Tropic Times Vol XII (May 20 - May 30 '98)

[EchoesIE]

Honolulu, HA -- Hawaii had another good outing this past week, posting a 6-4 record to keep command of the Johnson League Pacific and maintain their 5 game lead on the division. Hawaii swept the series against Washington, split the series against Chicago and nearly swept the series against Phoenix before being blown out at home against Madison in their first game of their homestand. The Tropics, per usual, had some excellent outings and some not-so-hot moments. Here are the weeks games.

May 21
Hawaii 5, Washington 2
With the game tied 2-2 heading into the 9th, CF Mark Gosselaar had a solo homerun after seeing just 2 pitches, then 5 other Tropics combined for a 3-run ninth. Gosselaar had a 2 for 4 day day with 2 runs. 3 other Tropics had a multi-hit day, including SS Tim McGraw who had a homer in the 3rd inning, his 4th of the season. SP Alan Hammer did his usual song-and-dance on the mound, giving up 10 hits yet only 2 runs allowed in 8 innings of work, Hammer received his 4th win of the season. CP Leo Lopez closed out the game for his 12th save of the season.

May 22
Hawaii 12, Washington 3
SP Freddy Bilbao was excellent in this game at Washington. Bilbao pitched a 5-hit complete game, with 8 strikeouts. Bilbao earned his team-leading 6th win of the season. RF Silas Camarena has been in the news alot recently and showed us again why. Camarena went 2 for 5, with both hits being shots out of the park -- his first multi-homerun game. Camarena had 5 RBI with his homers. 1B David Smurf also went yard in the game, his 14th of the year as part of his 2 for 5 day.

May 23
Hawaii 7, Washington 4
A game that went 11 innings saw multiple ups-and-down for the Tropics. The Tropics scored 2 runs in the 9th to push the games into extra-innings, then managed 3 more in the 11th inning to seal the deal. 1B David Smurf must've been motivated to hit the long-bomb after seeing Camarena knock 2 out of the park as Smurf hammered 2 of his own out of the park. Smurf finished the game 3 for 6 with 2 runs and 5 RBI! SP Remington Little couldn't keep up after throwing 124 pitches in 7 innings. 3 other pitchers combined to get the win and the save for Hawaii.

May 24
Hawaii 4, Chicago 3
LF Daniel Fabiano was the star of the show in this game, going 3 for 4 -- all clutch hits. RF Silas Camarena hit his 9th homerun of the game, along with 2 runs and the RBI. SP Todd Swader was good enough in his 8 innings of work...7 hits and 3 runs-allowed earned him the 5th win of the season. CL Leo Lopez was excellent in his 1 inning of closing duty, earning his 13th save of the year.

May 25
Hawaii 3, Chicago 4
Despite terrific efforts from the Tropic bats, the pitching just couldn't keep it together. RF Silas Camarena had it together, with a 3 for 5 day including a homerun, a run and 2 RBI. CF Mark Gosselaar proved his staying power in the center of the outfield with a great showing of 3 for 4 including a double. SP Steve Cooke pitched a fine game, throwing 7.0 innings and allowing just 5 hits and no earned-runs. But the bullpen blew it for Cooke, MR Ralph Desjardins gave up 2 runs on 2 hits in just 0.2 innings pitched.

May 26
Hawaii 2, Chicago 3
For the 2nd game in this set with Chicago, the Tropics had more hits and lost. Hawaii posted 8 hits and 2 runs all in the first 3 innings. 2B Robin Larker showed his defensive skills -- moving from behind the plate to 2B for the game. Larker didn't do too shabby either, going 3 for 4 with a RBI. SP Alan Hammer was decent, pitching 7.0 innings with 2 earned runs. CL Leo Lopez gave up a walk-off homerun with 0 outs to allow Chicago to win.

May 27
Hawaii 2, Phoenix 3
Hawaii took the 2-2 game into 11 innings. SP Freddy Bilbao pitched 8 innings with 6 allowed hits and 7 k's. MR Ronald Darling -- the latest acquisition for the Tropics -- gave up the walk-off homerun for the 2nd game in a row. The bottom half of the lineup was the productive part for the Tropics, as 5 of the top 6 in the lineup didn't have a single hit.

May 28
Hawaii 8, Phoenix 2
Hawaii exploded for 15 hits in this game. 5 starters for the Tropics had multiple-hits. 1B David Smurf hit his 17th homerun of the season as part of a 2 for 4 game with 2 RBI. C Robin Larker registered 3 hits in 5 at-bats. 6 Different players hit doubles. SP Remington Little pitched 7 strong innings for Hawaii. Little earned his 6th win of the season.

May 29
Hawaii 6, Phoenix 0
SP Todd Swader had a terrific game. Going 8 innings, allowing just 5 hits and the defense helped him out a bit. The lineup for the Tropics was blood-thirsty again with 11 hits. SS Tim McGraw, 3B Robb Wells, LF Daniel Fabiano and 2B George Gutowski each had 2 hits. McGraw and Fabiano each hit a homerun, numbers 5 and 3 respectively.

May 30
Tropics flew back to Hawaii

May 31
Hawaii 3, Madison 13
Hawaii continues their struggle against the Wolves. Madison exploded for 16 hits, 13 runs and embarassing the surging Tropics. SP Steve Cooke allowed 9 hits, 7 earned runs, and had 2 homeruns against him in his 6.1 innings. LF Daniel Fabiano continued his hot streak, with a 3 for 4 game, including 3 runs and a homerun (4).


Offensive Player:
LF Daniel Fabiano
Fabiano was hot, hot, hot in the last group of games. 23 times Fabiano went to the plate and 12 times he pounded out a hit -- for a .51 average. Fabiano had 2 Homeruns, 7 RBI, and 3 Doubles.

Pitching Player:
SP Todd Swader
Swader proved his worth on the mound. Pitching in 16 innings over 2 games, he allowed 12 hits, and just 3 earned-runs. He also struck out 14 for 2 wins in his 2 starts.
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News and Notes:
Tropics have been active in pursuing talks for RF Silas Camarena. The reported deal has Camarena staying in Hawaii through the 2003 Season, and is paying an average of $7 million a year, the contract is also loaded with incentives says a Hawaii official. We'll see in the coming days what Camarena has to say.

The Tropics traded for SP Sammy Bodeen on the 21st of May. Bodeen is out for this season with a shoulder injury, but will be a huge part of the Tropics future. The Tropics are pursuing a contract extension with the 25 year old star. The Tropics gave up experienced MR Mark Dewey, super-prospect 2B Hank Greedo and pitching prospect Matt Davis. The Tropics also received Ronald Darling in the deal.