Island Mix, Brotherhood, and X-Clusive improve in SSA

Island Mix and Brotherhood didn’t let up while their opponents cried for mercy, while X-Clusive and Bring It On went the distance before a nine-run seventh put the X-men ahead for good Monday night, in the continuation of the Men’s Island Wide Slow Pitch Softball League at the Oleai Sports Complex.

Island Mix scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning to get the ball rolling, and piled on another four in the second en route to a 19-7 rout of the Da Boyz. The bulk of the runs came courtesy of three players who consistently came up big for their squad.

Tony Luzama led the charge for the Mix with a 4-for-4 performance at the plate with a pair of singles, a double, a homerun, two runs batted in, and three scores.

Slugger Paul Camacho also had a solid night for the Island Mix, going 3-for-4 with a pair of homers and a single for five ribbies and three scores, while teammate Landon Martin went 3-for-4 with a single, a double, and a dinger along with three scores and four RBIs.

Brotherhood invited Fadang into their neighborhood in the second game of the night, but Fadang didn’t feel too welcome, as they were on the hurting end of a 23-8 bruising.

Brotherhood scored all of the runs that they needed after two innings. Ahead 10-4, the team added a run in the third, seven in the fourth, and five in the fifth before the umpire called the game because he couldn’t take watching such a beating any longer.

Poland Masaharu knocked in a pair of homers for Brotherhood and finished with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate with three scores and five ribbies. Teammates Leo Bobai and Payton Sakuma combined to go 6-for-8 at the plate with three singles, a double and two homers. The duo also managed to cross the plate six times, and racked up four runs batted in.

The final game of the night was a barnburner that went the distance, as X-Clusive came from behind on the strength of an eight-hit, nine-run seventh inning to beat Bring It On, 32-26.

The game was tied at seven apiece after three innings before X-Clusive scored seven runs off of seven hits in the top of the fourth to move ahead. Bring It On rallied for five in the bottom of the inning, but X-Clusive answered back with four in the top of the fifth to give them an 18-12 lead.

The bottom of the fifth was even more exciting than the top, as Bring It On rallied for nine runs to take the 21-18 lead to close out the inning. Each of the teams scored a nickel in the sixth before X-Clusive railed off nine unanswered runs in the top of the seventh to take the game, 32-26.

Byron Kaipat was excellent for X-Clusive, going 5-for-6 at the plate with a pair of base-knocks, a triple, and two homers to finish the night with eight ribbies and five scores, while teammate John Acosta hit for the cycle with a single, a double, a triple, and an inside the park home run.

Standout Kelvin Cepeda also hit for the cycle, but it was in a losing effort for Bring It On. Cepeda was perfect at the plate, going 5-for-5 with a pair of singles, a double, a triple and a dinger. Cepeda finished with four plate crossings and five runs batted in.

There’s plenty of more softball action on the way, as slow pitch returns tonight, and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting with the first game at 6:30pm. The fast pitch hits the diamond at the same time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you are interested in getting involved in the fast pitch or slow pitch leagues for this season, contact Robert A. Guerrero by calling 888-0215 or 235-1580.