The bad news for Punahou is it came oh-so-close but failed to wrap up a baseball state tournament berth Saturday.
The good news for the Buffanblu (11-8) is they still have two more chances to get it done.
After yielding five runs to Mid-Pacific in the fifth inning, things looked bleak for Punahou. A 5-0 deficit appeared to be too much to overcome at the Owls’ home field.
But, sometimes magic happens and it started to show up in the Buffanblu seventh, when three walks and a pinch-hit single by Jerick Nomura led to a run, and Logan Williams followed with a bases-clearing double to make it 5-4.
With Williams on second and two outs, Easton Takamoto flew out to deep center, making the Owls’ Breyndon Nakamura run for an over-the-shoulder catch near the fence.
Game over.
Now, Punahou and Mid-Pacific tangle in a rematch Tuesday at the Mid-Pacific field for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu tournament title. If the Buffanblu lose, Mid-Pacific would capture the overall league championship, leaving Punahou to face Saint Louis (11-6) on Thursday for the league’s second berth into the states. If Punahou beats ILH regular-season champion MPI on Tuesday, it clinches a state berth and the two teams would meet again Thursday for the overall league crown.
The intense play never ceases in the ILH. Of 55 regular-season and postseason games, 31 were won by 1, 2 or 3 runs, a 56 percent clip.
Oh, and it should be noted, the fielding in Friday’s ‘Iolani at Mid-Pacific game was spotless; no errors by either team.
Check out these final scores since the beginning of the season:
Regular season games
>> March 1: Kamehameha 3, Saint Louis 1
>> March 2: Mid-Pacific 3, Punahou 2 (9 innings)
>> March 4: Saint Louis 1, Maryknoll 0
>> March 4: Kamehameha 3, Mid-Pacific 2 (9 innings)
>> March 5: Saint Louis 4, Mid-Pacific 3
>> March 7: Punahou 5, ‘Iolani 3 (8 innings)
>> March 15: Kamehameha 3, Maryknoll 0
>> March 16: Mid-Pacific 9, ‘Iolani 3
>> March 17: Kamehameha 5, ‘Iolani 4
>> March 18: Punahou 6, Mid-Pacific 5
>> March 19: Kamehameha 6, Maryknoll 4
>> March 22: Maryknoll 8, Punahou 7
>> March 22: Kamehameha 3, Mid-Pacific 1
>> March 22: Saint Louis 1, ‘Iolani 0
>> March 24: Mid-Pacific 10, Maryknoll 7
>> March 24: Kamehameha 4, Saint Louis 3
>> March 26: Mid-Pacific 2, Saint Louis 0
>> March 29: Punahou 5, Maryknoll 2
>> March 29: Kamehameha 5, ‘Iolani 2
>> March 30: Mid-Pacific 3, Saint Louis 1 (9 innings)
>> April 1: Maryknoll 3, Kamehameha 0
>> April 2: Punahou 7, ‘Iolani 6
>> April 2: Saint Louis 5, Kamehameha 3
>> April 7: ‘Iolani 8, Maryknoll 5
>> April 8: Saint Louis 4, ‘Iolani 3
ILH tournament games
>> April 14: ‘Iolani 7, Kamehameha 4
>> April 16; Mid-Pacific 4, ‘Iolani 1
>> April 16: Punahou 4, Saint Louis 2
>> April 19: ‘Iolani 6, Saint Louis 4
>> April 22: Mid-Pacific 4, ‘Iolani 3
>> April 23: Mid-Pacific 5, Punahou 4
So, if anyone is expecting a blowout in the remaining two games, you are in the minority.
Here is Saturday’s box score:
Punahou (11-8)…………..AB R H BI
Cole Cabrera, lf……………..3 1 1 0
Noah Goss, p, rf…………….3 1 1 1
Logan Williams, c…………..3 0 1 3
Brent Shimoda, pr…………..0 0 0 0
Evan Tsuruda, pr……………0 0 0 0
Easton Takamoto, 1b………3 0 1 0
Andrew Matsueda, ss……..3 0 0 0
Noah Loughlin, dh………….3 0 0 0
Asa Kurasaki, 3b……………2 1 0 0
Kai Terada-Herzer, 3b……..3 0 0 0
Colin Freeman, rf…………..2 0 0 0
Riley Guieb, p………………0 0 0 0
David Zane, p………………0 0 0 0
Jerick Nomura, ph…………1 1 1 0
Austin Horio, 2b……………0 0 0 0
……………………………..26 4 5 4
Mid-Pacific (15-4)……….AB R H BI
Jacob Maekawa ss………4 1 1 2
Nicholas Tokuhama, pr….0 0 0 0
Wyatt Young, ss………….0 0 0 0
Alex Oley, p, cf…………..1 0 0 0
Jarrod Infante, pr………..0 1 0 0
Bronson Hakkei, ph……..1 0 0 0
Chase Wago, dh, p……..4 1 0 0
Wyatt Young, lf………….0 0 0 0
Ryne Yamashiro, 1b……3 0 1 0
Cameron Wong, lf………3 0 3 1
Jared Fujiwara, pr………0 1 0 0
Kyle Layugan, c…………1 0 0 0
Jacob Yoshino, pr……….0 1 0 0
Trevin Tengan, 3b……….3 0 2 1
Zach Gushiken, 2b……..3 0 1 1
Hunter Hill, rf…………….3 0 1 0
Breyndon Nakamura, cf..0 0 0 0
……………………………26 5 9 3
Punahou…….000 000 4 — 4 5 3
Mid-Pacific…..000 050 x — 5 9 1
2B—Williams, Hill. SAC—Layugan. HP—Maekawa, Oley (2). E—Matsueda (2), Cabrera, Maekawa. LOB—Punahou 6, Mid-Pacific 7.
Pitching
Punahou……………….IP..R..ER..H.BB..SO
Noah Goss (L)…………4.2…5…3…6…2…0
Riley Guieb……………0.1…0…0…2…0…0
David Zane……………..1…0…0…1…0…0
Mid Pacific………………IP…R..ER.H..BB..SO
Alex Oley (W)………….6.2…2…2…4…3…4
Chase Wago…………..0.0…2…2…1…2…0
Alex Oley (S)…………..0.3…0…0…0…0…0
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