Long Beach, California-
Hawaii 8 Long Beach 5- Monday, September 24, 2063
WP- Semih Gurani (1-6)
LP- Brodie Diprose (2-9)
Save- None
Time: 3:52
Attendance- 30,442 at Vito Costantino Memorial Stadium
A resurgent Eric Owens and red hot Jorge Dodd drive in six runs to propel the Trops to a win and edge them closer to the Pacific Title.
Owens was 3 for 5 with an RBI double (17) and a solo homer for #16 on the year. He stole two bags (12) drove in three runs and scored two. Dodd was 4 for 5 with his 29th homer with a solo homer in the 8th. He drove in three and scored two runs. Vincente Mendez was 1 for 5 with a solo blast (15) in the 5th.
Gheorghe Sollomovici allowed a run on three hits and a walk in his start. He struck out two in four innings in a no decision. Semih Gurani finally notched his 1st win this season but gave up two runs with a K.
Hawaii 17 Long Beach 1- Tuesday, September 25, 2063
WP- Ricardo Sanchez (7-1)
LP- John Dawson (3-8)
Save- None
Time: 4:19
Attendance- 30,357 at Vito Costantino Memorial Stadium
The Hawaii Tropics offense put up 17 runs on 22 hits on the floundering Surfers to go up 2-0 in the series and reduce their Magic Number to 1. Dodd had four more hits with a double (19), a solo homer (30) four ribbies and scored twice. Owens was 3 for 6 with a two-run blast (17), scored three times and drove in three while adding a stolen base (14). But the biggest day was had by CF Carlos Sanchez. Sanchez was 5 for 5 with a walk, two homers (22), a double (43), scored three runs and drove in four. He also threw out a runner at third to add insult to injury. Vicente ‘Yogi’ Martinez was 4 for 6 with three doubles (54) and score four times.
Martin ‘Lumps’ Garcia gave up no runs and scattered five hits, walked three and fanned four in 3.1 innings to begin the game. Ricardo Sanchez followed with two scoreless innings giving up a hit and issued a walk to earn the win. He improves to 7-1 with a 2.66 ERA. Rookie reliever Virgil Guffin gave up his 1st run in the BBA after 5.2 scoreless to begin his career. Gurani and Marty Pearce followed with a combined 2.2 scoreless innings to finish the game.
Hawaii 5 Long Beach 4- Wednesday, September 26, 2063
WP- Reynaldo Trinidad (8-4)
LP- Muneer bin Khairy (1-11)
Save- Utkan Gocek (19)
Time: 3:18
Attendance- 33,863 at Vito Costantino Memorial Stadium
The Hawaii Tropics celebrate the Pacific Pennant with a one-run win over the Long Beach Surfers. The Trops bullpen almost choked a 5-2 lead late, but Utkan Gocek pitched a clean 9th to earn his 19th save.
Hawaii offense had only two extra base hits with solo homers by Vicente Martinez (41) and Carlos Sanchez (23). Martinez was 3 for 5 with two ribbies and swiped his 17th base. Sanchez was 1 for 3 with a walk and stole his 13th bag. Jeff Appleton added to RBI on a two-RBI single off Muneer bin Khairy in the 2nd inning.
Ruben bin Majid al Din pitched 4.1 innings allowing a run on five hits and a walk while fanning six batters to position Hawaii for the chance to win. Reynaldo Trinidad earned the win with 1.2 innings and allowing a solo homer as his only damage.
Long Beach 5 Hawaii 4- Thursday, September 27, 2063
WP- Gilberto Cordero (3-4)
LP- Utkan Gocek (8-9) BS (8)
Save- None
Time: 3:14
Attendance- 33,574 at Vito Costantino Memorial Stadium
The Long Beach Surfers eke out a one-run win over a hung-over Hawaii team to avoid a sweep and end the season on a high note. Trops starter Daniel Thornton looked queasy in three innings allowing the Surfers two runs on three hits and a walk with a K. After ‘backing up the station wagon and unlading the groceries’ after the 3rd inning, Thornton was pulled from the game. His teammates had staked him to a two-run lead but that wouldn’t hold up. Cale Cote gave up a run to the Surfers in the 4th then Utkan Gocek blew the save. He gave up a run scoring single to gift the Surfers a walk off win in the finale.
Armando Medina was 1 for 4 with a three-run homer (18) in the 1st inning. Vicente Mendez was 1 for 4 with a solo homer (16) also in the 1st.
The Tropics win the four-game series 3-1.
The Hawaii Tropics wrap up their 1st Division Pennant since 2026. They finish September 16-7 and were 24-9 in their last 33 games. Hawaii will draw a 1st round bye in the BBA Playoffs and have the Chicago Black Sox or the Twin Cities River Monsters in their bracket.
