GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaiian All-Star Travis Gonzaga beat the throw to Aloha All-Star infielder Taylor Watanabe during yesterday's SportStan Sugar Mill Classic at Hans L'Orange Field.
OIA gets sweet win
at Sugar Mill game
Jonathan Serapion wrapped his whole senior baseball season into one inning.
The Pearl City pitcher didn't play at all during the regular season, but he took the mound for the ninth inning yesterday to mop up an 8-2 victory for the Aloha All-Stars in the SportStan Sugar Mill Classic at Hans L'Orange Field.
"It was real good to be able to go out and throw, because I was watching the whole season," said Serapion, who broke his leg and ankle sliding into second base in a preseason game. "It was only the third time I put my shoes on (after getting the cast off).
Serapion, who secured a scholarship to play for the University of Hawaii next year, got the Hawaiian All-Stars 1-2-3 in the ninth to end the game in front of an estimated crowd of 400.
Pitching was the key factor throughout for the Aloha boys (made up of Oahu Interscholastic Association players). They still trail 3-2 in the Sugar Mill series for high school seniors.
The Hawaiian All-Stars were composed of players from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, the Big Island and Maui.
Aloha's seven hurlers (including starter Kaimi Mead of Roosevelt, who is also UH bound) held their opponents to four hits, while striking out 11 and walking just four.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaiian All-Star pitcher Bobby George made a delivery during yesterday's game.
"Right from the beginning, we knew we could win," Aiea shortstop Jonny Sakurai said. "We had the pitchers to last us and we ended up getting real good pitching from all of our aces. They had some good pitchers, too, but not as many as us."
Sakurai gave his team some needed breathing room with a two-run single in the seventh to make it 5-2. The Aloha All-Stars added two more runs in the inning for a commanding 7-2 lead.
"I was just trying to get a good pitch and drive in the runner on third," Sakurai said. "This was a real fun game, playing with all my friends one last time before everyone goes on to college."
Roosevelt's Ivan Fujii scored what turned out to be the winning run. After walking and stealing both second and third in the sixth, he came home on a wild pitch to break a 2-all tie.
"Today was just my lucky day. I got a bad jump heading to third and dove in. Just lucky," said Fujii, who didn't know right after the contest that his run was the game-winner. "All I know is I just wanted to score."
The Aloha All-Stars took advantage of 14 walks by four of the seven Hawaiian All-Stars pitchers.
King Kekaulike's Joe Donovan took the loss. He didn't give up a hit, but walked four and struck out three of the seven batters he faced in the sixth.
Even though he pitched just one inning, Jaryd Kiyabu of Waipahu was the winner, allowing a run on one hit in the sixth. He was the pitcher of record when Fujii scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning.
The game had several intriguing matchups, including Mid-Pacific's Keven Whalen against former Owls teammate Ryan Basco of Leilehua.
Whalen doubled to right against Basco -- his best friend since the seventh grade -- but was thrown out at third trying to stretch it.
"I thought he (Ryan) was going to bean me, because he told me that's what he was going to do," Whalen said. "I was ready to bail out on the first pitch, which was a curve. The next two pitches were fastballs and I just stuck my bat out on the second one and got a good piece of it.
"It was close at third. As I rounded second, one coach was yelling 'go three,' and one coach was yelling 'stop,' so I just went."
The game was not without pain. Kalani's Len Shimabuku was injured while making a diving stop of a hard grounder by Mid-Pacific's Grant Yamaguchi in the seventh. Shimabuku tossed to pitcher Nelson Hao of Aiea for the out, but suffered a dislocated shoulder and required medical attention.
At Hans L'Orange Field
Hawaiian All-Stars 001 001 000 2 4 2 Aloha All-Stars 011 001 41x 8 5 1 Isaac Kamai, Dustin Goto (3), Joseph Kala (4), Bobby George (5), Joe Donovan (6), Chase Masuda (7), Grant Yamaguchi (7) and Baba Merino, Colby Holt (3) and Reid Saito (5); Kaimi Mead, Ryan Basco (3), Jeff Syrom (5), Jaryd Kiyabu (6), Nelson Hao (7), Chris Balatico (8), Jonathan Serapion (9) and Brett Tanigawa, Alex Poinciano (6). W -- Kiyabu. L -- Donovan.
Leading hitters -- Haw: Keven Whalen 2b, Keoni Ruth 1-2, RBI; Reid Saito 1-2, RBI. Aloha: Cameron Kimura 2b; Sean Fernandez 2b, RBI; Taylor Watanabe 2b, RBI; Jonny Sakurai 1-1, 2 RBIs; Ivan Fujii 2 stolen bases.
