Hawaii erupts in
Series opener
West Oahu Little League kicks off the Little
League Baseball World Series and makes it clear that
offense is key in 2005.
 By
Allie Weinberger
It’s gonna be an offensive year. You can tell already.
In the first game of the Little League Baseball World
Series, the team with the most runs on the board in
regional play (87) kicked things off in South
Williamsport in a big way.
The West Oahu Little Leaguers pounded out seven runs on
eight hits in a 7-1 win over Pennsylvania’s own Newtown
Little League All-Stars in front of 9,827 at Howard J.
Lamade Stadium.
It was three home runs that accounted for all seven
Hawaii runs, and it didn’t take long to get going. After
a quick strikeout and a walk in the top of the first,
West Oahu’s starting pitcher Alaka’i Aglipay battled off
five straight foul balls before tallying the first homer
and the first two RBI of the 2005 Series.
“I was just looking for the right pitch and it came to
me,” said Aglipay of his nearly foul home run over the
left field wall. “And I took it deep.”
Three batters later, the Newton team took another hit –
this time off the bat of Vonn Fe’ao, whose two-run,
high-flying dinger over the left field wall gave Hawaii
a 4-0 lead.
“KT [Keith Terry] was ahead of [both home runs] with two
strikes,” said Newtown manager Bill Hartley. “KT got the
ball up a little bit, a little too good of a pitch.”
Still down 4-0 in the second, the Mid-Atlantic champs
gave their home state fans something to cheer about, as
right fielder Daniel Denton squeaked a solo shot over
the center field fence to score Newton’s only run.
But the island boys got another look at Terry in the
third, when catcher Michael Memea closed out the scoring
by belting a three-run homer.
“I was just trying to make contact with the ball,” said
Memea.
“[Mike] just tries to hit hard and see what happens,”
West Oahu manager Layton Aliviado said. “We don’t think
about runs, we just go in there and hit hard. So if the
home runs come, they come.”
 In
the bottom of the fifth things turned sour for the
Keystone State players. Shortstop and team leader Ryan
Hartley was hit on the right knuckles by a pitch from
West Oahu’s fastballer Fe’ao.
“As soon as Ryan went down,” the elder Hartley said, “it
struck a big blow.”
The shortstop was taken for x-rays immediately after the
game.
“I hate the idea that his playing days as a Little
Leaguer could be over,” Bill Hartley said, only partly
as the team manager. The rest was all as Dad.
“You know, you work that hard to get up here, and one
pitch and it could be all over for your son,” he said.
“Guys would die to be up here with their son and I got
to be up here with my son. He gets in the first game and
he might not be able to play anymore.”
But the continued dominance of West Oahu was the real
story of the Series opening matchup.
“They’re a force to be reckoned with for any of the
coaches,” said Hartley. “The ball club itself swings a
fantastic bat.”
But it was the pitching that really kept Newtown at bay.
“It’s hard to get to this level not having, you know,
two or three … quality starters,” said Hartley.
West Oahu showcased a number of those quality pitchers
Friday night. Among them was hard-throwing hurler Fe’ao.
“He throws really hard,” Hartley continued. “Real hard.”
Hawaii also showed off lefty Quentin Guevara, who went
three innings, allowing two hits and an earned run while
striking out three. “Every coach dies for a lefty,” said
Hartley.
Hawaii entered pool play after going 6-0 in regional
action and outscoring opponents 87-19. The northwest
regional winners put an astounding 14.5 runs per game on
the board. As good as their pitching may be, it’s clear
that offense carries this team.
“They walked Bubbles – Sheyne – but we still have a lot
of power after him,” said Aliviado. “We don’t have only
one guy, we got maybe seven or eight who can hit ‘em
over the fence.”
The Newtown Little Leaguers won all six regional
matchups, scoring 45 and letting up 25.
“We were hoping KT could keep the ball down and keep it
away from them,” Hartley said. “KT’s last couple outings
– couple of times he’s missed spots.
“Today he threw the ball pretty well. He hit his spots
pretty well, and a couple he missed on ended up on the
other side of the fence.”
Game Photos
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