Mid Pac Rallies to Defeat Kamehameha

BY BOB HOGUE

DIGITAL SPORTS HAWAII

SENIOR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

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Down, but never out! That’s what veteran Mid-Pacific head
coach Dunn Muramaru reminded his Owls when he gathered them near the first base
dugout before the top of the last inning. Down by three runs to upset-minded
Kamehameha Wednesday night under the lights at Ala Wai Field, the first-place
Owls rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh and then held on to the
beat the Warriors, 5-4.

The tremendous comeback allowed Mid-Pacific to hold onto a
first place tie with St. Louis. Earlier Wednesday, the Crusaders knocked off
Damien 8-6 behind two homers by Darby Ventura.

Mid-Pacific’s seventh-inning rally began with back to back
one-out singles by Easton Torigoe and Michael Nagamine off Kamehameha starting
pitcher Chris Pascual, who had been nursing a 4-hitter when the inning began.
But the second straight Owls’ hit forced Warrior head coach Vern Ramie to go to
the bullpen and he brought in Kapena Kalehuawehe-Gomes, who promptly struck out
the first batter he faced.

But with two outs and two strikes on the next hitter, Nick
Tasaka singled to right to bring home Torigoe. Lyle Shimata followed with
another two-out single to right and suddenly the Owls’ deficit was cut to 4-3.
Number nine hitter Todd Nagamine then ripped his third hit of the night,
a double to left field to bring home Tasaka and the score was tied at 4-4.

The Owls weren’t done. Wade Tamaru, the ninth batter of
the inning for Mid-Pacific, drew a bases loaded walk to force home Shimata from
third and the Owls were suddenly on top by a score of 5-4.

The game was hardly over, however. Junior reliever Gavin
Kinoshita, who had sent down the first five batters he faced after relieving
Mid-Pacific starting pitcher Matthew McDaniel, was one out away from recording
the victory when Kamehameha’s Piikea Kitamura and Arlie Johnson came up with
back to back singles in the bottom of the seventh. A throwing error on the
second hit sent the Warrior runners to second and third with two outs.

So, it came down to the Owls’ Kinoshita having to bear
down and he struck out the final batter of the night, pumping his fist in the
process, as Mid-Pacific held on for an improbable one-run victory.

The Owls’ comeback victory spoiled a strong pitching
performance by the Warriors’ Pascaual who struck out three while walking four in
six-and-a-third innings of work. It also spoiled a chance for hero status for
pinch hitter Jonathan James, whose bad hop single in the fourth inning gave the
Warriors a 2-1 lead. Kamehameha then added two more runs in the sixth inning,
highlighted by Michael Tokunaga’s RBI single, to take a 4-1 lead.

Mid-Pacific got some stellar defensive efforts from
catcher Aaron Fujiki and third baseman Michael Arakaki in the victory. Fujiki
picked off a Warrior runner from second base on a rifle throw in the third
inning, and Arakaki started two double plays for the Owls with his outstanding
glove at the hot corner. That defense was eventually followed up with some
clutch hitting to allow the Owls to secure the come from behind win.

In the other ILH game of the day, Punahou downed Maryknoll
by a score of 5-2.

(Box score from Gail Juan)

MIDPAC:             0   0   1   0   0   0   4        5     8     4
KAMEHAMEHA:     0   0   0   2   0   2   0        4     6     2

VISITOR PITCHER:   Matthew McDaniel, Gavin Kinoshita (6)
VISITOR CATCHER: Aaron Fujiki

HOME PITCHER:     Chris Pascal, Kapena Kalehuawehe-Gomes (7), Tucker Troy (7)
VISITOR PITCHER:   Keanu Carmichael

WINNING PITCHER: Gavin Kinoshita
LOSING PITCHER:    Kapena Kalehuawehe-Gomes
SAVE:

VISITOR LEADING HITTERS:

Michael Nagamine: 2-4
Derek Tan: double
Todd Nagamine: 3-4, double
Russell Doi: run
Jonathan Yashiro: run
Kent Kanenaka: run
Nick Tasaka: single, rbi
Lyle Shimata: single, rbi, run
Bryson Chang: run

HOME LEADING HITTERS:

Kapena Kalehuawehe-Gomes: single
Piikea Kitamura: single, run
Michael Tokunaga: 2 runs
Keanu Carmichael: run
Jonathan James: 2 rbi single
Makana Ramie: double

reported by: Gail Juan