[ HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL ]
MPI advances
to meet BaldwinThe Owls must beat the
Bears at home to get to
the state baseball semifinals
WAILUKU >> You can call the Mid-Pacific baseball team a lot of things, just don't call them defending champions.
While the Owls seek their second straight state crown, coach Dunn Muramaru bristles at the notion of being labeled defending champs.
"It's a nice title, but that was last year," Muramaru said.
The Owls kept their hopes for another state title alive with an 8-0 win over Waianae yesterday in the first round of the Wally Yonamine Foundation State Baseball Championship at Iron Maehara Stadium.
MPI advances to face Maui Interscholastic League champion Baldwin in a quarterfinal game tonight at 7.
"It's their home field, they've got their best (pitcher) going, but we'll lace 'em up and play," Muramaru said. "We're looking forward to the challenge."
In today's other quarterfinal games, Roosevelt faces Kailua at 11:30 a.m., Aiea plays Waiakea at 2 p.m. and Kauai faces Kamehameha at 4:30.
Waianae plays Hilo in a consolation game tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.
MPI moved into the quarterfinals behind a complete-game performance by Harrison Kuroda. The junior right-hander gave up four hits and struck out three and benefited from three double plays.
"The defense was unreal today," Kuroda said. "As long as I get ground balls, I'm pretty sure I'll get an out."
The Owls scored a run in the second and added three more in the fourth to take command. Two runs scored on wild pitches, and Jonathan Hee added an RBI single to right.
Marc Inamasu led the Owls at the plate by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Kuroda kept the Seariders off balance the rest of the way and allowed just two Waianae runners to reach second base.
"When you fall behind it's really tough," Waianae coach Kekoa Kaluhiokalani said. "They put on the pressure and they don't let up. They're real solid fundamentally and well coached."
Mid-Pacific (13-8-1) 010 312 1 -- 8 10 1 Waianae (9-5) 000 000 0 -- 0 4 4
Harrison Kuroda and Kip Masuda; Chevy Teves, Dillon Guzman (4) and Darryl Ohelo. W--Kuroda. L--Teves.Leading hitters--MPI: Jonathan Hee 2-4, RBI; Keven Whalen 2-5; Ryan Asato 2b, RBI; Marc Inamasu 3-4, 2 RBIs. Waianae: Ohelo 2b.
Roosevelt 7, Hilo 3: For a while, Roosevelt coach Kerry Higa was sweating out his decision to save ace pitcher Kaimi Mead for today's game.
But Higa's gamble paid off thanks to the Rough Riders' four-run fifth inning and Cameron Kimura's complete-game performance.
Roosevelt took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Hilo scored twice in the second and tied the game with a run in the fifth on Milton Kenui's RBI single.
Higa had Mead warm up as Hilo threatened to take the lead, but Kimura battled back to get out of the jam.
"(Mead) was our ace in the hole if we needed him," Higa said. "But Cameron buckled down and got through it."
The Rough Riders regained control with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Joshua Danz stroked a double into the left-field corner with the bases loaded to break the tie.
Kimura, who pitched five no-hit innings in Saturday's OIA tournament third-place game against Waianae, finished with five strikeouts.
Hilo (9-4) 020 010 0 -- 3 7 2 Roosevelt (10-4) 300 040 x -- 7 9 4
Matthew Haasenritter, Jesse Yoshida (5) and Keola Holt-Mizuguchi; Cameron Kimura and Kevin Fujii. W--Kimura. L--Haasenritter.Leading hitters--Hilo: Jeremy Kaaukai 2-4, Haasenritter 2b, RBI. Roosevelt: Jared Furtado 3-4, 2b; Joshua Danz 2-3, 2b, 4 RBIs.
Kauai 7, Kalaheo 1: The Red Raiders capitalized on four walks and a hit batsman in the top of the sixth to score five runs and take control of the game.
The support was more than enough for Kauai starter Kirby Yates, who limited the Mustangs to two hits and struck out five batters.
Kauai took a 2-0 lead into the sixth and loaded the bases with nobody out. Two walks, a single and a hit batter later, the Red Raiders had a 6-0 lead and were on their way to the quarterfinals.
Kauai (9-5) 002 005 0 -- 7 3 1 Kalaheo (8-7) 000 001 0 -- 1 2 2
Kirby Yates and Daryl Higashi; Sonny Harbottle, Scott Galusha (6) and Jacob Myking. W--Yates. L--Harbottle.Leading hitters--none.
Aiea 7, Maui 0: Na Alii pitching continued to prove stingy as Blake Lamug and Blaze Moleta combined on a five-hit shutout of the Sabers.
Lamug surrendered just four singles over six innings to lead OIA runner-up Aiea into the quarterfinals. Moleta finished up in the seventh for Na Alii, who have given up just two runs in their last 28 innings.
Maui pitcher Vance Otake, who has been invited to walk on at Hawaii, matched Lamug for much of the game. But Aiea scratched out runs in the third and fifth innings and put the game away with a five-run outburst in the seventh.
Aiea first baseman Kepa Wong went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs. His single to left plated Taylor Watanabe with the game's first run in the third inning and singled in two more in the top of the seventh inning.
Maui, which committed five errors, falls into the consolation bracket and will play Kalaheo today at 9 a.m.
Aiea (13-1) 001 010 5 -- 7 8 2 Maui (17-5) 000 000 0 -- 0 5 5
Blake Lamug, Blaze Moleta (7) and Aaron Asher; Vance Otake, Jon Cayan (7) and Gavin Takakura. W--Lamug. L--Otake.Leading hitters--Aiea: Taylor Watanabe 2-3, 2 RBIs; Kepa Wong 3-4, 3 RBIs.
State baseball
At Iron Maehara Stadium, Wailuku, Maui
YESTERDAY
Game 1: Roosevelt 7, Hilo 3
Game 2: Kauai 7, Kalaheo 1
Game 3: Mid-Pacific 8, Waianae 0
Game 4: Aiea 7, Maui 0
TODAY
Game 5: Kalaheo vs. Maui, 9 a.m.
Game 6: Kailua vs. Roosevelt, 11:30 a.m.
Game 7: Waiakea vs. Aiea, 2 p.m.
Game 8: Kamehameha vs. Kauai, 4:30 p.m.
Game 9: Baldwin vs. Mid-Pacific, 7 p.m.
TOMORROW
Game 10: Hilo vs. Waianae, 9:30 a.m.
Game 11: Losers of Games 7 and 8, noon
Game 12: Losers of Games 6 and 9, 2:30 p.m.
Game 13: Winners of Games 6 and 9, 5 p.m.
Game 14: Winners of Games 7 and 8, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Consolation: Winners of Games 5 and 10, noon
Fifth place: Winners of Games 11 and 12, 2:30 p.m.
Third place: Losers of Games 13 and 14, 5 p.m.
First place: Winners of Games 13 and 14, 8 p.m.
