It was just meant to be.
Even though he’s at least 4,000 miles from home, Hawaii native Kip Masuda was welcomed Saturday night in Coppell by the Copperheads and their Hawaiian Night promotion. Masuda, who calls Kaneohe, Hawaii, his home, responded by hitting his first two home runs as a Bomber to lead the B’s to a 7-2 win over the division-leading Copperheads.
Masuda, who didn’t hit a home run this spring at Long Beach State and hit two all season with Peninsula on his way to being named top catcher in the Alaska Baseball League last summer, hit two-run homers in the second and third innings against the Copperheads. He added a single to go 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored.
The win was a promising opening to an important three-game series against the Copperheads. Coppell entered the game in first place in the Tris Speaker division and playing host to the Bombers. The win moved the B’s to within 1.5 games of first place, with the series shifting to Brazos Valley Bank Ballpark on Monday and Tuesday.
Though Masuda’s heroics were certainly the story of the day, he was hardly the only headline for the Bombers. Blake Walker went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Will Basom added a pair of hits and two RBI to bolster the Brazos Valley attack.
On the mound, Scooter Hicks (2-1) excelled in his first start of 2007. The University of Missouri reliever, who went 4-0 with five saves for the Tigers this spring, went six innings and allowed just four hits and two runs. He struck out seven Copperheads batters and had no walks.
The Bombers broke the game open in the second inning by batting around and scoring five runs. After a Walker double, Masuda opened the scoring with a homer to left. Kyle Sisney reached on an error and Keith Stein walked to put a pair of runners aboard. Mark McGonigle singled home Sisney, and Will Basom’s double to center brought home Stein and McGonigle.
It was more of the same in the third inning for the Bombers. Walker drew a one-out walk, then Masuda again deposited a delivery from Coppell starter Kyle Walker over the left field fence for a two-run home run.
The Copperheads managed a pair of runs in the fifth inning, but 7-2 is as close as they would get. Evan Cox relieved Hicks with a pair of scoreless innings. Tyler Davis struck out a pair in the ninth inning to close out the game.
The Bombers have an off-day Sunday before welcoming Coppell to the Brazos Valley for a pair of games Monday and Tuesday. Monday also marks the first visit of the season by Reggy, a travelling mascot entertainer who is the biggest, baddest, purplest party dude on the planet! He’ll be rocking the park and having fun with all the Bombers fans throughout Monday night, presented by KBTX-TV Channel 3. Both Monday and Tuesday are also Bombers College Nights, when students who show their college ID get a ticket for just one dollar, sponsored by Aggie 96.