It all came down to the Mike & Mike Show as Michael Englar drove in Michael Yanagi for the winning run in extra innings in the bottom of seventh inning to beat Waipio 7-6 and advance to today's next round of the Hawaii State Little League 10-11 Championship Tournament.
Pearl City moves on to play Kawaihau at 4:00pm today. Waipio was eliminated from tournament play.
The game was exciting and well played and well coached by both sides. There was also a muliple numbers of players who stood out and made major contributions for their teams in the game.
For Waipio, D. Saiki and Christian Capinia showed their power at the plate opening the top of first inning with a couple homeruns that put Waipio up 4-0 after one complete inning. Also, the Waipio pitching core has to be commended for their work on the hill against Pearl City. Waipio sent six pitchers up against Pearl City batters in seven innings of play.
Pearl City received excellent performances from their starters and from those who came off the bench to lead their teammates to victory.
Michael Yanagi was consistent on the base paths scoring the games first and last run which won the game. Michael Englar scored to tie the game in the sixth inning and used his bat in the final inning to knock in Yanagi with a game winning RBI.
Cello Casarez had two game changing doubles and closed it out on the mound for Pearl City.
Cole Miyamura was the man at second base and at the plate. Cheyne Obara played solid defense at shortstop and at also at the plate driving in the Englar to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Tarynce Antolin played his usual awesome game at third and at the plate as well. Brayden Nomura played a good game for Pearl City. Congratulations to all the Pearl City players for a great game.
Talent puts a team in scoring position; "Heart" wins the game.
Go Pearl City!
Scoring Summary:
Top 1
Brandon Maeda led off the game with single to left field. Z. Agbulos reached first base on an infield grounder with no play at the bag. Maeda moved to second base. Next batter D. Saiki crushed a Cheyne Obara pitch over the center field fence for a 3-run homerun to put Waipio up 3-0. Christian Capinia followed with a solo shot over the left field fence to go up 4-0. Waipio left one runner on base to end the inning.
Bottom 1
Michael Yanagi reached first base after being walked by Waipio starting pitcher Z. Agbulos to lead off the inning. Next batter Cello Casarez flied out for the first out. Yanagi made it second base on a pass ball at the plate. Tarynce Antolin reached first base on a walk. Yanagi took third base. Waipio made a pitching change bringing in Dillon Kaneshiro from second base in relief of Agbulos. Carter Ogino struck out for out number two. Brayden Nomura walked with the bases loaded scoring Yanagi from third. Mayson Foumai grounded out for the third out. Pearl City trailed Waipio 4-1.
Top 2
Brandon Maeda got on first base with a single with one out. Noah Mateo hit a bunt single to put runners on first and second. Maeda moved to third base. Next batter D. Saiki grounded out scoring Maeda from third. Pearl City made a pitching change bringing in Brayden Nomura in relief of Obara. Obara moved to shortstop. Nomura struckout the next batter for the third out. Waipio increased their lead to 5-1.
Bottom 2
Cheyne Obara walked to lead off the bottom of the second inning. Cole Miyamura followed with a single to right field moving Obara to third base in scoring position. Waipio made another pitching change bringing in Ryan Anchetta in relief of Kaneshiro. Cole reached second base on a steal. Next batter Michael Yanagi struck out for the first out. Champ Smith walked to load the bases. Tarynce Antolin walked scoring Obara from third base. Waipio made a pitching change bringing in Justin Musgrove in relief of Anchetta. Miyamura scored on a sac fly to left field. Carter Ogino struck out for the third out. Pearl City picked up two runs in the inning and trailed Waipio 5-3.
Top 4
Shane Matsushima walked to lead off the top of the fourth inning. Dillon Kaneshiro came in the game to pinch run for Matsushima. Ryan Anchetta walked to put runners on first and second. The runners moved up to second and third on a pass ball at the plate with Brandon Maeda at bat. Pearl City made a pitching change bringing in Cello Casarez in relief of Nomura. Maeda grounded into a force out that scored Kaneshiro from third. Casarez got the next two batters to end the inning. Waipio left two runners on base. Waipio led Pearl City 6-3 going into the bottom of the fourth inning.
Bottom 4
Cole Miyamura walkwed to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning. Michael Yanagi flied out to right field for the first out. Next batter Cello Casarez ripped a double to deep center field. Miyamura moved to third base. Tarynce Antolin walked to load the bases. Michael Englar hit an RBI sac fly that scored Miyamura from third base. Waipio made a pitching change bringing in Brandon Maeda in relief of Musgrove. Maeda got the next batter, Chasen Goshi to ground out for the third out. Pearl City left two runners on base. Pearl City picked up a run and trailed Waipio 6-4.
Bottom 5
Brayden Nomura led off the inning with a single to left field, Champ Smith came in the game to pinch run for Nomura at first base. Cheyne Obara got on with a single into right field. Cole Miyamura reached first base on an infield grounder with no throw to the bag to load the bases. Waipio made a pitching change bringing in D. Saiki ifrom first base in relief of Maeda. Next batter Michael Maeda struck out for the first out of the inning. Casarez hit a single scoring Smith from third. On the play the shortstop missed the tag on the runner which would of recorded the third out. Next batter Tarynce Antolin struck out to end the inning. Pearl City moved within one run at 6-5.
Bottom 6
Michael Englar walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. Carter Ogino got out on with a sac bunt moving Englar to second base. Brayden Nomura got hit by a pitch putting runners on first and second. Next batter Mayson Foumai grounded out for the second out. Englar and Nomura moved up into scoring position at third and second base with two outs. Cheyne Obara hit a grounder to the shortstop who dropped the ball allowing Englar to score from third to tie the game at 6-6. Cole Miyamura flied out for the third out.
Bottom 7
Micael Yanagi got hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the inning. Cello Casarez blasted a ground rule double to center field that moved Yanagi to third base.
Tarynce Antolin walked to load the bases. Next batter Michael Englar delivered the game winning hit that scored Yanagi from third base. Pearl City pulled out an incredible 7-6 win.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Michael Yanagi scores the winning run on Michael Englar's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Cello Casarez blasts a ground rule double in the bottom of the seventh inning that put Michael Yanagi in scoring position for the winning run that came off the bat of Michael Englar two batters later.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Cheyne Obara tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning with an infield hit that scored Michael Englar from third base.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Michael Englar scores to tie the game at 6-6 on a hit by Cheyne Obara in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
D. Saiki pictured hitting a 3-run homerun in the top of the first inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Christian Capinia hit the second homerun for Waipio in the top of the first inning to put Waipio up 4-0.