[ HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL ]
Owls won’t let go of title
After Mid-Pacific lost its opening game in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu baseball tournament, it appeared the Owls would be packing away the gear early this year.
Instead, the Owls will be packing up for a trip to Maui to play in next week's state tournament. MPI earned the ILH's second berth in the state event with a 9-4 win over Iolani last night at Ala Wai Field.
The Owls join ILH champion Kamehameha on Maui for the tournament, which opens Wednesday.
"They've got a lot of guts, this team," MPI coach Dunn Muramaru said. "I've never been so happy to finish second."
The Owls took command early by scoring six runs in the second inning, and junior pitcher Harrison Kuroda made the lead stand up in a complete-game performance.
Kuroda struck out four and worked through some late-inning jams to earn the win.
"I started the game and I wanted to finish it," Kuroda said. "Win or lose I wanted to finish it so at least I could say I went down fighting."
Ryan Leong paced MPI at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two runs batted in. Marc Inamasu was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
After struggling through the ILH regular season, the Owls (12-8-1) dropped their tournament opener to Saint Louis. But the Owls battled back to finish second to earn a shot at defending its state title next week.
"After the first game everybody kept reassuring each other that we were going to be OK and we were going to get to this," Kuroda said. "Coming through the losers bracket was tough, but it was real fun."
Kuroda was staked to an early lead when the Owls took advantage of three Iolani errors to score six runs in the top of the second. Leong and Inamasu highlighted the rally by driving home two runs each.
Iolani chipped away with Shawn Agustin's two-run double in the fifth, but MPI extended its lead with three runs in the sixth.
The Raiders mounted one final threat in the bottom of the seventh by getting two runners on with power-hitting catcher Kala Ka'aihue coming to the plate.
After falling behind 3-0, Kuroda worked the count full and got Ka'aihue to hit a grounder to the mound. He then struck out Galen Komo to end the game.
"I'm glad we got Ka'aihue out," Muramaru said. "If we didn't get him out, oh boy, I would have had to make some decisions."
Iolani, which finished second in the ILH during the regular season, ends its season with a 12-7 record.
With just three seniors on the roster, Raiders coach Dean Yonamine credited Ka'aihue, Dustin Goto and Reid Saito for leading a young team to within a win of the state tournament.
"They set the tone from the beginning of the season and they brought these young guys along real well," Yonamine said. "They got them to play at a higher level than a lot of people thought."
At Ala Wai field
Harrison Kuroda and Kip Masuda. Sean Freas, Wally Marciel (2), Eric Muraoka (6), Dustin Goto (7) and Kala Ka'aihue. W -- Kuroda. L -- Freas.
Mid-Pacific (12-8-1) 060 003 0 -- 9 11 1 Iolani (12-7) 000 022 0 -- 4 8 4 Leading hitters -- MPI: Ryan Leong 3-5, 2 RBIs; Keven Whalen 2-4, RBI; Ryan Asato 2 RBIs; Marc Inamasu 3-4, 2 RBIs. Iolani: Shawn Agustin 2b, 2 RBIs; Kelly Teramoto 2b; Ka'aihue 2-4, 2b; Bert Mitsunaga 2-3, 2b, 2 RBIs.
MIL
Baldwin 7, Maui 5: The Bears defeated the Sabers to win the Maui Interscholastic League tournament. Baldwin's victory forces a playoff game between the Maui rivals today at Iron Maehara Stadium for the overall league championship. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.Both teams have already qualified for the state tournament.