The Maui Adult Baseball League hosted teams from the Honolulu Baseball League for the second annual Labor Day Weekend Interisland Tournament. The MABL-Makai team, made up of players from the West Maui Brewers, Kihei Centipedes, Kaanapali Coast Monarchs, La Perouse Pirates, and Lahaina Warriors, went 3-0 to win the tournament. The MABL-Mauka team, made up of players from the Upcountry Dirtbags, Brewers, Centipedes, Monarchs, and Warriors went 2-1, winning the tournament consolation game on Sunday morning. Two HBL teams competed in the tournament, with one team made up of all-stars representing the HBL Open Division and a second team comprised of players from the HBL Division 2 teams.
Game 1: HBL Open Division All-Star Team (5) vs MABL-Makai (6)
After giving up the lead in the top of the 9th, Team Makai put together a 2-run inning to tie and win the game in thrilling fashion. Josué Ríos led off the bottom of the 9th with a single up the middle, before being moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Kevin Cegelka. After a strike out, lead off batter Pedro Ríos hit a chopper to third that the HBL third baseman was unable to handle, allowing the younger Ríos to come home to tie the game. After Ian Josh was hit by a pitch, starting pitcher John Lamb delivered a two-out single into left field, with Pedro beating the throw to the plate to complete the walk-off win. | Boxscore
Game 2: HBL D2 All-Star Team (5) vs MABL-Mauka (15)
In Makawao, the MABL-Mauka team started off their tournament run with a mercy-rule win over the HBL D2 team. Dreyson Cordova started for Team Mauka, going 6 strong to earn the win, while being one of 4 MABL players with 3 hits in the game. Tim Page, 2nd on the MABL career home run list, added to his total with 3-run blast in the sixth inning, the 8th home run of his illustrious MABL career. | Boxscore
Game 3: MABL-Makai (9) vs HBL D2 (1)
Mike Gilligan took over on the mound for Team Makai during their Saturday afternoon game. Maintaining a shutout until two outs in the 9th, Gilligan finished the game with 1 run allowed on 8 hits and 0 walks, striking out 9 over 9 innings. Brandon Kagrise and Pedro Ríos paced the offense with 3 hits a piece, as Team Makai cruised to their second win of the day. | Boxscore
Game 4: MABL-Mauka (1) vs HBL Open (8)
In their afternoon game against the HBL Open Division team, Team Mauka was held to 1 hit by HBL’s Gavin Okada. Playing in his second Interisland Tournament, Okada allowed only 1 run on 1 hit and 1 walk, striking out 10 MABL hitters over 9 innings. With the win, the HBL Open team earned the head-to-head advantage of Team Mauka, giving them the #2 seed heading into the second day of the tournament, and a chance to play in the championship game. | Boxscore
Consolation Game: HBL D2 (2) vs MABL-Mauka (12)
In the consolation game on Sunday morning, Team Mauka picked up their second mercy-rule victory over the HBL D2 team. Chad Blackwell and Tim Page each had 3 hits, with Page continuing his torrid tournament performance with a pair of doubles and 3 RBIs. On the mound, Layne Krause and Nevan Watanabe — making his MABL debut during the tournament — combined to hold the HBL team to 2 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. | Boxscore | Photos
Championship Game: HBL Open (0) vs MABL-Makai (3)
Ian Josh started the championship game for Team Makai and showed why he’s the 2-time reigning MABL Cy Young award winner. Josh held the HBL Open team to 3 hits and 1 walk over 5 shutout innings, before handing the ball off to Jeremy Taraya. Taraya turned in a pair of scoreless innings, before turning the game over to John Schnettgoecke, who completed the shutout while earning the 2-inning save. The MABL-Makai team pushed across 3 runs in the 3rd inning off of HBL starter Gideon Berger, making the most of limited opportunities in a game that was dominated by pitching. With the win, Team Makai completed the tournament sweep and avenged their loss to last year’s Interisland Tournament champs, the HBL Open Divison team. | Boxscore | Photos
The Maui Adult Baseball League is incredibly grateful to all of the HBL players who made the trip to Maui for the tournament. Their sportsmanship and enthusiasm for the game were apparent throughout the weekend, making the event a huge success! Additional thanks to Rich Doster and Ken Henry, who ran the grill during the tournament barbecue after managing and playing all weekend.
We look forward to running it back next year!
