Aycen Fernandez struck out Kylan Chun with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning as No. 2-ranked Saint Louis escaped with a 5-4 win over No. 6 Mid-Pacific on Monday afternoon at Damon Field.
The showdown between the two sophomores in key roles capped a dramatic finish to what was mostly a clunky game of missed opportunities by each team in the first four innings. It came down to making the fewer mental errors.
“That’s what it came down to. Everyone played sound baseball and that’s what you expect in the ILH. It really comes down to one run or two runs. It really comes down to just who wants it more,” said Saint Louis senior shortstop Sean Yamaguchi, who socked a solo home run in the sixth inning to give the Crusaders a 3-0 lead. “I think today we showed we wanted it more.”
Saint Louis (11-4) advanced to the final of the regular-season, first-place tiebreaker playoffs and will meet Kamehameha today. A state-tournament berth is at stake. The league playoffs will begin later in the week. Saint Louis, MPI, Kamehameha and ‘Iolani closed the regular-season schedule with matching 10-4 records.
The Owls trailed 4-0 before scratching for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. After the visiting Crusaders eked out a run in the top of the seventh, MPI needed two runs to tie.
Down 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh, the Owls got a break when Fernandez plunked Noah Kubo and walked Adam Kobayashi. After a sacrifice bunt by Eli Sniffen, MPI had the tying run and winning run on.
Fernandez had a 1-2 count on Jerren Lum, but plunked him on the arm to load the bases with one out. He then walked Matt Kurata to force in courtesy runner Ezekiel Asato.
Chun, who was 2-for-3 before his final at-bat, froze on a 2-2 Fernandez fastball on the outside edge of home plate to end the game.
Mid-Pacific (10-5) will meet ‘Iolani (10-5) today to determine the third seed before the playoffs begin.
“We had our chances. They shut down our second and third batters,” MPI coach Dunn Muramaru said.
Saint Louis coach Benny Agbayani and staff put their trust in the arms of a junior, Laakea Correa, and a sophomore, Fernandez.
“At the end there, that’s what baseball is about. It comes down to the last out,” he said. “Laa, when we give him the ball, we just ask him to do his best. He has a lot of confidence in himself to do what he needs to do. We felt he was going to win the game for us. These kids, you coach them up and hope for them to be the best. I told Aycen, believe in yourself, throw the ball over, let them put the ball in play and see what happens. He’s a great young competitor. He wants the ball and we give him the ball. He’s growing up.”
Each team had opportunities to score but came up empty until two Mid-Pacific miscues allowed Saint Louis to score two unearned runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Kaiser Lemau walked with one out and Kahanu Martinez laid down a sacrifice bunt. MPI third baseman fielded cleanly and threw to first for the out. Lemau kept racing on the base path to third base, and first baseman Chandler Murray’s throw went astray without a teammate there yet. Lemau scored the game’s first run.
Tanner Chun followed with a single to left and stole second base. Kolby Gushiken’s chopper over the mound was fielded by second baseman Jerren Lum, whose made an errant throw to first, allowing Chun to score from second base.
The Owls had another opportunity in the bottom of the fifth frame. Kylan Chun led off with an infield single, and with one out, Murray’s grounder up the middle was muffed by Yamaguchi. Kubo followed with an infield pop-up for the second out, but Murray mistakenly thought there were already two outs and left first base. Second baseman Jordan Murakami threw to first base to double up Murray, ending the inning.
Yamaguchi then led off the top of the sixth with an opposite-field home run to right. His blast over the fence 366 feet away opened the Crusaders’ lead to 3-0. Mana Heffernan doubled off the center-field fence and came home on a one-out single up the middle by Murakami, giving the visitors a 4-0 lead.
The Owls answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. After Correa walked leadoff hitter Adam Kobayashi, Fernandez took the mound. Sniffen singled. Ethan Yonemura’s sac bunt moved the runners up, and Kobayashi scored on Lum’s grounder to first.
Kurata sent a chopper to third base, where Martinez fielded and committed a throwing error, allowing Sniffen to score MPI’s second run.
Chun followed with a single, setting up Coen Goeas’ single to left, plating Kurata from second base, bringing the Owls within 4-3. Fernandez then retired Murray on a fielder’s choice grounder to end the inning.
Saint Louis tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh against the new pitcher, Goeas — without getting a base hit. Goeas walked Chun and Gushiken with one out. On Kaili Kane’s ground ball to third, Kylan Chun snagged the ball and attempted to tag Tanner Chun, but the ball squirted out of his glove.
With the bases loaded, Yamaguchi’s fielder’s choice ground ball to third brought Tanner Chun home for a 5-3 Crusaders’ lead.
The Owls opened the bottom of the seven with walks by Kubo and Kobayashi.
When the teams met at Damon Field on Mar. 26, Dixon was masterful in a 5-1 Owls win. He scattered five hits, struck out 10 and walked two. He did not have the same consistent velocity on Monday afternoon, but still allowed just two earned runs in six innings with four strikeouts and one walk.
Saint Louis won the second battle, 2-1, on Apr. 16.
At Damon Field
Saint Louis 000 022 1 — 5 8 1
Mid-Pacific 000 003 1 — 4 5 3
Laakea Correa, Aycen Fernandez (6) and Chase Sutherland.
Payton Dixon, Coen Goeas (7) and Noah Kubo. W—Corea. L—Dixon. Sv—Fernandez.
Leading hitters—STL: Tanner Chun 1-3, 2 runs, walk, SB; Sean Yamaguchi 1-4, HR, 2 RBIs, run; Mana Heffernan 2-3, double, run, walk; Kaiser Lemau 1-3, run. MPI: Goeas 1-3, RBI, walk; Eli Sniffen 2-2, double, run, HP, sac; Jerren Lum 1-3, RBI, HP, SB; Matt Kurata 2-4.
