' duel for much of the game, and the first five innings were quickly booked. The majority of the scoring was late, both starters eventually falling prey to fatigue. The first chink in the armour appeared when the Earthquakes combined base hits in the sixth inning to shake Keegan Lerma's pitching performance, all but perfect to that point. The lefty may have bent a bit, but did not break, eventually calming matters.

His counter part Phil Prisby faired well himself through five innings, helping out his own cause offensively in the process with a pair of runs. But the sixth inning proved to be the essence of the game - and the decision came down in favor of the Dodgers by the final score of 7-5. Credit catcher Mike West for top play both offensively and defensively, assuring the victory for his fellow Dodgers.

Thunder wraps up winners' bracket, 12-5 over Angels

Angels' knuckle-baller Gerardo Ibarra was highly effective against the Thunder, at least the first time he faced its lineup. However, in the fourth inning, his junkballs had been deciphered. A half-dozen runs later, the issue of top spot in the winners' bracket was all too clear for the Angels.

Winning pitcher Jon Vitale lead a fraternity of four double-platers for the Thunder, a group that included J. Lidgett, James Juarez and Carl Pires, to secure the victory. Diligent week after week, Mountain Thunder overcame early-season inconsistencies to finish strong in the regular season (clinching first place on the last day of the season), then continued to dominate the playoffs. By prevailing in the winners' bracket, the Thunder is just one win from accomplishing a repeat as league champs.

A matchup that was predicted to be a cakewalk for the Crush turned out to be one of the top games of the year for the Dodgers, getting it all together to surprise their more-favored foes. The 3-2 squeaker came down to the very end, a Crush rally snuffed out with the bases loaded.

Keegan Lerma all but sewed up his team's MVP title with a fine pitching performance for the Dodgers, keeping a reasonably-modest pitch count of 89 (over 7 innings) to assure a strong finish on the mound. Credit also goes to Ray Uribes and his coaching staff for the decision to intentionally walk Crush slugger Eduardo Andrews to load the bases with two outs in the last inning. Risking the possibility that any base hit would have scored two runners, turning the tables on the Dodgers and sending them home for the winter, the strategy worked when a routine ground ball resulted in the third and final out.

With the victory, the Crush, a team that was virtually unbeatable through most of the regular season, is dismissed from the playoffs by the fifth-place finishers. In addition, the fine pitching performance by the Crush's Cameron Kawai resulted in a loss, the strong fastballer picking up that statistic for only the second time this year.

Angels squeak past Dodgers by the narrowest of margins, 2-1

Often mixing styles on the mound from game to game, on this particular Sunday, the Angels turned to fastball pitcher Jorge Perez, matched up against the Dodgers' 2008 season-saver Keegan Lerma in a duel that resulted in one of the finest KonaBaseball.com games of the year.

It was a fitting end to the elimination bracket of the playoffs, a bracket that saw the fifth-place Dodgers knock off the lofty Crush, a team that had gone undefeated for most of the regular season. It was also a fitting triumph for a well-organized and deeply-rooted team of Angels, a team that rose to the occassion against a very stubborn opponent Sunday morning, neither squad ready to pack it in for the season.

The game began with the Dodgers' centerfielder Kurt Peterson blasting a triple down the right-field line, only to be thrown out at the plate on a fielder's choice off the bat of Brad McPherron who, after stealing second base, came around to score the first tally of the game. Stranding a pair of runners, that first inning might have been the Dodgers' best chance to take advantage of Perez's early-game jitters.

From that point forward, the pace of the game accelerated, both pitchers solidly in the strike zone, batters putting the ball into play, and fielders executing well, including the turning of a pair of double plays. It began to appear that the sole run scored by the Dodgers in the first inning just might hold up.

Throughout the game, both teams seemed to beam with confidence. So why couldn't the Dodgers advance to the championship round when they seemed to be so ready? Without any plausable answer, maybe it was the so-called Murphy's Law ... for it was the normally potent bat of Aaron Murphy that was silenced by Perez and the Angels, the Dodgers' slugger going 0-for-3 on the day.

In fact, beyond Murphy's third position in the batting order, just about the entire lineup of Dodgers went without a base hit, including Keegan Lerma, Mike West, Ray Uribes, Heath Peterson, Kenny Benson and pinch-hitter Mark Droscoski.

The only two exceptions to Murphy's law on this day were the base knock by Drew Camacho, whose fifth-inning double went for naught when a line drive to the pitcher ended a would-be threat, and the hit delivered by Joe Kern, who managed to punch a single into center field in the last inning, creating a dramatic finish to the game when he, the potential game-tying run, was left stranded on base.

Those two threats were apparently dismissed as Mulligans by the Angels. Dodgers' base coach Albert Droscoski undoubtedly felt the twist of fate that had befallen the Dodgers, an ironic occurance on this day. For it was the luck of the Irish that backfired, despite the fact that neither team was dressed in green.

For the Angels, both scores were recorded by Pedro Torres, the quick-footed right-fielder who also stole a pair of bases on the day to emerge as the game's hero. I don't know about you, but a guy named "Pedro" doesn't sound very Irish to me. Better luck next year, Dodgers, a team that now resorts to singing the blues for the winter.

Game Day #22 - September 21, 2008

Mountain Thunder repeats as league champions

Thunder to Angels ... ten, four, over and out

Manager Mike Sofranko is undoubtedly enjoying cream in his coffee as Mountain Thunder captures the first back-to-back championship in KonaBaseball.com league history. The road to the top spot was not without its challenges, however, including the requirement to come from behind Sunday morning.

