WAILUKU — I was filing the game story for the previous game. Right now it’s 0-0 in the top of the fourth as Pearl City’s Trenton Darley and Maui’s Kyle Oshiro are in a pitchers’ duel after three innings.
4th
The Sabers have runners on second and first with two outs when Bryant Nakagawa sends a flare into short center behind shortstop. Pearl City CF Matt Yokota charges and makes an outstanding diving catch to end the inning.
Sam Prentice is hit by pitch to lead off the bottom half, but that’s all for the Chargers.
5th
Sabers sending some fly balls deep, but the park is large and the wind has finally died. The flags are not moving for the first time all day and night.
Three up, three down for Pearl City.
6th
Jyrah Lalim leads off and is hit by pitch. He is sac bunted to second, but Darley with a huge strikeout of Kingsley Ballao on a fastball for the second out.
Chargers go 1-2-3, but some of that struggle tonight is due to Maui SS Micah Jio. He’s everywhere, a blur, and his bare-handed pickup and putout of Prentice on the last at-bat of the sixth inning was a beauty.
7th
Three up, three down for Maui, though youngster Treston Carter had his best at-bat of the night. Started to time Darley’s fastball better, fouled off a couple of pitches before flying out. But Darley is in command with a four-hitter through seven innings. Oshiro has allowed just one hit through six frames.
Oshiro surrenders a single to Davin Kapuras, and after Yokota sac bunts Kapuras to second, the Sabers make a change. Oshiro went 6 1/3 innings with two strikeouts, two walks and one hit batter. He allowed a mere two hits. Kingsley Ballao has taken the mound, moving in from the outfield.
Ballao 1-1 pitch to Christian Onomura, a slow grounder to the right. Ballao knocks it down, underhands it to first, two outs. He’s got a sharp breaking ball, good stuff for a guy who has thrown just 4 innings this season.
Kapuras is at third base now. Ballao gets Darley swinging at a big curveball for a second strike. Then it’s high heat, blows it right past Darley. WOH.
8th
Darley hasn’t waned. He strikes out Lalim and Kao Mindoro to close the top half of the eight. He has five K’s, one walk, scattered five hits.
Treston Nakamura leads off with an infield single, a chopper over Ballao. After Nishijo strikes out, Matt Aribal walks. Runners at second and first with one down. Hirano pops out to second, two outs. Ballao is almost out of this jam. After nearly picking Nakamura off second, Ballao strikes out Prentice for the third out. Ballao threw 25 pitches in this frame.
9th
Darley is done. Nakamura moves to the mound. Darley went 8 innings, struck out five and walked just one to go with no runs and five hits permitted. He threw 104 pitches. Amazing performance.
Ballao battles back to a full count, grounds a single to center. Waylon Golis-Bacos with a nice sac bunt to advance Ballao to second base. Oshiro flies to center, two outs. 1-1 pitch to Nakagawa hits him. Two runners on base now with Carter up to bat.
This is three lefty-versus-lefty at-bats in a row. Carter tries to hang in there, but Nakamura gets him swinging at strike three. Man, this is the game from the parallel universe. What if it never ends??
A great diving catch in left field, then a great recovery by Oshiro, now in right field. He nearly made a tough catch, then threw out Yokota trying to stretch it to a double.
10th
Three up, three down by Maui’s batters.
Pearl City up to bat. Ballao is pau after 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Lalim moves to the mound. He’s a right-hander. Darley to lead off. I’m seriously running out of space in my scorebook.
Lalim walks Nakamura on a full count. Count is 1-1 to Nishijo, wild pitch, Nakamura to second base. Lalim walks Nishijo, all academic, they want the forceout possibility with one out anyway. Aribal up to bat.
Grounder to Lalim, whose throw to second to start a potential double play is high. Infielder has to jump to save the throw, get the forceout. Two outs, runners at the corners. Hirano at the plate.
0-1 pitch to Hirano, a soft liner to left, great effort by the LF but he can’t make the catch as he dives. Nakamura scores from third base with the game’s only run. PC 1, MAUI 0.
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