[ HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL ]
Aiea baseball players, including Brian Morihara, Cody Aquino and Dylan Libadisos, celebrated after Na Alii beat Roosevelt 10-0 yesterday to win the OIA championship.
Na Alii claim OIA crown
After nine wins in a row, Roosevelt's run came to an end.
Consensus favorite Aiea pounded 12 hits and ace Blake Lamug hurled a three-hitter as Na Alii blanked Roosevelt 10-0 yesterday afternoon for the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship. A crowd of about 300 watched at sunny Mililani High School field.
"I was getting ahead and hitting my spots," said Lamug, a four-year letterman. "This was my best game. It feels great, especially after last year."
Aiea lost to Kailua in last year's OIA title game.
This time around, Aiea left no doubt, ending the game in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Aiea (12-1) earned a bye in the opening round of the Wally Yonamine State Baseball Championships, which begin May 18 at Les Murakami Stadium.
"I still think we've got room for improvement," Aiea coach Ryan Kato said. "But I think they believe now. If you'd seen where these kids had come from, you wouldn't believe it. They did a lot of soul-searching. This feels good, especially after last year. We've been on a mission since that day."
"That's a hot Aiea team. They're powerful," Roosevelt coach Kerry Higa said.
Roosevelt, the ultimate underdog, will enter the state tourney with a 10-4 record. The Rough Riders began the season 1-3 before roaring into the playoffs, where they won three games in three days for the right to play for the league title.
"This is one of the closer teams we've had. They didn't get down. We picked up momentum, game after game," Higa said. "They stuck together and played with a lot of heart."
Aiea had not met Roosevelt all season, but expected a battle.
"That's a scrappy ballclub. My hat goes off to them," Kato said. "Their starter (Justin Goo) threw on Wednesday and Friday, and today. That's guts right there. He leaves it on the field. We were fortunate to get pitches we could handle."
Lamug fanned five Rough Riders and walked none.
"Before the game, he said, 'Don't worry about it, coach,'" Kato said. "He knows how to win with or without his best stuff."
Fortunately, for Aiea, Lamug was pinpoint accurate, spotting his splitter and curve without major resistance.
"He kept us off-balance. We had a few hits, but we couldn't bunch them together," Higa said. "He was very crafty. He had a real mastery of his pitches. He had us guessing, pretty much."
Dylan Libadisos and Kepa Wong, the No. 3 and 4 hitters in the lineup, helped power Na Alii. Libadisos went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored. Wong went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
In addition, the lower third of the Aiea lineup went 5-for-9 with three RBIs.
"I feel good for the guys. They deserve every bit of this because of how hard they worked," Kato said. "It's not about just hitting. It's about executing. Getting runners in position to score. Getting big hits."
An early-season loss served as a timely wake-up call for Aiea.
"It took a lot of brainwashing for them to realize it's a team sport," Kato added. "Making the sacrifice bunt. Stealing bases. Hitting the fly ball to score."
Libadisos agreed.
"It was very important. With the good teams, one pitcher can shut you down. That's why doing all the little things make the difference," he said.
Yesterday, Na Alii played flawless baseball. Aiea scored one run in the first, two in the second and four in a bizarre fourth frame.
Aaron Asher led off the first with a single to left, and later scored on Libadisos' sacrifice fly to left.
Goo settled down, getting two quick outs. That's when the lower third of Aiea's lineup stepped up. Jordan Shibata, who went 2-for-2, drilled a triple to center field. After C.J. Tausaga walked, No. 9 hitter Aaron Sato stroked a double to left, bringing home Shibata and Tausaga for a 3-0 Aiea lead.
At Mililani H.S. field
Roosevelt (10-4) 000 00 -- 0 3 2 Aiea (12-1) 124 12 -- 10 12 0 Two outs when game ended
Justin Goo, David Aquino (2), Kalani Yoshimura (2) and Kevin Fujii; Blake Lamug and Aaron Asher. W--Lamug. L--Goo
Leading hitters--Aiea: Dylan Libadisos 2-2, 2 RBIs; Kepa Wong 2-3, 3b, RBI; Jordan Shibata 2-2, 3b, RBI; Aaron Sato 2b.
Third-place game
Pearl City 6, Kaiser 4, 4 innings: Thomas Yamasaki hit two doubles and drove in four runs as the Chargers earned third place.Rex Yamaguchi and Corey Giammalvo also had two hits for Pearl City. The game was shortened because the earlier fifth-place game went long. The contest was called at a predetermined 3:30 p.m., making it possible for the title game to start at 4 p.m.
The fifth-place game had more riding on it (a state berth) than the third-place game. The Chargers and Cougars already qualified for the states earlier in the week.
Jarryd Maeda and Nyles Nakama had two hits apiece for Kaiser.
At Mililani H.S. field
Pearl City (10-4) 302 1 -- 6 9 0 Kaiser (10-3) 200 2 -- 4 9 1 Tony Ganigan and Corey Giammalvo; Andy Uehara, Mitchell Shimabukuro (4) and Jarryd Maeda. W--Ganigan. L--Uehara.
Leading hitters--PC: Rex Yamaguchi 2-2, RBI; Giammalvo 2-2; Casey Fujishige RBI; Thomas Yamasaki 2-2, 2 2bs, 4 RBIs; Blayne Kamahiai 2b. Kais: Landon Kaaua 2b, RBI; Maeda 2-2, RBI; Nyles Nakama 2-3, RBI; Jeffrey Peters RBI.
Fifth-place game
Leilehua 9, Waianae 8, 11 innings: The Mules' Andrew Ontai went 5-for-6 and saved the best for last, driving home the winning run in the bottom of the 11th, as Leilehua earned fifth place and the league's final spot in the state tournament.Both teams had 13 hits.
The Seariders grabbed a one-run lead in the top of the ninth and a three-run lead in the top of the 10th, but Leilehua wouldn't go down.
Jesse Matsuura also had a big day for the Mules at the plate, with four hits and four RBIs.
Royden Pang led the Waianae offense with three hits, including a double, and two RBIs.
At Mililani H.S. field
Waianae (8-6) 112 000 001 30 -- 8 13 1 Leilehua (11-2) 101 002 001 31 -- 9 13 3 Andre Kuakini, Dillon Guzman (6), Sonny Dudoit (11) and Peter Carba; Andrew Ontai, Spencer Omalza (3), John Olley (8) and Jesse Matsuura. W--Olley. L--Guzman.
Leading hitters--Waian: Mike Ferreira 2-4, 2 2bs, RBI; Guzman 2-5, 2b, 3b; Royden Pang 3-4, 2b, 2 RBIs. Leil: Andrew Ontai 5-6, 3 RBIs; Jesse Matsuura 4-5, 4 RBIs; Joshua Fetters 2-4.
