The team drafted and led by Kevin Spaise came out on top of the 2nd Annual Over 40 Tournament held last weekend at Eddie Tam Park in Makawao. Third baseman JD Davis of the La Perouse Pirates was named tournament MVP on his 50th birthday for going 5 for 9 while playing outstanding defense at the hot corner for the champion Makai team.
The tournament got underway Saturday afternoon with the team for the Honolulu Baseball League (O.G. Oahu) coming back from a 7-0 deficit to defeat Team Mauka by a final of 13-7. HBL’s Tim Sakahara and Andrew Little each went 3 for 4 with a pair of runs scored and a pair of RBIs out of the 1-2 spots, respectively. Brian Ashford got the win with 4.2 scoreless innings of relief.
The second game of the tournament saw the two MABL teams play to a 4-4 tie after Team Mauka’s Ken Henry came around to score the tying run in the top of the 7th. Chad Blackwell pitched a scoreless bottom of the 7th, retiring his Centipede teammates Ryan Swindle (strike out swinging) and Michael Kiesler (lined into a game-ending double play), playing for Team Makai.
The third game of the tournament was played on Sunday morning and was dominated by Team Makai, who got a complete game from future Lahaina Warrior Ian Delorme in his first MABL pitching appearance and hits from 10 different players en route to a 10-2 win.
The championship game featured a rematch of game 3 as well as plenty of offense as Team Makai prevailed over the HBL team by a final of 21-15. Evan Kusler, who played in the Oahu Baseball League (the predecessor to the HBL) before moving to Maui and joining the MABL in 2021, got the scoring going early with his first career home run in the 1st inning. Kusler and Ryan Swindle (2 for 3 with a pair of triples) each drove in 4 runs, and multiple pitchers combined in the winning effort for Team Makai.
Mahalo nui loa to all who helped make the 2024 Over 40 Tournament a success! Special thanks to Gideon Berger of the HBL for helping us expand this event to include an interisland element, as well as Kevin Spaise, Rich Doster, Roy Smith, and Gregg Coulson who played critical roles in coordinating and running the tournament, Food Drive, and post-game barbecue on the Maui end! The MABL looks forward to seeing where this event goes in the future!
Photos from the Sunday games are available here, courtesy of Niko Nemoto (@mauiinfocollector on Instagram)!
On deck, the 31st season of Maui Adult Baseball action kicks off next weekend with a pair of games in Makawao! Be sure to follow the MABL on Instagram and Facebook, and check back here regularly for scores, stats, and photos of all the action.