The Hawaii Tropics make a quick trip to the mainland for a four game series against the Valencia Stars at Honigsfeld Field.
Game 1- The Stars outfield throw out 3 Tropics baserunners to stop any chance of a Tropics comeback to take the opener.
Tropics SP Alaric Wullenweber went 6 1/3 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 5 hits, 3 walks and struck out 6 batters.
LF Bastiao Fardos was 2 for 4 with a solo homer.
C Ron Shiplack was 2 for 4 and was thrown at trying to score.
Valencia wins 4-1.
Game 2- The Tropics fall behind 4-1 and battle back to tie it in the top of the ninth when pinch hitter Ramon Hernandez stroked a solo homer to give the Stars the walk off win.
SP Zak Johnson pitched 6 innings and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, a walk and struck out 9 batters.
RP Douglas Wils went 2 2/3 innings and took the loss. He allowed the homer to Hernandez and struck out 1.
DH Ernest McBride was 2 for 4 with a solo homer, a run and 2 RBI.
2B Jack “Junkyard” Nichols was 2 for 4 with a double and 2 runs scored.
Valencia wins 5-4.
Game 3- The Tropics come back from down 5-1 this time but make it stick. Hawaii scores 3 runs in the seventh and 4 in the eighth to get a win and avoid losing the series.
Bastiao Fardos was 2 for 3 with a double, two walks, a run, an RBI and 2 stolen bases.
Jack Nichols was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 runs and an RBI.
LF Jose Camacho was 1 for 3 with a triple, a walk, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI.
It appears that SP Stephen Taub has hit the wall this season. After a good start he has faltered of late. He pitched 5 innings giving up 5 runs on 8 hits, 3 walks and struck out 2 batters.
The bullpen did a great job of stopping the bleeding to give the Tropics offense a chance to come back. Rookie RP Juan Hernandez pitched a clean inning in just 11 pitches. Then RP Luis Torres allowed a hit in 1/3 of a inning. Douglas Wils pitched 1 2/3 innings and struck out 3 batters. And finally, RP Norm McConnell pitched the ninth giving up just a hit and struck out a batter to earn his 28th save.
Hawaii wins 8-5.
Game 4- Tropics SP Niccolo “Notorious” Destefani was ambushed for 5 runs and 6 hits in the first inning but he persevered by throwing 6 1/3 more innings of 1 hit ball. When he left the game his offense had given him an 11-5 lead that they would not relinquish.
That Hawaii offense pounded 6 homers to give the tropics the lead. Ernest McBride was 2 for 5 with 2 homers and 4 RBI. Miguel Rodriguez played 3B to give Gary Allen a day off. Rodriguez flashed his power going 2 for 5 with 2 homers and 5 RBI.1B Manuel Aguilar, Jr. was 3 for 5 with a homer, 2 runs and an RBI. Bastiao Fardos was 2 for 5 adding a solo homer.
RPBob McConnell pitched a clean 1 2/3 innings to end the game.
Hawaii wins 11-5 and split the series with Valencia.
The Tropics return to the island for a three game series against the Louisville Sluggers at Diamond Head.
Game 1- The Tropics come put swinging in the series opener scoring 8 runs in the first innings and cruising to the win.
SS Miguel Rodriguez was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.
3B Gary Allen was 1 for 3 with a double, 2 walks, a run and 2 RBI.
1B Miguel Aguilar, Jr. was 2 for 5 and homered again. He scored 2 and drove in 2.
2B Fernando Rodriguez was 2 for 4 with a double, a homer, 2 runs and 5 RBI.
SP Jesus Gonzalez pitched 5 2/3 innings allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, no walks and struck out 5 batters. He improves to 12-8 with a 4.93 ERA.
Hawaii wins 12-4.
Game 2- The Tropics come back from down 6-3 to steal a win form the Sluggers. Hawaii scored 3 in the ninth to tie it then score 2 in the tenth on a 2 run homer off the bat of Ronnie Hubbard. Hubbard was 1 for 5 with 2 runs, 2 RBI and a stolen base.
RF Mike Campbell was 3 for 5 with a homer, 2 runs and 4 RBI.
Alaric Wullenweber pitched 7 innings surrendering 2 earned runs on 5 hits, a walk and 9 strikeouts.
RP Maxime Manceau struggled in his inning of work. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits.
Norm McConnell pitched another clean inning and struck out 1 to earn the win.
Hawaii wins 8-6.
Game 3- The series finale saw the Sluggers come from down late to tie the game but in the end the Tropics walk off again to sweep the series. Mike Campbell doubled in Ernest McBride in the bottom of the twelfth to give Hawaii the win. Campbell was 3 for 6 with a double, homer 2 runs scored and an RBI.
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Starter Zak Johnson was good. He allowed no earned runs (2 unearned) on 4 hits and a walk. He struck out 7 batters in 6 2/3 innings of work.
Hawaii wins 5-4 and sweep the series.
