WAILUKU >> Pearl City scored six runs in the top of the 11th inning to end a stalemate and pull out an 8-2 win over Mililani on Friday in the semifinals of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Baseball State Championships at Iron Maehara Stadium.
Facing the Trojans’ depleted bullpen, the Chargers turned five hits, three hit batters and a walk into six runs in the 11th to take command. Matt Yokota, who was hit by pitch leading off the inning, scored the go-ahead run. He also socked a two-run single to cap the explosion against relievers Brennan Anzai and Shane Griffin.
The Chargers, unbeaten in OIA play until losing in the league semifinals, has been on another run since. Pearl City (17-1) got superb pitching performances from starter Torey Chun and Dillin Hasegawa. Chun went eight innings and left with the game tied at 2. Hasegawa, a seldom-used senior reliever, was clutch in his three innings of work.
“It was a surprise,” Hasegawa said. “This is the first time the team has put me in this situation. I want to thank them for trusting me.”
Chun didn’t figure in the decision, but was at his peak. Previously, his longest stint on the mound was five innings.
“I grew up with a lot of the other team’s players playing in middle school,” Chun said. “I knew how their hitters are and what they like to hit.”
The two Chargers hurlers outlasted Mililani’s Koa Eastlack, who was phenomenal for 10 innings. He allowed just two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. He threw 115 pitches.
“From the seventh inning on, I was looking at our scorekeeper for his pitch count to see if we could outlast him,” Concepcion said. “This is the third time we’ve seen him in two years and he’s always tough.”
The Chargers coach expected a great effort from his hurlers.
“I’m not surprised,” he said. “After that loss to Kailua (in the OIA playoffs) when we fell apart, what our guys did to come back the next day against Waipahu, the next week of practice and (on Thursday) against Maui, it shows that every kid bought in. We expect 100 percent effort from everybody.”
Coach Mark Hirayama’s Mililani squad (12-6), the OIA’s sixth-place team, saw its magical run end. The Trojans surprised OIA runner-up Kalani and knocked out No. 1-seeded Mid-Pacific to reach the semifinals.
The semifinal showed no signs of becoming an epic pitchers’ duel early. Pearl City scored twice in the top of the first inning. Yakota’s sacrifice fly plated Sam Prentice with the first run and Davin Kapuras made it 2-0 when he scored from second base on a throwing error by Mililani shortstop Blaine DeMello.
The Trojans scored in the bottom of the first on Aris Nakagawa’s two-out double to deep left center, scoring Ryan Kono.
They added the tying run in the fourth when Preston Morales hustled for an infield single, bringing Nakagawa home to make it 2-all.
From there it was a pitchers’ game — until the breakout 11th inning — with both teams swinging early in the count.
HHSAA DIVISION I BASEBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Today’s games
At Iron Maehara Stadium
Championship
Pearl City vs. Baldwin, 6 p.m.
Third place
Mililani vs. Campbell, 3 p.m.
Fifth place
Mid-Pacific vs. Waipahu, 12:30 p.m.
Seventh place
Punahou vs. Maui, 10 a.m.
SEMIFINALS
No. 2 Baldwin 3, Campbell 2
| At Iron Maehara Stadium |
| Campbell |
000 |
100 |
1 |
– |
2 |
3 |
2 |
| Baldwin |
001 |
000 |
2 |
– |
3 |
5 |
1 |
Jamin Kalaola, Ayzek Silva (6), Chad Samante (7) and Bronson Burr. Damien-Luke Awai and Cade Kalehuawehe.
W-Awai. L-Silva.
Leading hitters-Camp: Todd Takahama 2-3. Bald: Nawai Ah Yen 2b, RBI; Kawena Alo-Kaonohi 2 RBIs.
No. 5 Pearl City 8,
No. 10 Mililani 2, 11 inn.
| At Iron Maehara Stadium |
| Pearl City |
200 |
000 |
000 |
06 |
– |
8 |
11 |
0 |
| Mililani |
100 |
100 |
000 |
00 |
– |
2 |
8 |
1 |
Torey Chun, Dillin Hasegawa (9) and Kaleb Nishijo. Koa Eastlack, Brennan Anzai (11), Shane Griffin (11) and Hunter Kirihara.
W-Hasegawa. L-Anzai.
Leading hitters-PC: Matt Yokota 3 RBIs, run; Nishijo 2-5. Mil: Ryan Kono 2-5, run; Aris Nakagawa 2-3, 2b, RBI, run.
Consolation
No. 1 Mid-Pacific 7, No. 8 Waiakea 0
| At Iron Maehara Stadium |
| Waiakea |
000 |
000 |
0 |
– |
0 |
7 |
1 |
| Mid-Pacific |
022 |
030 |
X |
– |
7 |
8 |
0 |
Jamieson Hirayama, Dillon Jon Gabriel (4), Khaden Victorino (6) and Devin Midel, Mackanzy Maesaka (3), Curren Inouye (4). Ethan Fujikami, Daniel Nishihara (6), Nicholas Tokuhama (7) and Isaac Kimura.
