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ASSOCIATED PRESS Ewa Beach first baseman Layson Aliviado smiled after making the last out of their 2-0 win yesterday over Lafayette, La., in their semifinal game in South WIlliamsport, Pa., at the Little League World Series.

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Title Shot

Sheyne Baniaga's long homer
is enough to propel Ewa Beach
to the U.S. final

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. » Ewa Beach has encountered many emotions on its way through the Little League World Series, but none as frightening as the nervousness the team felt during yesterday's meeting with Lafayette, La.

UP NEXT What: Little League World Series U.S. championship Who: Ewa Beach vs. Rancho Buena Vista, Calif. When: Tomorrow, 9:30 a.m. TV: Live, KITV

Sheyne Baniaga broke open a scoreless game in the fourth inning with a long home run off Jace Conrad to lead Ewa Beach over Louisiana 2-0 in the United States semifinals and earn a spot in tomorrow's U.S. championship against Rancho Buena Vista, Calif.

"We were kind of tight," manager Layton Aliviado said. "Coming into this game it was win or go home, and the kids were nervous and had a hard time at first."

Ewa Beach had not been held scoreless for more than three consecutive innings in its recent run of success, now outscoring opponents 129-30 in its 13-game journey that began in the state championships on the Big Island. Ewa Beach had managed eight home runs and batted .333 in its previous three games in Williamsport alone, so when the team went three innings without earning a hit, it needed something -- someone -- to snap it out of the spell Conrad was casting on Hawaii's team.

"They were still nervous," Aliviado said. "We told them to just hang in there and start timing him and we will catch up."

Conrad held Ewa Beach hitless until Baniaga launched his deep shot over the fence in left-center field with Alakai Aglipay aboard via Conrad's second walk. Baniaga's blast was Ewa Beach's only hit of the game.

"I told him to just hug the plate and the pitch will come to you," Aliviado said. "He just missed that first pitch, and as soon as it hit the bat, we all knew it was gone."

The telling blow not only lightened the mood in the dugout, but in the stands as well.

"Everybody felt like, what a relief," Jesse Aglipay, Alakai Aglipay's father, said. "We knew it was going to be close, but not that close. Everybody was on the edge of their seat until that home run."

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ASSOCIATED PRESS Ewa Beach relief pitcher Quentin Guevara delivered a pitch in the sixth inning of yesterday's 2-0 win over Lafayette, La.

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But there was still the matter of keeping Louisiana at bay the rest of the way. The team had earned the moniker "Comeback Kids" from ESPN announcers with late wins in its first two games of the tournament. So the responsibility of keeping Louisiana from doing it a third time fell in the lap of pitcher Kini Enos. He was up to the task.

Enos, Ewa Beach's No. 2 starter, struck out eight batters and scattered five hits in his five innings to hold off Louisiana before giving way to lefty Quentin Guevara.

Guevara had little trouble closing out the contest, giving primary starter Alakai Aglipay a full day of rest before tomorrow's championship. Aglipay had started each of Ewa Beach's last four games, and has not allowed a run in 15 1/3 innings since Ewa Beach's first regional game in San Bernardino on Aug. 7.

Ewa Beach became the second team from Hawaii (out of nine LLWS squads from the Aloha State) to reach the U.S. final. Pearl City made it to the U.S. championship in 1988 and beat Texas, 5-4, before losing 10-0 to Taipei. That was before pool play was instituted in 1992.

But history and lineup cards were the last thing on this manager's mind after the narrow win that ended around 9:30 p.m.

"I told them, 'Let's have some fun, have some pizza. Let's go eat,'" he said with a smile.