Thursday, July 30, 1998
By Cindy Ellen Russell,Star-Bulletin
Scott Yasumoto, right, of Waipio is tagged out
at the plate by Aiea pitcher Harrison Kurada, center,
to end the fourth inning while Aiea catcher
Tyler Ferguson looks on.
Waipio wins state
Little League title
It defeats Aiea to advance
By Cindy Luis
to the West Regional
Star-BulletinLocation, location, location.
It not only sells real estate, it wins baseball games.
Yesterday, Waipio pitcher Jayson Kira placed the ball where the Aiea batters couldn't touch it. And the Waipio batters placed the ball where the Aiea fielders couldn't get to it.
That combination led Waipio to an 8-0 victory in the Hawaii Little League State Major (11-12) Tournament championship at Pearl City field. The win sends Waipio to the West Regional in San Bernardino, Calif., where it opens against Northern California Aug. 12.
Kira recorded 10 strikeouts through five innings.
"All I could think about the last inning was going to San Bernardino," the 12-year-old right-hander said.
By Cindy Ellen Russell,Star-Bulletin
Waipio pitcher Jayson Kira was overpowering,
striking out 10 and allowing only one hit as Waipio
advanced to the Little League West Regional.
He closed out his complete game with three infield groundouts, including the game-ender, an impressive play by second baseman Michael Higa to get Branton Tawata at first.Kira's side-arm delivery and wicked breaking ball fooled the Aiea batters the entire game. The District 5 champion managed to hit just two balls out of the infield, both by second baseman Johnny Gentry, both to left field.
The first one -- in the third inning -- was caught. The second -- in the fifth -- dropped in for a single.
"He was just hard to hit," Gentry said of Kira, who issued three walks and hit three batters.
Aiea appeared poised to end the shutout in the fifth, using a hit batsman, Gentry's single and a walk to load the bases. But Kira struck out Aiea pitcher Harrison Kurada to end the threat.
Waipio got all the runs it needed in the top of the second, scoring five runs on five singles and an error while sending 10 players to the plate. None of the hits were spectacular.
"That's the way we've been winning," said Waipio manager Clem Hew Jr., whose team went undefeated in three games in the tournament. "We just put the ball in play, that's all I tell the kids. We've got a fast team. I tell them to put the ball in play, run hard, try to force the other team into making errors.
"We're going to go to California and try to do the best we can, represent Hawaii the best we can. Hopefully, the boys will remember to be humble, be respectful and put the ball in play."
It's the first time Waipio has won the state championship in the league's 13 years of existence.
Aiea, which lost its opener to Molokai, was playing its sixth game in a row while trying to advance through the losers' bracket. Kurada pitched in three games, including a 13-strikeout, three-hit performance as Aiea eliminated Hilo on Sunday.
"It's tough to come out of the losers' bracket," Aiea manager Mike Asuka said. "Harrison pitched a lot for us and the kids played hard. But Waipio played a good game."
Left fielder Devin Fukunaga was 3-for-3 with an RBI to lead Aiea. Also pairing hits for the District 7 team were Kira, Rex Yamaguchi and Corey Giammalvo.
