Kadena Eagles compete in local baseball tournament

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nestor Cruz
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  The Kadena Air Base Eagles played valiantly against Central Okinawa's Bar's but fell short of a victory during Sunday's 13-inning second round of the Pepsi baseball tournament at the Kadena Municipal Sport Stadium. 

Eagles center fielder Tom Yost got things started in the first inning by slamming an RBI double, putting his team on the scoreboard with a run. 

Starting pitcher Kyle Ochoa pitched four straight innings allowing only one hit, but at the top of the 6th, the Bar's scored their first run, tying the game. 

Both teams struggled to break the tie for the next five innings. Everything changed by the 11th inning when, according to Japanese rules, each team starts the inning with bases loaded and no outs. 

The Bar's blasted ahead of the Eagles in the 11th, scoring two runs off a base hit and one from an error. 

The Eagles returned fire by scoring three runs on a passed ball and a throwing error, tying the score at 4-4. 

Determined to deliver the final blow to the Eagles, the Bar's brought home two more runs with an RBI single. In the bottom of the 12th, the Eagles lost steam and could not put any more runs on the board. 

"There was great pitching from both teams," said Eagles coach and team founder Brandon Dong. "We played a great game defensively, but our guys just weren't connecting with the ball today and that's basically what it came down to." 

This was the first loss of the year for the Eagles, bringing their record to 8-1-1. 

The Eagles may be out of the Pepsi tournament, but Coach Dong promises a comeback for his team of Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and handful of civilians. 

"We've got other tournaments and some scrimmage games ahead of us this year," the Eagles coach said. "In the meantime, we're going to work on our hitting." 

The Eagles, Kadena's first varsity baseball team, was founded February 2007 by Coach Dong. 

For more information about the Kadena Eagles or to try out for the team, visit www.leaguelineup.com/kadenabaseball.