Minor League Baseball: Ka’aihue vs. Ka’aihue
Both Iolani gradutes, both born on March 29 (one year apart), and both power-hitting first baseman… Kila ‘02 and Kala ‘03 Ka’aihue were both on the same field this past weekend as members of opposing teams in the high Class A Carolina League.
Kila, the older of the two siblings and member of the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals), was recently named the Carolina League Player of the Week for his performance in early May when he batted 10 for 25 (.400) with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs. Since that time, his average has cooled slightly to .340, but is still far better than his performance in April (.188), an improvement he credits to his manager John Mizerock who made slight adjustments to his posture and stance. In the series this past weekend, Kila was 3 for 8 with 1 RBI with all of his hits coming in the second game of the series. On the season, he is batting .246 with 5 home runs and 21 RBI.
Kala, a first baseman for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Braves), missed the final two games of the series after being hit by a pitch in the opener on Thursday. Like his brother, Kala has also come on in the month of May batting .276, more than 100 points higher than his .167 average in April. For the month, he has 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 11 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .534.
In the series, Kala’s Myrtle Beach team won two of the three games, closing out the series with a 10-8 win.
[Photo: The News Journal]