Wood Makes Way For Aluminum

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While balance among its teams is likely to define this week’s American Legion League baseball playoffs, one little twist figures to add to the intrigue. Unlike in the American Legion’s 19-game regular season when teams were limited to wooden bats, aluminum bats will be reinstated for the post-season and games will increase from seven innings to nine.

“It will make a big difference,“said Waipahu coach Milton Takenaka. “I think the key will be pitching. With the wooden bats, you can get by with jamming (pitching inside to the small of the bat) the hitters, but that’s a little different with aluminum.”

For their part,Waipahu is one of the more interesting teams to track. With a roster that has been heavily supplemented by Mililani players, the Marauders managed an impressive 13-6 record during the recently-completed regular season. That earned Waipahu the league’s fifth seed (eight teams make the tournament) in addition to a first-round date with fourth-seed Pearl City on Wednesday (4 p.m.) at Central Oahu Regional Park.

The game will also give the Marauders an opportunity to make amends for a 14-6 loss to the Chargers last month.

“Hopefully, we’ll learn from our first meeting and get some batters out,“Takenaka said.“We didn’t play well, defensively, the first time we played them. We’ll have to make a few more plays against them this time. Pearl City has an older team - they have more kids who are in their first year out (of high school).

“I think they’re a sleeper in the tournament,” he continued of the Chargers, who won the Oahu Interscholastic Association title this spring en route to a second-place finish at the Wally Yonamine Foundation State Tournament. “They’re going to score a lot of runs.”

With that in mind, pitching has carried Waipahu to date.“I’ve been pleased with it,” Takenaka said.

The Marauders’ post-season hopes will get a big boost if outfielder/pitcher Dustin Antolin is available. A stand-out at Mililani this spring, Antolin recently traveled with Punahou for a Mainland Tournament, leaving his status for American Legion League up in the air. If available, he’s penciled in to start for Waipahu in the Pearl City game.

“He’s what you’d call a marquee player - he’s a possible draftee (for) next year,“Takenaka said of Antolin. “He has everything you look for in an outfielder. He can run, and he has a strong arm.”

Antolin has also been among the Marauders’ offensive leaders, hitting in the No.3 spot.Waipahu also boasts short stop John Abreau, catcher Tojo Ishida, infielder/pitcher Joey Aquino and Jaris KomuraRosete, who is coming off a strong spring for the Marauders.

“Jaris can be a sleeper in the tournament,“Takenaka said of KomuraRosete. “He’s going to walk on at HPU.He just needs to get into baseball shape. Size-wise, he’s like Dustin. He has a decent arm and good speed.

Ishida wasn’t a catcher while competing for Mililani but has grown nicely into the position this summer, according to Takenaka.

“We needed a catcher, and he said,‘I can catch,“Takenaka said of Ishida.“He’s been a surprise back there.John (Abreau) is a pretty good defensive short stop, and Joey (Aquino) has a good glove and some pop in his bat.”

If the Marauders can maintain their level of pitching from the regular season, their post-season hopes could be tied to their offensive output.

“We’ve been erratic at times hitting-wise,” Takenaka said. “Some games we hit the ball all over.We’ll need to be a little more consistent, offensively.”

Asked if aluminum bats would benefit Waipahu, Takenaka said,“It will help some of our kids, but it will make a difference for Pearl City, too.”

The American Legion League playoff format is double-elimination and continues through Saturday’s championship round. The American Legion League State Champion will advance to the Western Regionals in Albuquerque, New Mexico.