Kaipo Panui pitched six complete innings to lead Ewa Beach over Pearl City 5-3 in the 2013 Hawaii Little League Majors District 7 Championship Tournament played on Tuesday, July 2, at Central Oahu Regional Park (CORP) in Waipio.
Ewa Beach advances to the tournament championship today against Waipio at CORP. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00pm. Ewa Beach will have to beat Waipio twice in the double elimination format tournament to win the District 7 championship and move on to next week’s state championship tournament. If Waipio wins today, they will be crowned champions. If Ewa Beach wins, the teams will play for the championship title on Thursday at CORP at 9:00am.
Waipo (2-0) beat Ewa Beach (3-1) on Sunday, June 30 to advance in the tournament winners bracket. Ewa Beach had to battle their way to the championship via the loser's bracket.
In yesterday's win over Pearl City, Ewa Beach starting pitcher Panui held the potent Pearl City offensive attack to three runs on nine hits with five strikeouts in six innings of work. It was the second meeting between the two teams in the tournament. Ewa Beach won the first contest 7-6 in seven innings on Friday, June 28. Since that match-up, Pearl City crushed the competition by outscoring their opponents 50-6 before cooling down their run production in yesterday's loss to Ewa Beach.
Pearl City's Cade Halemanu and Nohealani Hee combined on the mound for Pearl City. Halemanu pitched four complete innings allowing three runs on five hits with with two strikeouts and two walks. Hee took the mound in relief of Halemanu to start the fifth inning. Hee allowed two runs on two hits with one strikeout and no walks.
Halemanu made sure Pearl City didn't go quietly after blasting a solo homerun over the center field fence in the top of the sixth inning that brought Pearl City with two runs at 5-3.
Congratulations to Pearl City Head Coach Bobby Young, his coaching staff, and the very talented Pearl City ball players for a great tournament.
Also good luck to Ewa Beach as they advance to the District 7 Championship against Waipio.
Scoring Summary:
Top 2
Lead-off batter Caleb Young reached first base on an infield grounder and advanced to second base on a wild throw to first base. Brayden Nomura entered the game as a special pinch runner for Young at second base. Kaipo Panui struck out Cello Casarez for the first out of the inning. Michael Yanagi hit a single past the third baseman into left field. Nomura moved up to third base. Pearl City had runners on first and third with one out. Yanagi advanced to second base on a steal. Next batter Cade Halemanu hit an infield grounder that scored Nomura from third base. Yanagi got tagged out at third base on the play. Halemanu reached first base safely with two outs in the inning. Next batter Carter Hirano hit an infield single to second base. Halemanu advanced to second base. Chaesten Chon grounded out for the third out.
Pearl City scored one run on two hits with two runners left on base.
Pearl City 1-0.
Bottom 2
Richard Tadeo reached first base after being walked with one out. Nicholas Sampson hit an infield grounder that advanced Tadeo to second base. Next batter D. Lundberg hit an RBI single to left field that scored Tadeo from second base to tie the game at 1-1. Shayden Banaay flied out to center field for out number two. Kaipo Panui hit a grounder to the pitcher for the third out.
Ewa Beach scored one run on one hit with two runners left on base.
Game tied at 1-1.
Bottom 4
Gabriel Galamgam led off the inning with a hard hit single to Pearl City shortstop Carter Hirano who couldn't make the throw to first base. Jamin Kalaola hit into a force out at second base taking out Galamgam for the first out of the inning. Kalaola reached first base safely. Kalaola advanced to second base on a pass ball at the plate. Next batter Nicholas Sampson hit an RBI double scoring Kalaola to break the 1-1 tie and put Ewa Beach up 2-1. Next batter D. Lundberg popped out to second base for the second out. Shayden Banaay drove in Sampson with an infield hit that gave Ewa Beach a 3-1. Kaipo Panui popped out to second base for the third out.
Ewa Beach scored two runs on three hits with one runner left on base.
Ewa Beach 3-1.
Top 5
Carter Hirano flied out to left field for the first out of the inning. Next batter Chaesten Chon got on base with a double to left field. Chon advanced to third base on a steal. Christian Pacrem lined an RBI single into center field that scored Chon from third base. Rayson Carriaga hit into a force out taking out Pacrem at second base. Carriaga reached first base safely with two outs in the inning. Next batter Nohealani Hee dropped a single into left field that advanced Carriaga to third base. Caleb Young grounded out to second base for the third out.
Pearl City scored one run on three hits with two runners left on base.
Ewa Beach 3-2.
Bottom 5
Nohealani Hee came into the game to start the bottom of the fifth inning in relief of Cade Halemanu. Lead-off batter Dylan Ramon reached first base on an infield grounder. Next batter Logan Ho hit a single past the third baseman and into left field that advanced Ramon to second base. Ewa Beach had runners on first and second with no outs. Next batter D. Robinson hit a grounder that forced out Ho at second base. Ramon advanced to third base on the play. Robinson reached first base safely. Ewa Beach had runners on first and third with one out. Hee struck out Gabriel Galamgam for the second out. Jamin Kalaola drove in Ramon from third base with a hard hit infield grounder. Ewa Beach had runners on first and second with two outs. The runners moved up in scoring position at second and third on a pass ball at the plate. Next batter Nicholas Sampson drove in Robinson from third base to put Ewa Beach out in front of Pearl City 5-2. Kalaola got tagged out at home plate for the third out.
Ewa Beach scored two runs on two hits with two runners left on base.
Ewa Beach 5-2.
Top 6
Cello Casarez grounded out to lead off the inning. Panui struck out Michael Yanagi for the second out. Next batter Cade Halemanu powered a solo homerun over the center field fence with two outs to cut into the Ewa Beach lead at 5-3. Carter Hirano lined a two out single into center field. Next batter Chaesten Chon flied out for the third out to end the inning and the game.
Pearl City scored one run on two hits with one runner left on base.
Ewa Beach 5-3.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Pearl City starting pitcher Cade Halemanu pictured on the mound against Ewa Beach in the bottom of the
first inning.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Nohealani Hee pictured in relief for Pearl City in the bottom of the fifth inning.