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Damien runs down a win

After being so generous all afternoon, the Damien Monarchs accepted a timely gift from the Mid-Pacific Owls.

Damien third baseman Thomas Esclito tagged out Chad Takabuki in a critical rundown near home plate in the seventh inning to help preserve a 5-4 win for the Monarchs yesterday.

Overcoming four errors, Damien posted its first win in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play (1-5 league, 8-12 overall). Mid-Pacific, ranked No. 5 in the Star-Bulletin Baseball Top 10, dropped to 3-3 in league play (13-8 overall).

Duncan Ebert, a 6-foot-1 right-hander, went the distance for Damien. The sophomore scattered seven hits, and all four MPI runs were unearned. His fastball was effective, and he occasionally mixed in a big bending curveball .

Damien led 5-3 entering the top of the seventh when MPI seemed on the verge of stealing a win. Nathan Rice led off with a single and came in to score on Takabuki's one-out triple to the right-center gap. Takabuki rounded third as the relay throw went to first baseman Raymond Alapai.

When the ball scooted away from Alapai, Takabuki hauled home, but slipped 30 feet short of the plate. The Monarchs ran him down, with Esclito making the tag on a diving Takabuki 5 feet short of home for a 9-4-2-5 putout.

"This was really important. I felt we had to win," Esclito said.

Damien coach John Matias Sr. felt some relief, as well.

"We have a very young team, but they played well with the big boys. In close games, Mid-Pac finds a way to beat you," he said. "They're a sound, fundamental ballclub. This was a great victory, and we can enjoy it, but we have to come back tomorrow with another tough game."

The Monarchs struck early with a pair of runs off MPI starter Reece Uyeno in the bottom of the first inning. Kaimana Balanon's sacrifice fly to right scored Kai Higa, who had reached base on a leadoff double. A moment later, Christian Stephenson singled up the middle, bringing Travis Derby home.

Owl bats were quiet against Ebert until the fourth. Adam Tamashiro reached base on an error by Derby, the shortstop, and came home on Jayson Kramer's single to right. That cut the lead to 2-1.

Damien responded immediately with three runs in the bottom of the fourth with a sacrifice fly by Evander Ledward, and RBIs by Robert Cuizon (double) and Higa.

Again, Damien miscues gave the Owls big breaks. In the top of the fifth, Takabuki reached on a two-out error at third by Esclito. Tamashiro followed with a triple to the right-field warning track, scoring Takabuki. The right fielder, Ledward, bobbled the ball for a second, giving Tamashiro enough to race home on the play and cut the lead to 5-3.

At Aloha Stadium

Mid-Pacific (3-3)	000	120	1	--	4	7	1
Damien (1-5)	200	300	x	--	5	7	4

Reece Uyeno, Jared Hara (1), Ross Yamaguchi (5) and Kip Masuda. Duncan Ebert and Kai Higa. W--Ebert. L--Uyeno.
Leading hitters--MPI: Jayson Kramer 2-3, RBI. Dam: Higa 2-4, 2b, RBI.

No. 1 Punahou 17, Pac-Five 5

Bucky Aona rapped out two hits, including a double, and four RBIs to lead the Buffanblu past the Wolfpack.

Steven Dannnaway added two hits, a double and three RBIs.

Aaron Chilcote had two hits for Pac-Five in a losing effort.

At Ala Wai Field

Pac-Five (1-5)	000	05		--	5	4	3
Punahou (5-0-1)	416	6x		--	17	12	2

Nick Miyamoto, Tyler Simao (3), Tony Onitsuka (4), Levi Goeas (4) and Aaron Chilcote. Jeeter Ishida, Matthew Wong (5) and Mike Chock, Matthew Solomona (4). W--Ishida. L--Miyamoto.
Leading hitters--Pac: Chilcote 2-3. Pun: Kyle Fujimoto 3-3; Landon Nakata 3b; Bucky Aona 2-3, 2b, 4 RBIs; Steven Dannaway 2-2, 2b, 3 RBIs; Reyn Kubota 2b.

No. 4 Kamehameha 9, No. 2 Saint Louis 4

The Warriors broke open a 4-all score in the top of the seventh inning to take possession of second place. Four walks helped the Warriors score five times in the seventh. Eli Chee drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh with a squeeze bunt.

Chee's bases-loaded play caught the Crusaders off guard, allowing Nick Freitas to score from third for a 5-4 lead. Ryson Mauricio then came in to score on a wild pitch, and Kamu Freitas followed with a two-run single to left, opening the lead to 8-4.

Jayson Rego drove in another run with an infield single to third.

David Parrow pitched six innings, fanning four and walking four en route to the win. Fourth-ranked Kamehameha improved to 5-1 in league play (21-4 overall). Saint Louis dropped to 4-2 (14-5 overall) after a marathon that took 2 hours, 50 minutes.

At Aloha Stadium

Kamehameha (5-1)	001	035		--	9	11	3
Saint Louis (4-2)	002	002		--	4	6	1

David Parrow and Stuart Kam. Jayson Fukumoto, Ryan Sasaki (5) and Sheldon Santiago. W--Parrow. L--Fukumoto.
Leading hitters--Kam: Stuart Kam 3-4, 2 RBIs, run; Eli Chee 2-2, RBI, run; Nick Freitas 1-1, 2b, two runs; Ryson Mauricio 2b, run. StL: Kyle Gonzaga 2-3, RBI; Kelii Zablan 2-4, 2b, run; Chester Wilson HR.

No. 10 Iolani 4, Maryknoll 3

Chris Johnson had three hits including two doubles as the Raiders squeezed past the Spartans. Case Miyahira and Jarvis Nohara each added a double for Iolani.

At Ala Wai Field

Iolani (3-2-1)	020	100	1	--	4	10	2
Maryknoll (1-5)	000	001	2	--	3	4	2

B.J. Takushi, Jon Okada (6), Chris Johnson (7) and Jarvis Nohara. Nick Holmberg and Brian Tabata. W--Takushi. L--Holmberg.
Leading hitters--Iol: Johnson 3-4, 2 2bs; Case Miyahira 2b; Travis Nishioka 2-4; Nohara 2b.

oia westWaianae 1, Campbell 0, 8 inn.

Campbell reliever Ian Pantorilla walked in the winning run in extra innings as the Seariders defeated the visiting Sabers in OIA West play yesterday afternoon.

Winning pitcher Clayton Uyechi helped his own cause, leading off the bottom of the eighth with a ground ball double down the third-base line. After advancing to third on a hit pitch, Uyechi came home on a bases-loaded walk by Pantorilla.

Uyechi went the distance for Waianae, striking out 10, walking two, while allowing only three hits.

At Waianae H.S.

Campbell (2-1)	000	000	00	--	0	3	2
Waianae (2-1)	000	000	01	--	1	3	0

Tristan Bailey, Ian Pantorilla (8) and Pantorilla, Kendall Hodson. Clayton Uyechi and Peter Carba. W--Uyechi. L--Pantorilla.
Leading hitters--Cam: Bailey 2b; James Bannister 2b. Wain: Uyechi 2-3, 2b, run.