A total of 23 runs in its first two games has ‘Iolani feeling good about things after two days of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships.
Junior Shane Sasaki recorded the first four-hit game in the state tournament since Mid-Pacific’s Tyler Yamaguchi in 2015 and scored twice with two RBIs to lead the Raiders to a 12-8 win over OIA champion Mililani in today’s second quarterfinal at Les Murakami Stadium.
‘Iolani (16-5-1) will play its first state semifinal game since 2000 against the winner between Pearl City and No. 1 overall seed Baldwin.
“I feel like we’re in pretty good shape right now swinging the bat well and seeing the ball pretty good,” Sasaki said. “I was just confident in the batters before me and after me that if I didn’t do they job, they would do the job, so I didn’t feel much pressure.”
‘Iolani starter Logan Yee picked up the win lasting 6 1/3 innings. After giving up three runs in the first inning to fall behind 3-1, Yee put up five straight scoreless innings.
“That’s the last time he’s throwing in high school and he let it hang,” ‘Iolani coach Kurt Miyahira said. “He emptied the tank and gave us all he had and that’s all we could ask of him.”
Mililani (12-5) played its first game in 18 days and was sluggish from the start.
Starter Ryan Anchetta gave up five runs on six hits in two innings and the Trojans made three errors in the third inning that led to three ‘Iolani runs for a 5-3 lead.
Cade Yonamine went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs as ‘Iolani built a 12-3 lead going to the bottom of the seventh.
Pinch hitter Jayton Pang cleared the bases with a three-run triple as Mililani closed to 12-8 before the final out.
“We should be able to build on that,” Miyahira said. “Mililani is a good team. They won the OIA and earned the right to be here.”
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