Their opponent, a powerful Angels team with a rich tradition, again finishes close to the top. Forced to settle for third place in the regular season, they reached the very end of the playoffs before being eliminated. A team that has been a perennial force for years, the Angels last claimed the league crown in 2001. Under the name "Pirates", they finished first in the 2004 regular season, but were upset in the playoffs by the once-upon-a-time Steelers team.

Joey DePaulo started things off in the first inning when he scored as a result of back-to-back-to-back base hits by the Thunder. But, after a quick timeout for a conference on the mound, Angels' pitcher Gerardo Ibarra was able to get on track, escaping the frame with no further damage. Then, thanks to plate-crossings by brother Jose Luis Ibarra and teammate Jorge Perez, the knuckleballer seemed to be in control, leading a team that was poised to take down the reigning champs. At least things looked that way through two innings.

Unfortunately for the Angels, the third and fourth innings spelled their Watrerloo, the aforementioned DePaulo, team MVP, and Jon Vitale, this year's league MVP, joining power-hitter Cameron Smay in sealing the deal with 8 more notches on the scoreboard for the mountain men.

The Angels scrambled to salvage the contest, bringing in fastball pitchers Jorge Perez and Solomon Vasquez, in hopes of upsetting the Thunder's batters' timing. But the timing seemed to be just perfect for the Mountain Thunder Coffee team on Sunday, eventually running out as winners, by the final score of 10-4. So, this time, just like last time, it's their time.

Pitch-Thru-Tire and Long-Ball Derby lead off end-of-season day's events

With the season just ended, Sunday, September 26, 2008 was set for the All-Star game. Festivities began at 9:00 a.m. with the ever-popular pitch-thru-tire event, a tribute to the Cleveland Indians' Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller. The 1940 American League Rookie-of-the-Year is repudiated to have developed his pitching prowess on a farm in Iowa, the youth honing the skills requred to be a major league pitcher at the expense of an old blackwall mounted on a cinder block behind his grandfather's barn.

This year's champion was Ryan Landis who came from behind in the second round to topple John Brumbaugh. In the first round, Brumbaugh. dominated the field, with a number of 2-point bullseyes, a handful of 3-point lodge-in-the-tire scores, and 1-point hits of the tire on almost every other pitch. Unfortunately, however, he lost his touch in the final round.

For Landis, the pitch-thru-tire crown completes the hat trick. He now adds this medal to a pair he earned in past years, previously winning the long-ball derby and the catchers' putout event (a contest that is no longer part of the festivities).

The long-ball derby followed, the KonaBaseball.com League's answer to the major leagues' home-run derby. Of course, Simmons Field is only a few feet above sea level, where out-of-the-park dingers are almost impossible. Accordingly, orange traffic cones are used to differentiate a long-ball from an out. This year's champion was Aaron Murphy who dominated in both rounds, scoring a total of 15 swats.

Next on the agenda was the ceremonial cake and the presentation of awards. Of course, the annual trophy went to Mountain Thunder this year, winners of both the regular season and the playoffs. Interestingly, this is the first time in league history that a team has been able to repeat and become back-to-back champs, an attestation to the overall balance amongst the teams in the league.

Pitchers - 2008

Ian Glass, Thunder _______________ 4-0 (1 save) (1 hold)
Bryant Komo, Black Sox ___________ 3-0 (1 hold)
Eduardo Andrews, Crush ___________ 2-0 (2 saves) (2 holds)
Ikaika Baptista, Crush ___________ 2-0 
Shadow Diessner, Thunder _________ 2-0 
Pedro Torres, Angels _____________ 1-0
Jorge Perez, Angels ______________ 8-2
Jon Vitale, Thunder ______________ 3-1 (1 save)
Kai Miller, Black Sox ____________ 2-1 (1 save)
Keegan Lerma, Dodgers_____________ 6-3 
Cameron Kawai, Crush _____________ 4-2 
Andrew Wanat, Black Sox __________ 2-1 
Aaron Mori, Crush ________________ 2-1
Cameron Smay, Thunder ____________ 2-1
Klifford Hawkins, Marlins ________ 1-1 (1 save) 
Devland Zakar, Crush _____________ 1-1
Carl Pires, Thunder ______________ 1-1
Bailey Pattengill, Marlins _______ 2-3
Loren Shoop, Marlins _____________ 1-2 (1 save)
Jeff Barbas, Earthquakes _________ 1-2 
Aaron Murphy, Dodgers ____________ 1-3 (1 save)
Gerardo Ibarra, Angels ___________ 1-3
Dorian Rivera, Crush _____________ 0-1 (2 saves) (1 hold)
Jeremy Gee, Dodgers ______________ 0-1 (1 save)
C.J. Hanna, Earthquakes __________ 0-5 (1 save)
Holden Pattengill, Marlins _______ 0-1
Radley Pilanca, Dodgers __________ 0-1
Keao Fessenden-Grace, Black Sox __ 0-1
Sam Hori, Black Sox ______________ 0-1
Josh Kaiwi, Marlins ______________ 0-1
Solomon Vasques, Angels __________ 0-1
Rick Neyman, Dodgers _____________ 0-1
Oscar Delgado, Angels ____________ 0-1
Phil Prisby, Earthquakes _________ 0-3
Shiloh Chenoweth, Black Sox ______ 0-3
Jason Hurst, Earthquakes _________ 0-3