Two teams representing the Maui Adult Baseball League traveled to Oahu over Labor Day Weekend to face a pair of All Star teams from the Honolulu Baseball League in the first ever Interisland Tournament between the two leagues.
In the Saturday morning matchup between the All-MABL team and the HBL Open Division All Star team at Goeas Field, Maui’s John Lamb struck out 15 over 7 innings en route to a no-decision and Frank Lettieri tripled and scored twice. An HBL squad loaded with former D1 NCAA and professional players pushed across 2 runs in the top of the 8th to take a 6-4 lead, which was how the game would end.
The reigning MABL champion Kihei Centipedes kicked off their tournament with a 3-0 win over the HBL Division 2 All Star team Saturday afternoon at Goeas. After being held scoreless for 5 innings by former Philadelphia Phillies farmhand Juan Colmenarez, the ‘Pedes pushed across 3 runs in the sixth on a double that drove in two by Anthony Benigno and an RBI single by Anthony Valeriano. Playing with the Centipedes for the weekend, Benigno led the charge for the Centipedes offensively with a 4-hit game while four different pitchers combined to hold the Oahu team scoreless.
On Sunday morning the All-MABL team defeated the Centipedes 9-5 at Ala Wai Park, where the Waikiki skyline serves as an incredible backdrop for a baseball game. Brandon Kagrise and Dan Katayama contributed multi-hit games in the victory, while Layne Krause held the Centipedes to 3 runs (0 earned) over 6 innings to pick up the win.
In a simultaneous matchup taking place at Goeas Field, the HBL Open team defeated the HBL D2 team by a final of 8 to 5.
The All-MABL team then made the 20-minute drive to Goeas Field for their afternoon matchup against the HBL D2 team. Frank Lettieri (double, triple, 3 runs scored), Dan Katayama (3 for 5 with 4 RBIs, giving him 7 RBIs in the tournament), and Andy Michaels (2 for 4, 2 runs scored, 3 RBIs) paced the offense, while lefty Mike Gilligan (7 inning CG, 4 hits, 8 Ks, 0 earned runs) dominated on the mound in a 14-2 win for Maui.
The Centipedes closed out the round-robin tournament with a 3-13 loss to the HBL Open team.
With a record of 3-0, the HBL Open Division All-Star team was declared the winner of the first Interisland Labor Day Weekend Tournament.
In all 28 players from all 8 teams made the trip and represented the MABL in the tournament. With a single in his first at bat of the tournament, the Centipedes’ Kevin Spaise became the first member of the MABL to record a hit on three different islands in MABL-sanctioned action (Kevin went 3 for 12 over five games during the MABL’s 2010 trip to Kona).
Members of bother leagues attended a Saturday night Maui Wildfire Relief Fundraiser and Mixer at the AnyPlace Cocktail Lounge, hosted by the HBL.
The MABL is incredibly grateful for the time and effort HBL President Gideon Berger put into organizing the tournament and fundraiser event. Members of the MABL who participated made incredible memories and had a blast competing against the best the HBL has to offer. We eagerly look forward to running it back next year!
Scores and stats from the tournament can be viewed on our website. These stats will count towards players’ career totals, but not in the Summer 2023 season stats.