The Hawaii Tropics began the 2058 BBA Season with high hopes, but fans and the media didn’t think the outcome would be anything but bad. Pacific and Heartland teams were licking their lips with the thoughts of feasting on Hawaii’s woeful pitching and easily holding leads against their punch less offense. It played out exactly that way in San Fernando as the Bears swept Hawaii in the three-game series winning 8-7, 6-3 and 7-3.
Mercifully the Trops had a day off to think about things and maybe clean up some of the mistakes as they made their way back to the islands for their home opener. The Mad Popes didn’t take it easy on the boys as the won the series opener in 19 innings 7-4. The next day they shut them out 8-0 and suddenly Hawaii’s start to the season was 0-5. The Trops came out in the Sunday getaway game and took down the Mad Popes 6-2 behind SP Elvin Hilliard’s nice start. He allowed a run on two hits in 6.1 innings to earn Hawaii’s 1st win of the season.
Hawaii was now 1-5 and made the prognosticators look right from the start. They traveled to Vancouver for a three-game series against the Mounties with Gerardo Rea taking the mound for his 2nd start of the season. He allowed a run in 5.1 innings before coming out of the game. He struck out six batters and walked none as he looked like the Rea of old. The bullpen held the Mounties scoreless the rest of the way to collect the 3-1 win. The Trops took advantage of three Vancouver miscues on defense as they took the second game of the series 8-3. The Mounties escaped the series sweep as the beat Hawaii 1-0 as their pitchers scattered 7 hits. John Moore watched his well-pitched game go to waste as he allowed a run on 3 hits in six innings to fall to 0-1. The Tropics were now 3-6 but didn’t look as helpless as they did a week ago.
Hawaii took the sweet company plane down to Valencia to play a quick three-game series with the Stars before returning home. The Tropics rode their pitching to another win as they catch a star 5-1. The offense is doing it with guys in the middle of the order producing. Carlos Sanchez and Angelo Lucchesi have picked up the slack after slow starts by Adhyapayana Mehta, Luis Estrada and Russ McHaney. Sanchez is hitting .350 with a couple of homers and Lucchesi is hitting .300 with 3 RBI. The Stars evened the series after hitting a solo homer off Hawaii reliever Utkan Gocek. The Tropics win the rubber game after getting a solo homer by rookie slugger Jake Diamond in the top of the 9th then Phil Thompson set down the Stars 1-2-3 in the home half of the 9th to get the win. Thompson pitched two hitless, scoreless innings with three Ks.
The Tropics were now 5-7 and 3 games back of 1st Place Sacramento and Long Beach.
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