The championship game of the Kupuna Division A softball tournament was an all-Kona affair with the No. 1 seeded Kona Legends taking on No. 3 seed Kona Gold at Old Airport Park.
The championship game of the Kupuna Division A softball tournament was an all-Kona affair with the No. 1 seeded Kona Legends taking on No. 3 seed Kona Gold at Old Airport Park.
Both teams, along with No. 2 seed Kohala wracked up a lot of wins this season. The trio went a combined 105-9. However, in the championship game, it would be the lower seed of the three teams pulling out a gut-wrenching 11-10 victory in a game that saw several lead changes.
“We came in seeded third and hoping that we could pull it off and we did,” Kona Gold head coach David Chaikin said. “It was back and forth with a really tough team and guys we have known for a really long time. It was a shame someone had to lose this game, but fortunately for us and unfortunately for them we came out on top. It could have just as easily went the other way.”
Kona Gold, the three-time defending state champion, fell into a 2-1 hole after the first inning. Still down by one heading into the bottom of the second, Bob Fitzgerald led off with a single to right and Phil Tinguely came on as a pinch runner. Richard Rasay singled to right and Rob Reschan singled to left to load the bases. Bobby Dudley followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Tinguely to tie the game.
The Kona Legends went up 3-2 in the top of the third when David Fukumoto doubled to left and his pinch runner, Marshall Tohara, scored on a single to center by Steve Erenberg.
Finding themselves down by one, once again, the Kona Gold bounced back with four runs in the bottom of the third. Mike Sinnott singled in the first run of the inning and the second scored on a fielder’s choice, grounder to second. Jack McMenimen knocked in the third run with a single to left and a sac fly off the bat of Rasay put Kona Gold up 6-3.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Kona Legends tied the game with a 3-run fifth. After Mike Cabral and Mac Davis reached base on a single and an error by the second baseman, Fukumoto hit the ball to left, scoring both runners. Tohara entered as a pinch runner and later scored on a sac fly by Alvin Sato.
Kona Gold answered back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Sinnott beat out an infield hit, Bruce Boone singled to center and Ray Peterson walked to load the bases. McMenimin knocked in the first run with a single to left and Tinguely plated the second run on a sac fly.
Kona Legends had their best offensive inning in the top of the sixth, pushing four runs across the plate for a 10-8 advantage. Stan Grahovac, Bill Chambers, Tohara and Jeff Fyffe opened the inning with four singles in a row, scoring one run. Cabral followed with a line drive to first that Boone, the Kona Gold first baseman, made a spectacular diving play on. However, an attempted throw home sailed wide, allowing a run to score on the error. The final two runs of the inning scored on a Mac Davis flyout to right when the ball was mishandled on the relay.
Down by two heading into the bottom of the sixth, Kona Gold’s offense needed to step up. It did to the tune of three runs for an 11-10 lead.
Fred Costanzo led off the inning by reaching base on a bloop hit that was misplayed when the Kona Legends second baseman and centerfielder nearly collided. After two quick outs, Martin Hauser doubled to left to score a run. Wayne Burger followed with a run scoring single to left and Tinguely tripled to right, bringing in the third run.
Heading into the final inning, it looked as if the Kona Legends would get the one run they needed to tie the game when Erenberg singled to left and Larry Hixson singled to center, putting runners on first and third with one out. However, the Kona Gold infield was able to turn a double play to end the game and claim the title.
“It was nice to close it out with a double play because we have been really consistent with them all year,” Chaikin said. “We still have states to go and I am looking for our team and the Legends to be in the finals there as well. We are all looking forward to it.”
The state tournament will be held Aug. 2-4. on Kauai.