The Pearl City Chargers and Castle Knights had their quarterfinal OIA Red Division Baseball Championship Playoff contest shortened yesterday to five innings after bad weather made the Pearl City High School baseball diamond unplayable.
The teams actually completed five and half innings when it was determined, because of the field conditions that the game could not continue. The official ruling was given to award the victory to the team that was leading after five complete innings.The Chargers had a 5-3 lead over the Knights and earned the win.
Pearl City (8-5) the 2011 State Champions advanced to today's semifinals and will play Moanalua (10-3) the defending 2011 OIA Champions and runner up to the Chargers in last year's state championship game. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00pm at Hans L' Orange Field in Waipahu. Moanalua defeated Roosevelt yesterday at home 3-2 to advance to the semifinals.
Pearl City's Sumi Pruett earned the win for the Chargers after entering the game in relief of starting pitcher Tanner Tokunaga in the top of the fourth inning. Tokunga pitched 3 and 2/3 innings before being relieved by Pruett.
Castle's Eric Akamine pitched five complete innings in the loss to the Chargers.
Scoring Summary:
Top 4
Castle's Christian Kapeliela led off with a single to left-centerfield. Next batter Froy Smith Jr. got on base with a single advancing Kapeliela to second base. Next batter Manoah Medrano drove a 2 RBI double to centerfield that scored Kapeliela from second and Smith from first. Onipa'a Gaudia came into the game as a courtesy runner for Medrano. Castle picked up another run to go up 3-0 on Andre Fraticelli's RBI double to left-centerfield that scored Gaudia from second base.
Bottom 4
Tanner Tokunaga walked to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning. Next batter Kamalu Neal stroked a single to centerfield that advanced Tokunaga to third base. Brock Honda entered the game as a courtesy runner for Neal at first base. Next batter Sean Milan hit a double to centerfield scoring Tokunaga from third base. Honda got picked off on the play trying to advance to third base. Sumi Pruett hit a single into centerfield that advanced Milan to third base. Jordan Mendiola came into to the game as a courtesy runner for Pruett at first base. Mendiola stole second base. Milan scored the Chargers second run on Matt Tsutomi's groundout.
Bottom 5
Tyler Tokunga walked to lead of the bottom of the fifth inning. Next batter Reid Akau hit a single to centerfield putting runners on first and second. Tanner Tokunaga stroked an RBI double to leftfield scoring big brother Tyler from second base that tied the score at 3-3. Kamalu Neal hit a sac fly to centerfield that scored Akau from second base and gave the Chargers the lead at 4-3. Sean Milan stepped up and lined a single to centerfield that scored Tanner Tokunaga from third base and increased the Chargers lead over the Knights to 5-3.
Top 6
The Knights added one run in the top of the sixth inning but didn't count in the final run tally due the game being officially called after five complete innings.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Castle starting pitcher Eric Akamine pictured on the mound for the Knights in the 5-3 loss to Pearl City. Akamine pitched five complete innings in shortened five inning game that was called due to rain that made the Pearl City High School baseball diamond unplayable.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Sumi Pruett earned the win for the Chargers after coming into the game in relief of starter Tanner Tokunaga in the fourth inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Tanner Tokunaga strokes an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth inning that scored big brother Tyler Tokunaga from second base to tie the game at 3-3.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Tyler Tokunaga scores from second base on Tanner Tokunaga's RBI double that tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Sean Milan drills an RBI single to centerfield that scored Tanner Tokunaga from third base and increased the Chargers lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Manoah Medrano pictured hitting a 2 RBI double in the top of the fourth inning that gave the Knight's a 2-0 lead.