The semifinals are underway at the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships at Iron Maehara Stadium. Here’s a collection of updates.
5:15 p.m.
WAILUKU — We’re in the bottom of the fourth inning, Mid-Pacific and Campbell tied at 0. Ian Kahaloa of Campbell against Brent Sakurai of MPI.
Update 5:55 p.m. The Owls score two runs in the fourth to take the lead. Bryce Asao’s single to right scores courtesy runner Bryce Nagata. Asao later scored on a delayed steal when Sakurai induced a throw to second, which led to a drop during a rundown.
Campbell finally scored in the top of the sixth on Jasten Smeigh’s sac fly to center, scoring Dewayne Sprinkel. The Sabers had a runner at third (Alii PEdrina), but Sakurai struck out Rayven Kahana to end the inning.
MPI had a chance to score in the bottom of the sixth, but the center fielder, Pedrina, threw out Marcus Doi at home plate on a spectacular play after a single by Asao.
Update 6:55 p.m. It’s a final, Mid-Pacific 2, Campbell 1. Well-played game defensively, both pitchers did solid work. But MPI made one more play offensively and is now in the final for the first time since 2004.
Currently, the field is getting drenched by these rain clouds that had been hovering for a few hours. IT was humid on Maui today and mother nature finally unleashed a bit. Rob Collias of the Maui News predicts the second semifinal between Mililani and Hilo will be a rainout.
We’ll see.
Update 7:55 p.m. The rain has held up and the game is on. Hilo leads Mililani 3-2 with Hilo due up to bat in the bottom of the third. Trojans scored two runs in the first with help from Hilo (error). Jamesson Madrid and Ekolu Ramos with RBI singles.
Hilo scored one in the bottom of the first on an infield error by Mililani, then scored twice in the second on a bases-loaded walk by Tyler Higa-Gonsalves and a bases-loaded hit batter (Chayce Kaaua) to take a 3-2 lead.
Update 8:30 p.m. The Trojans have tied it at 3-all with a single run in the top of the fifth. Kaiea Badiny’s two-out single brought Sean Sonognini home from third.
Both starting pitchers are still in the game, but seem to be tiring.
Update 9:10 p.m. A wild top of the sixth, with three errors by Hilo, has led to a five-run inning for Mililani and an 8-3 lead. A run-scoring single by Travis Maekawa was followed by a bases-clearing double by Ekolu Ramos, who wound up scoring on the play when the throw to third from catcher Chayce Kaaua sailed high.
Hilo responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, getting a two-run double from Carter. Mililani leads 8-6 in the top of the seventh.
Update 9:18 p.m. Final: Mililani 8, Hilo 6. Four errors by Hilo, including three in the sixth that led to five unearned runs. MILILANI vs. MPI for the state title tomorrow.
—Paul Honda
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