Pearl City Head Coach Mitch Yamato brought his Chargers ball club to Fred Wright Park in Wahiawa on Saturday with the task of getting his team back on the winning track by avenging Wednesday's 3-2 home loss to the Leilehua Mules. It took a while for both teams to get going but in the end the Chargers pulled out a 3-2 win in nine innings that reversed Wednesday's final score.
Pearl City improved to 6-4 in the highly contested OIA Red Western Division. Leilehua fell to 3-6.
Pearl City's Kawika (Sumi) Pruett picked up the win for the Chargers. Pruett came into the ball game in relief of starter Sean Milan who left the game after pitching six strong innings and the score tied at 2-2. Pruett pitched the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. Milan and Pruett held the Mules to six hits in the ball game.
Leilehua's starting pitcher Larry Paas was the ironman for the Mules tossing all nine innings in the loss to the Chargers. Paas allowed three runs and seven hits.
Combined, it was a well pitched ball game in the rematch between the Chargers and Mules on Saturday.
"Sean pitched a hell of a game," said Chargers Head Coach Yamato. "I think he had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning. He did a good job. Sumi I just need to get him some innings. Hopefully we get into post season and he contributes too. Unexpected stuff happens and they pitched a good game. It came down to that one execution that we needed and they got the job done."
A well timed, perfectly executed moment came in extra innings in the top of ninth when Noah Derby's game winning pinch hit RBI bunt single scored Tyler Hazama from third base and broke a 2-2 tie.
The Mules blew a golden opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the eighth inning after loading the bases with no outs. Mules Head Coach Lane Watanuki had his base runners on the run but would lose all three after being thrown out and home, third and second in the inning. The Mules also had a runner thrown out trying to steal home in the bottom of the sixth inning.
"Watanuki tries to play that kind of game,"Coach Yamato said. "We've been coaching these kids since they were JV and they know he's going to try to do stuff like that. The momentum shift helped us out."
Pearl City finishes up the regular season with a couple games against Kapolei on Friday, April 13 at 3:00pm on the road and on Saturday, April 14 at 3:00pm at home.
Scoring Summary:
Top 6th
Reid Akau got on first base after lining a single to center field with one out. Akau advanced to second on a pass ball at the plate. Tanner Tokunaga stroked an RBI single that scored Akau from second for the first run of the ball game. Next batter Kamalu Neal flyed out to left field for the second out. Shaye Higa drilled a single into to right field advancing Tokunaga to third base. Higa moved to second base on a steal. Jordan Mendiola came into the game as a courtesy runner for Higa at second base. Next batter Matt Tsutomi hit an infield RBI single to second base that scored Tokunaga from third. Shiloh Baniaga came in as a courtesy runner for Tsutomi at first base. Next batter Tyler Hazama grounded out to end the inning.
Bottom 6th
Albert Talaroc led off the inning with a pop up to left field that was dropped by Chargers left fielder Tyler Hazama. Next batter Aaron Taoy was hit by a pitch and took first base. Talaroc advanced to second base. Bronson Ancheta-Maeda loaded the bases after hitting a bunt single with no outs in the inning. Talaroc got thrown out attempting to steal home for the first out. Taoy and Ancheta-Maeda advanced to third and second on the play. Cody Academia scored Taoy from third on an RBI sac bunt. Next batter Aaron Craig-Higa drilled an RBI double that scored Ancheta-Maeda from third to tie the game at 2-2. Ancheta-Maeda got picked off at second base to end the inning.
Top 9th
Tyler Hazama made it to first base after being hit by a pitch with one out. Sumi Pruett drilled a single down the right field line moving Hazama to third base. Shiloh Baniaga came in as a courtesy runner for Pruett at first. Pinch hitter Noah Derby layed down a game winning RBI bunt single that scored Hazama from third base and put the Chargers up over the Mules 3-2.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Leilehua's Larry Paas pitched all nine innings in the Mules 3-2 loss to the Chargers.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Sean Milan pitched six complete innings before being relieved by Kawika Pruett who entered the game with the score tied at 2-2.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Kawika Pruett picked up the win for the Chargers in relief tossing three complete innings.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Tanner Tokunaga's hits an RBI single down the right field line scoring Reid Akau from second base for the first run of the ball game in the top of the sixth inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Reid Akau scores Pearl City's first run on Tanner Tokunaga's RBI single in the top of the sixth inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Matt Tsutomi pictured hitting a two out RBI single that scored Tanner Tokunaga from third base to make the score 2-0 in the top of the sixth inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Albert Talaroc gets tag out at home trying steal from third base in the bottom of the sixth inning with bases loaded and no outs.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Cody Academia lays down an RBI sac bunt that scored Aaron Taoy from third base pulling the Mules within one run at 2-1.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Aaron Taoy scores on Cody Academia's RBI sac bunt in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Aaron Craig-Higa ties the game at 2-2 with an RBI double to centerfield that scored Bronson Ancheta-Maeda from third base in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Bronson Ancheta-Maeda scores from third base to tie the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Kawika Pruett drills a single to right field with one out in the top of the ninth inning that moved Tyler Hazama into scoring position at third base.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Noah Derby lays down a game winning RBI bunt single in the top of the ninth inning that scored Tyler Hazama from third base.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Tyler Hazama slides across home plate with the winning run on Noah Derby's RBI bunt single in the top of the ninth inning that made the final score 3-2.
@ Fred Wright Park in Wahiawa
Pearl City (6-4) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 3
Leilehua (3-6) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
W – Kawika Pruett
L – Larry Paas