Wednesday, November 19, 1997

Pitchers sparkle for Sharks, Stars

Star-Bulletin staff

HILO - Robert Fick's two-run double in the top of the 10th inning last night gave the Honolulu Sharks a 2-0 victory over the Hilo Stars and a split of their superbly pitched doubleheader at Francis Wong Stadium.

Mark Budzinski's two-run homer in the fifth inning of the seven-inning opener carried Hilo to a 3-1 victory as the Stars made the most of just three hits off Honolulu pitching.

Fick extended his hitting streak to nine games with the deciding second-game homer off former Kailua High School pitcher Kyle Kawabata as the Sharks ended a five-game Hilo winning string.

The Stars once again were held to three hits, this time by Tom Larosa, who was making his first start for the Sharks, and four Honolulu relievers. The Sharks managed only three hits against five Hilo pitchers until the 10th.

In the opener, Emar Fleming blanked Honolulu on four hits over the first five innings and Jason Temple completed a six-hitter, which snapped the Sharks' winning string at six games.

Brian Cooper, the victim of Budzinski's two-run shot, allowed only one other hit in his five-inning stint .

Hawaii Winter Baseball

Outrigger Division

          W L    Pct.   GB

Honolulu 19 16  .543    -

West Oahu 17 17   .500   1 1/2

Volcano Division

      W L   Pct.    GB

Maui 17 16   .515   -

Hilo 15 19   .441   3 1/2

Yesterday's results

Hilo 3, Honolulu 1 (1st)

Honolulu 2, Hilo 0 (2nd)

First game

Honolulu 0000001-161

Hilo 000021x-331

Brian Cooper, Ayahito Shinada (6) and Robert Fick; Emar Fleming, Jason Temple (6) and Dave Schmidt. W-Fleming. L-Cooper. S-Temple.

Leading hitters-Honolulu: Norman Hutchins, 2-4. Hilo: Mark Budzinski, 2-run HR.

Second game

Honolulu 000 000 0002-252

Hilo 000 000 0000-033

Tom LaRosa, Shinichiro Minami (4), Sung Min Cho (6), Brent Stentz (8), Ernie Delgado (10) and Giuseppe Chiaramonte; R.A. Dickey, Brian O'Connor (3), Trevor Schaffer (5), Armando Almanza (7), David Lundberg (8), Kyle Kawabata (10) and Tucker Barr, Schmidt (8). W-Stentz. L-Kawabata. S-Delgado.

Leading hitters-Honolulu: Damon Minor, 2-5; Fick, 2b, 2 RBIs.

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Hawaii Winter Baseball
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