The Hobie baseball team honored the passing of their namesake, Hobie Alter, Wednesday night when it took on VFW in a Laguna Beach Little League Major Division game at Riddle Field.
Mark Christy, owner of Hobie Surf Shop, gave a moving, pregame speech to the Hobie squad whose players wore black wristbands in tribute to Alter.
Alter, a surfboard designer and instrumental and iconic figure in surfing culture, died Saturday at age 80.
"If Hobie were here tonight, he would tell you to find something you love to do, whether it is baseball, art, science or math," Christy said.
Team Hobie went on to defeat VFW, 9-8, to build its win streak to four games.
Hobie broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning with doubles from Connor Fink, Dylan Brashier and Quinn Novick, and Zack Bonnin contributing a triple. Hobie was then able to weather a late-game, five-run VFW rally by putting together three runs in the bottom of the sixth capped by Novick's walk-off single.