In Jeff Fyffe’s eyes, his home run traveled 280 feet, and when he tells his friends about it, he might as well say 380.
Steven Erenberg won’t have to exaggerate when talking about his catch. In fact, he might have a hard time doing it justice.
It was hard to miss the sign at the entrance of Walter Victor Stadium that read ELDERLY in big, black letters, but you hardly would have known it Thursday by watching Fyffe and Erenberg scamper around the base paths during the Kona Legends’ 8-5 victory against Hilo Pomaikai at the Hawaii Kupuna Softball Tournament.
“Your adrenaline gets all crazy,” Fyffe said. “It’s what we’re trained to do.”
A little more than two weeks after PONY League teams held fort at Walter Victor, a more “mature” bunch took its turn in the sun.
Fyffe’s inside-the-park home run in the second inning was right out of a youth baseball game. His line drive took a weird hop and skipped past outfielder Tommy Dela Cruz and went all the way to the fence, prompting Fyffe to kick it into overdrive.
“I knew I got a good swing on it, and I just wanted to run hard,” he said. “When I saw I had a chance, I just turned it on.
“The hit had topspin on it almost like a golf shot.”
The Legends beat defending island champion Honomu 5-4 in the morning, before dispatching Pomaikai, a perennial power, in the afternoon. They’ll return at 11:45 a.m. Friday to play defending state champion Kona Gold for the Division A championship. The teams split two games this season.
Hilo’s Dennis Hill put a good charge into the ball in the second inning, but he was robbed of extra bases when Erenberg turned around and ran toward the fence before turning back slightly to make a basket catch.
If he described it as Willie Mays circa 1954, it wouldn’t be all that much of a stretch.
“If the ball is hit over your head, you’re going to have to go after it anyway, so you might as well start running,” Erenberg said. “It’s really funny. They taught us back in high school. When the ball is hit over your head, you can’t run backward.”
There is no stealing – or sliding – in kupuna softball, but Erenberg still takes advantage of his speed. He figures he gives fielders less than 2 1/2 seconds to throw him out at first when he hits a ground ball. He used his wheels to finish with two hits and an RBI.
Alvin Sato collected a double and an RBI, Stan Grahovcac drove in two runs and Ken Kilkuski also had a double for Kona, which looked spry despite another day of near-record temperatures in Hilo.
“We’re used to this kind of weather,” Fyffe said. “The Hilo teams get one game in and they can’t even move. Their cheeks all are red.”
Matt Lum had three hits and two RBIs and Randall Okimura also drove in two for Hilo, which never was able to break through for a big inning against left-hander Mac Davis or coach/first-year pitcher David Fukumoto. Davis got the win against Honomu.
Spearheaded by Fukumoto, Sato and Mike Cabral, the Legends are in their second year in the 60-and-older league. Previously, Fukumoto’s team travelled to Las Vegas for 55-over tournaments.
“This is a bunch of good guys,” Fukumoto said. “We like to have fun. If we win, we win. If we lose, we lose. We all get along. If somebody doesn’t get along, they wouldn’t be on this team.”
