If only Kane Herbert's funk, energy and enthusiasm was contagious at the National Fastpitch Championship in North Harbour yesterday.
The second youngest player in the side at 18 and at 62kg, the lightest, Herbert upstaged his bigger and more experienced Hawke's Bay teammates with a player-of-the-day performance for the Bay side making their first appearance at the two-year-old tournament for the country's elite players.
Herbert replaced former Junior Black Sox catcher Grant Dean in the sixth inning of Hawke's Bay's 7-0 loss to Wellington. He collected one of the Bay's three hits in the match as Hawke's Bay were outhit 13-3.
The Hastings Boys' High School product replaced short stop Te Rangi Chadwick in the fifth inning of the Bay's 5-2 loss to North Harbour. Herbert collected another hit and finished the day with the Bay's best batting average of .667.
"I didn't expect as much game time as I got ... now it's going to be a case of trying to keep that average up," said Herbert.
"I'm confident we can bounce back and still achieve our goal of a top four," said Herbert.
Dean and outfielder Luke Herrick were the other Bay players to collect hits against the Thomas Makea jnr-coached Wellington outfit which included Makea's brothers and fellow former Hawke's Bay reps Campbell and Fabian Makea who both collected hits.
Recently signed Red Sox-bound baseball player Te Wera Bishop caught for Wellington and collected two hits from three turns at bat.
Hawke's Bay pitcher Regan Manley struck out three of the 20 batters he faced while conceding seven hits during his four innings on the mound. His 18-year-old deputy Jordan Waterhouse struck out one of the 10 batters he faced while conceding six hits during his inning.
Hutt Valley outhit Hawke's Bay 8-4. Dean collected two hits and Herbert and Manley one each. Manley struck out four of the 28 batters he faced.
Former Hawke's Bay rep Rakai Hokianga played third base for Hutt Valley and collected three hits from as many turns at bat.
Hukarere College's White Sox pitcher Rita Hokianga's Hutt Valley side won all three of their games yesterday.
Several of the Bay team played in a three hour thriller on the eve of their departure when Saints beat Dodgers 15-13 in a Hawke's Bay premier men's post-Christmas competition clash at Akina Park, Hastings on Tuesday night. Two tie breaker innings were required after the score was 10-all at the end of regulation time.
Both teams scored a run each in the first tie breaker inning and Saints scored four unanswered runs in the second tie-breaker inning.
Hawke's Bay outfielder and former Junior Black Sox utility Jovaan Hanley smashed an automatic home run for Saints in the third inning - his fourth consecutive in as many games for Saints. It scored three runs for his side.
Experienced Dodgers short stop Cory Tamati also produced an automatic homer for his side.
His 14-year-old son Cody collected two hits from three turns for Dodgers.
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