Sunday, August 5, 2001
[ SUMMER BASEBALL ]
Movers wrap up The Hawaii Island Movers wrap up another summer of baseball this week with the four-day Hawaii International Baseball Championship Tournament that begins tomorrow at Rainbow Stadium.
eventful season
with tournament
While they have a losing record,
it is the experience that countsBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comThe Movers have traveled a lot, had new experiences and have gone through definite ups and downs. The campaign began with a three-week trip to Japan where all the games were played on fields with no grass in the infield.
"It was a tough trip, tough from the standpoint of some of the outcomes," said Movers head coach David Nakama. "We lost about five one-run games and there were some games where we were winning in the seventh and couldn't close it.
"A lot of that was due to pitching depth. We didn't play that bad and had ample opportunities to do better."
The Movers, 10-19-1 overall, have fared much better since returning to Rainbow Stadium, where they have compiled a 9-11-1 record. The consistency they lacked on the road has become more apparent at home.
"The players are a lot more comfortable at home. Things are a little more normal for them," Nakama said. "We've played some pretty good talent here. They've faced Paul Ah Yat a couple of times and Kyle Kawabata, two guys with a lot of experience, and Justin Cayetano from Washington State."
Tobin Swope (Stanford) leads the regulars with a .330 batting average and Duke Sardinha (Pepperdine) has helped offensively since the Movers came home.
Sardinha, who was supposed to play summer ball on the mainland so the Colorado Rockies could watch his progress, stayed here to continue the rehabilitation process on his left hand (broken hamate bone). He is hitting .333 since returning to action.
James Wallace and Kellan McConnell from Santa Clara have had streaks where they hit well and Kevin Gilbride (Hawaii) has had some big hits, but overall, the offense hasn't been consistent.
"A big surprise is the high school player, Shawn Epidendio (Archbishop Mitty)," Nakama said. "I thought he might be overmatched, but he has swung the bat pretty well. He'll probably go to a junior college."
Two Rainbow right-handers, Sean Yamashita (4-0, 1.83 earned run average) and Bryan Lee (2-2, 3.51), have fared well as starters. Hawaii-Hilo's Ben Siff and San Francisco State's Joe Perry have handled the closer role.
"There are a lot of guys out there who are playing better than they did in the beginning," Nakama said. "A lot of it is just playing against good competition. That's what summer ball is all about. Coaches want their kids to play. It's not so much practice time, but game experience."
Notes: Season tickets are good for the tournament. Individual game tickets are $3 for adults, $2 for children. For more information, call 832-4806.
Tournament schedule
Tomorrow: Tohoku Fukushi U. vs. Shuto U. All Stars, 3 p.m.; Island Movers vs. Guam National Team, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday: Guam National Team vs. Tohoku Fukushi U., 3 p.m.; Island Movers vs. Shuto U. All Stars, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday: Shuto U. All Stars vs. Guam National Team, 3 p.m.; Island Movers vs. Tohoku Fukushi U., 6:30 p.m. Thursday: Third place, No. 4 vs. No. 4, 3 p.m.; Championship, No. 1 vs. No. 2, 6:30 p.m.<