W-Fujikami. L-Hirayama.
Leading hitters-Waik: Taylor Mondina 2b. MPI: Hunter Hill 3-4, 3 RBIs; Cameron Wong 2b, run; Trevin Tengan 2 runs, 2 SBs.
Waipahu 7,
No. 3 Kailua 2
| At Iron Maehara Stadium |
| Waipahu |
410 |
020 |
0 |
– |
7 |
6 |
1 |
| Kailua |
100 |
010 |
0 |
– |
2 |
5 |
2 |
Blazsen Ferreira and Cole Phillips. Keiki Kanahele-Santos, Bryson Ballesteros (6), Nicholas Faulkner (7) and Daniel Thomas, Nicholas Benner (3).
W-Ferreira. L-Kanahele-Santos.
Leading hitters-Waip: Jaron Sugimoto 2-4, 2 runs, Kobie Russell 2 runs. Kail: Dalton Kalama 2-3, RBI, Dustin Imanaka 2 runs, Lawson Faria 2b.
No. 9 Maui 4,
No. 6 Kalani 3
| At Iron Maehara Stadium |
| Maui |
101 |
020 |
0 |
– |
4 |
10 |
0 |
| Kalani |
003 |
000 |
0 |
– |
3 |
3 |
0 |
Treston Carter, Jyrah Lalim (3) and Bryant Nakagawa. Duke Fujii, Harrison Moy (5) and Bronson Matsumoto.
W-Lalim. L-Fujii.
Leading hitters-Maui: Kao Mindoro 2-3, 2 runs; Kingsley Ballao 2-4, 2 2bs, 2 RBIs, run; Nakagawa 2-3, 2b. Kaln: Reece Kakugawa 2b, 2 RBIs.
HHSAA Division II baseball
state championships
today’s games
At Francis Wong Stadium
Championship
Kapolei vs. Kamehameha-Hawaii, 7 p.m.
Third place
Radford vs. St. Francis, 4 p.m.
Fifth place
Molokai vs. Kauai, 1:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Kapolei 9, Radford 0
| At Francis Wong Stadium |
| Kapolei |
431 |
001 |
0 |
– |
9 |
10 |
1 |
| Radford |
000 |
000 |
0 |
– |
0 |
3 |
2 |
Garrett Wong, Kyler Nakashima (6) and Mykah Kuratani, Adam Berg (6). Quintin Iriate, Jacob Nishitomi (5) and Dominic Albalos.
W-Wong. L-Iriate.
Leading hitters-Kapo: Joseph Ching 3-4, 2 2bs, 2 RBIs; Corey Slade 2-4, 2 RBIs, run; Kuratani 2-4, 2 RBIs, run; Joe Uesato 2 runs; Cobey Fujii 2 runs, RBI.
Kamehameha-Hawaii 9, St. Francis 1
| At Francis Wong Stadium |
| St. Francis |
001 |
000 |
0 |
– |
1 |
3 |
3 |
| KS-Hawaii |
402 |
012 |
X |
– |
9 |
6 |
2 |
Jared Yara and Makana Poole. Tai Atkins, Keola Ili (7), Daylen Calicdan (7) and Dallas Duarte.
W-Atkins. L-Yara.
Leading hitters-KSH: Kobie Kinzie 2-3, 3 RBIs; Calicdan 2b, 2 runs; Brandyn Lee-Lehano 2 RBIs, run; Jaisten Cabatbat 2 runs.
Consolation
Molokai 7, Kalaheo 1
| At Francis Wong Stadium |
| Molokai |
000 |
241 |
0 |
– |
7 |
6 |
3 |
| Kalaheo |
000 |
100 |
X |
– |
1 |
2 |
6 |
Chelsen Victorino and Levi Horner-Villa. Kaliu Lapera, Kekai Smith (4), Thomas Capllonch (4), Tennison Centrell (6) and Curtis Chung, Mark Lehner (5).
W-Victorino. L-Lapera.
(Note: Game ended because of drop dead rule for consolation games.)
Leading hitters-Mol: Horner-Villa 3-4, 2b; Moses-Don Espaniola 2 RBIs; Jayson Lalim-Rillon 2 runs.
Kauai 6, Konawaena 3
| At Francis Wong Stadium |
| Konawaena |
300 |
000 |
0 |
– |
3 |
4 |
2 |
| Kauai |
113 |
100 |
X |
– |
6 |
6 |
1 |
Stevie Texeira, Tristan DeAguair (3), Logan Canda (6) and Tyler Kitaoka. Brayden Abreu and Keanu Camalliri, Patrick Esteban (1).
W-Abreu. L-Texeira.
Leading hitters-Kauai: Gunner Vallatini 2-3, RBI, run; Douglas Miyasato 2 runs; Sam Nakata 2 RBIs, run; Kobey Dias 3b, run.
