The Spartans have won two one-run games to keep their hopes alive for a third consecutive Division II state title. Aiea has won both games by an identical 4-1 score, including an impressive performance on Friday to defeat Kamehameha-Hawaii.
No. 1 Maryknoll (15-2) vs. No. 3 Aiea (14-0)
FINAL: Maryknoll 8, Aiea 4
Maryknoll sending Joshua Muneno to the mound to oppose Aiea’s Jarred Uyeda. Both starters are also hitting third in their respective lineups.
Muneno allowed five runs on 10 hits in a seven-innings complete game against Kapolei on Wednesday. Uyeda has not pitched in the tournament yet for Na Alii.
TOP 1: Trevor Hirano draws a leadoff walk and Neal Nakasone hits a line drive that gets under the glove of the right fielder for a double to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Muneno rips a double inside the bag at third to drive in two. Uyeda settles things down with a strikeout and gets three outs in a row.
BOT 1: Muneno starts off with a strikeout. An error is erased when Nakasone throws out the runner stealing second and Muneno is out of it after a two-out walk.
TOP 2: Cade Ohata with a leadoff single and then the Spartans string together three straight hits. Trevor Hirano with an RBI single to chase the Aiea starter. Ty Matsunami enters in relief and immediately gets a double play but a fourth run scores. Na Alii will definitely take that though. Muneno with a two-out RBI single to make it 5-0.
BOT 2: Aiea gets its first run after Logan Ho leads off with a double. He scores on a bunt by Matsunami to make it 5-1.
TOP 3: Matsunami moves to third and Kobe Kato is now pitching for Aiea. Kato with a 1-2-3 innings.
BOT 3: Three straight runners reach base with two outs as Kato reaches on an infield single and scores on an other infield hit when Shannon Fermahin beats out a grounder to third. Na Alii gets another one back.
TOP 4: Maryknoll scores three runs on one play. It’s a walk with a wild pitch that allows one run to score. The throw back from the catcher is an error to allow a second run to score and the original batter who walked and reached on the initial wild pitch comes all the way around on a throwing error by the third baseman. It’s 8-2.
BOT 5: Chazdyn Quebral-Acosta with a leadoff single and Jaryn Nakamoto doubles him in to make it 8-3. Kobe Kato follows with a single and Nakamoto scores but a scary sight as Uyeda, who started the game on the mound for Aiea, looks like he twists his knee near the dirt circle. He has to be taken off with what looked like a significant injury. Maryknoll turns a big double play to end it.
No scoring the rest of the game as Maryknoll claims its third consecutive Division II state title.
Mryk—Joshua Muneno (W) 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Neal Nakasone 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.
Trevor Hirano 1-4, 2 runs, bb, RBI; Muneno 2-3, 2b, r, 3 RBIs; Jonah Chinen 2-3; Nakasone 2b.
Aiea—Jarred Uyeda (L) 1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, K; Ty Matsutani 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K; Kobe Kato 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Jaryn Nakamoto 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Jaryn Nakamoto 1-4, 2b, run, RBI; Kobe Kato 2-4, run, RBI; Logan Ho 1-3, 2b, run.
COMMENTS