Pearls Have A Blast At Fireworks Tourney

Wednesday - July 14, 2010
By MidWeek Staff
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Tony Saffery has been taking his Hawaii Pearls traveling all-star softball teams to the Fireworks Tournament in Colorado for nearly a decade to expose his them to the multitude of college coaches who descend upon the event each summer.

This year, the college coaches also got to see the college prospects among the Pearls in the “must win” mode.

To play five games on the edge of elimination is a predicament even a pro hockey team doesn’t usually find itself in during the post-season, but the Pearls know the grind of a lot of games in a short time better than most after playing five games June 26. The first game was at 7:30 a.m., which was the team’s reward for moving on from bracket play the evening before.


“It was a serious marathon,” said Saffery, who coaches at Chaminade and Kapolei High School in addition to coaching the Pearls during the summer. “When you go to the loser’s bracket, you go back-to-back-to-back ... “

The Pearls won five games during their “marathon” stretch at the tournament before being eliminated in the fifth game that Saturday, finishing 17th overall in the 18-and-under division. In each game of their five-game win streak, the Pearls had to win to play on. Had they eked out yet another win in the fifth game, they would have had to come back the following day to play five more.

There were no complaints from Saffery and his players, although one of them suffered from dehydration.

“The travel adds to the fun,” said Saffery, “and performing in front of all these college coaches and being surrounded by some of the top players in the country. Their slogan is ‘Simply the Best,’ and it fits. You see some incredible softball players and some incredible coaching. The experience is super all-around.”

The list of those who have played for the Pearls and gone on to Division I schools is extensive and includes four players - Cristen Aona, Marina Gusman-Brown, Charina Sumner and Kaui Tom - from East Carolina’s class of 2010.


It is out of his desire to get his players noticed that Saffery mixes up his lineup so much during pool play games early in the Fireworks Tournament. “We let them play two different positions usually to let them (college coaches) see infield and outfield (if feasible).”

The 2010 roster includes seven players from West Oahu - Dorian Acierto (Kapolei), Trinity Cristobal (Kapolei), Kyree Naiw’i (Waianae), Alyssa Aipa (Kapolei), Keani Passi (Pearl City), Aimee Aipa (Kapolei) and Kylee Oshiro (Moanalua, Aiea).

After having last week off, the Pearls return to action this weekend when they begin play in the Hawaii ASA State Tournament. Pairings and game times were to be finalized over the weekend.

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