Summer league offers opportunities
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
It was hard enough that Tyler Perkins had not played in a couple of years. But making his return using wooden bats made it harder — on his hands.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
The 2002 Kamehameha Schools graduate returned to action for the first time yesterday since playing at the University of Portland in 2003 in the debut of the Hawai'i Collegiate Baseball League at Aloha Stadium. The former all-state outfielder had two of his team's six hits as the Waikiki Surfers beat the O'ahu Paddlers, 2-0.
Waikiki Surfers' third baseman Hector Navedo applies the tag to Kevin Falls of the O'ahu Paddlers in the third inning of yesterday's opening game of the Hawai'i Collegiate Baseball League at Aloha Stadium.
"I already got beat-up hands," said Perkins, sporting blisters. "But swinging the wood is good. It's getting me prepared for the aluminum."
Perkins, who did not play last season, is hoping to return to college ball next season at Menlo.
Surfers' teammate Brendon Quon, who played sparingly (1 for 11) at the University of San Diego this season, also had two hits, a double and an RBI single.
"I'm just trying to work on hitting the ball hard, getting backspin and hitting line drives," said Quon, who just finished his freshman season.
Future Hawai'i Rainbow Jorge Franco (Los Angeles Harbor JC) and 2004 Punahou graduate Robert Kurisu (Claremont-McKenna) each had one single to account for the other Surfers' hits.
Three Surfer pitchers — each throwing three innings — combined on a three-hitter against the Paddlers, who had two hits in the first inning. They failed to score in the sixth, when Michael Romeo led off with a triple, but was caught trying to score later. On a pitch that bounced in the dirt, the ball caromed off the catcher toward the pitcher, who, already near the third baseline when fielding the ball, tagged Romeo out.
Cory Wells (1-0), of California Baptist, started for Waikiki, allowing two hits and two walks with no strikeouts. Tyler Davis (Santa Barbara JC), a UH recruit, allowed the triple and three walks in his three innings. Patrick Mason (Nevada) was perfect in his three innings, striking out two, in posting the save.
The Paddlers also used three pitchers. Starter Tyler McCready (0-1), a 2002 Iolani graduate now with Pacific, allowed two runs, one unearned, on four hits and two walks with one strikeout in three innings.
Shane Kochon (Point Loma Nazarene) pitched three scoreless innings and J.C. Faircloth (Western Kentucky) add two shutout innings.
Waikiki took a 1-0 lead in the second. Quon led off with a double, but was thrown out at third when Sacramento State's Jim Strombach (Moanalua 2002) grounded to shortstop and reached first on the fielder's choice. Chicago State's Hector Navedo reached first when he grounded to third for a force at second. Navedo went to second on a wild pitch and scored on an error when Kurisu reached first on a squibbler up the third base line and first baseman John Kitley (Western Kentucky) dropped the throw from catcher Justin Santich-Hughes (San Jose State).
The Surfers made it 2-0 in the third. Perkins led off with a line single to right, took second when Justin Sotelo (Southern Utah) grounded out to second, advanced to third when Brandon Fromm (San Jose State) grounded out to first and scored on Quon's line single to left.
After Quon's single, the next 14 Surfers did not put the ball out of the infield until Perkins' ground single to right with two outs in the seventh.
Despite taking the loss, McCready was happy to be playing summer ball at home, instead of on the Mainland.
"I had two options," he said. "I could've played here or in Texas in the dead heat and horrible weather. I'd much rather be home. It's a convenience to me and a convenience to my family."
A late roster addition was Hawai'i Pacific's Geoffrey Say, who made a pinch-hitting appearance (grounded out on a bunt) for the Paddlers. Say sat out the HPU season so he could spend time with his brother Jared, 19, who had been diagnosed with lymphoma.
"I just decided to take the year off and support him, just to be around him," said Say, who plans to return to HPU. "When we found out, it was just a shock to the family. I just wanted to be there for him because he's always supported me no matter what I did, so I felt I should be there for him."
Having been idle this season, he hopes playing in the summer league will help him get back into the groove.
"Baseball's a hard sport to sit out and come back," he said. "I'm really happy I got a chance to play in this league."
Action continues today at Aloha Stadium. The Surfers play the Paddlers at 1 p.m. and the Paniolos take on the Aliis at 4 p.m.
OAHU PADDlERS (0-1) 000 000 000—0 3 1
WAIKIKI SURFERS (1-0) 011 000 00x—2 6 1
Tyler McCready, Shane Kochon (4), J.C.Faircloth (7) and Justin Santich-Hughes. Cory Wells, Tyler Davis (4), Patrick Mason (7) and Robert Kurisu. W—Wells (1-0) L— McCready (0-1) S—Mason.
Leading hitters: Paddlers— Michael Romeo triple. Surfers—Tyler Perkins 2-4; Brendon Quon 2-4, double, RBI.
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.
