By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Kaiser's Jay Veltri slides in under Mililani's Landon Saiki
during the third inning, before rain suspended the state tournament
game last night. It will resume today at Aloha Stadium.

---

Rain puts damper
on state tourney play

Top-seeded Iolani's
game against Kauai is rained out;
no more consolation bracket

By Cindy Luis
Star-Bulletin

One team's blessing is another's curse. Last night's torrential downpour at Aloha Stadium did more than wash out half of the quarterfinal games at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Baseball Championship.

It washed away the consolation bracket as well and created a tougher road for the tournament's top two seeds, No. 1 Iolani and No. 2 Mililani.

Barring more rain delays, the Raiders and Trojans must to win two games today in order to advance to tomorrow's title game.

Mililani was to resume its quarterfinal game with unseeded Kaiser at 11:30 this morning, trailing 4-3 in the top of the fourth inning. The contest was halted twice last night by rain delays of 30 and 40 minutes, the last of which forced tournament officials to revise the schedule and eliminate the consolation games.

"The (consolation) games have no bearing on the tournament and, with the forecast for more rain this weekend, this was our decision," said Dwight Toyama, HHSAA executive director.

Fans presenting ticket stubs from yesterday's games will be admitted to today's games at no additional charge.

Only the 5 p.m. third-place game and 7:30 p.m. championship will be held tomorrow. It is believed to be only the second abbreviated state tournament since the event began in 1959.

The Mililani-Kaiser winner is scheduled to face unseeded Punahou in today's 4:30 p.m. semifinal. The Buffanblu upset third-seeded Hilo, 5-3, in eight innings yesterday.

Defending state champion Iolani has yet to take the field. The Raiders' quarterfinal game with Kauai was rescheduled to start 35 minutes after the conclusion of the Mililani-Kaiser game.

Either Iolani (20-1) or Kauai (11-2) will advance to the semifinal with No. 4 seed Maui. The Sabers defeated Pearl City, 8-2, yesterday.

"I think it makes it a little tougher on us, needing to win two," Iolani coach Dean Yonamine said. "But it can't be helped and our kids are used to playing doubleheaders. They do it all the time during summer league.

"It's a disadvantage, with Maui getting to sit back and wait for the winner. We're not surprised it's Kauai we're seeing. We played them two years ago in the opening round (of the state tournament) and they were a good team. They had a lot of good sophomores then and those guys are now seniors."

Kaiser 4, Mililani 3 (suspended): Cougars senior Darren Chu blasted the first home run of the tournament 340 feet over the left-center-field wall, a three-run shot that gave Kaiser a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the first.

The Trojans came back with single runs in the second and third, using a squeeze bunt by Landon Saiki to bring in courtesy runner Kevin Machida, and an error on a throw to first that allowed Chris Tanabe to score from third.

Jeremy Kaku had opened the fourth with a single over the head of Kaiser second baseman Grant Sato. Cougars pitcher Charlton Carter had a 1-2 count on designated hitter Ryan Rigor when play was suspended.

Stan "Duke" Tomimoto, who pitched a perfect game in last Saturday's OIA championship game, was on the mound for Mililani. He was the third Trojan pitcher after the Cougars chased starter Justin Cayetano after two-thirds of an inning and reliever David Kurihara gave up a triple to Bryce Uegawachi to open the second.

Maui 8, Pearl City 2: The fourth-seeded Sabers took charge early with two runs in the first and never looked back in topping the Chargers (12-3).

Senior right-hander Joey Martelles helped his own cause, driving in four runs for Maui

(14-2). Martelles scattered four hits, striking out eight and walking one, in going the distance.

Maui	 	201	030	2--8 8 3
Pearl City 	002	000	0--2 4 3

Joey Martelles and Allan Ferreira; Duane Sherry, Keith Nakamoto (5) and Jimmy Walker.

W--Martelles. L--Sherry.

Leading hitters--Maui: Joey Martelles 2-2, 4 RBIs; Van Delos Santos 2-4; Cory Delos Santos 3b; Dean Kawamura 2b; Jonah Abreu 2b; Brent Fukagawa 2b. PC: Brandon Bell 2-3.

Punahou 5, Hilo 3: Blair Su-zuki's one-out single to left drove in Jared Kitamura with the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth as the Buffanblu stunned the third-seeded Vikings (9-2).

Punahou (17-6) added an insurance run moments later on David Sugihara's squeeze bunt single toward the mound that scored Greg Shimokawa.

Punahou 	010	020	02--5 11 1
Hilo	 	002	010	00--3  7 3

Chad Giannetti, Kent Okihiro (8) and David Sugihara; Shaun Suzuki, Lydell Lancaster (6) and Rusty Kawachi.

W--Giannetti. L--Lancaster.

Leading hitters--Pun: Matt Shido 2b, 2 RBIs; Jared Kitamura 2b; Keola Ane 2b; Blair Suzuki RBI; David Sugihara 2-4, RBI. Hilo: Brandon Kotake 3-4, RBI; Rusty Kawachi 2-4

Kalani 6, Waiakea 3: The Falcons got fewer hits (2) but made fewer errors (1) in eliminating the Big Island's Warriors (10-4). Kalani (10-5) broke a 1-1 tie with four runs in the sixth on no hits and four of Waiakea's five errors.

Kalani	 	000	104	1--6  2 1
Waiakea 	010	002	0--3  7 5

Kimo Hashiba, Shane Komine (3) and Michael Yasunaga; Ryan Manalili, Jason Takamoto (7) and Derek Sumida.

W--Komine. L--Manalili.

Leading hitters--Wai: Keola Park 2-4, 2b; Aaron Gomes 3-3.