Game 1 of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Baseball State Championships in Division I features BIIF runner up Waiakea (14-2) against OIA fifth-place Moanalua (10-6). Na Menehune made the 2011 final while the Warriors took home the 2012 state crown led by catcher Kean Wong and LHP Quintin Torres-Costa.
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Waiakea Warriors (14-2)
Head coach: Rory Inouye (3rd year, 38‐9)
Tournament history: 34th appearance (29‐54, 1 title)
Honolulu Star-Advertiser ranking: No. 7
Moanalua Na Menehune (10-6)
Head coach: Scott Yamada (20th year, 166‐133‐2)
Tournament history: 9th appearance (8‐13‐1)
Honolulu Star-Advertiser ranking: ALSO RECEIVING VOTES
LINEUPS
Moanalua
Ryne Oshiro, SS
Kamuela Labasan, LF
Randy Tabura, P (1-0, 3.57 ERA, 17 K, 15 2/3 IP)
Andrew Oasay, C
Cody Isa, 2B
Tyler Trim, 3B
Skyler Yamamoto, DH
>> Cade Fernandez, 1B
Alex Heacox, RF
Kaz Tachino, CF
Waiakea
Casey Yamauchi, 3B
Trayden Tamiya, SS
Nathan Minami, LF
Jacob Igawa, C
David Nakamura, LHP
Gehrig Octavio, CF
Khaden Victorino, 1B
Curren Inouye, DH
>> Brett Fujii, RF
Devin Midel, 2B
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Waiakea 4, Moanalua 3
Waiakea (15-2) advances to play No. 2 seed Kailua at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
at Les Murakami Stadium
Moanalua (10-7) 100 002 0 — 3 1 0
Waiakea (15-2) 000 022 x — 4 6 0
Randy Tabura, Skyler Yamamoto (4), Ryne Oshiro (6), Christian Capinia (6) and Andrew Oasay. David Nakamura, Cody Hirata (3), Devin Midel (6), Casey Yamauchi (7) and Jacob Igawa, Curren Inouye (5). W—Midel. L—Oshiro. S—Yamauchi.
Leading hitters—Moan: Bryson Sato 2b, 2 RBIs. Waik: Anthony Benevides Jr. 2b, RBI.
TOP 7
Last chance for Na Menehune with Oshiro leading off. Midel stays in to pitch and gives up a leadoff walk. Casey Yamaguchi now in to pitch with the tying run on first and nobody out. Labasan drops a bunt but it’s hit hard back to the pitcher and Waiakea gets the lead runner at second for the first out. Tabura hits into a 4-6-3 double play and Yamaguchi comes in to save it. Waiakea on to the quarterfinals.
BOTTOM 6
Ryne Oshiro relieves Hirata to start the sixth. Igawa with a leadoff single off the glove of the third baseman and he’s quickly bunted to second. Tying run in scoring position with one out. Chris Hatakenaka-Gibbs on to run at second. Octavio draws a five-pitch walk. Victorino ahead 2-1 and he pulls a ball in the hole between short and third. Hatakenaka-Gibbs scores and Octavio is safe at third. We’re tied 3-3. Inouye gets into one and sends on deep to right near the warning track. It’s a sacrifice fly as Octavio scores from third and Waiakea is back in front 4-3. Midel hits one off the end of the bat. Tough play for the pitcher and it’s an infield single. First and second for Yamauchi. A four-pitch walk loads the bases for Tamiya. Junior Christian Capinia comes on in relief and gets the fly ball to left to end it.
TOP 6
Hirata walks the leadoff batter and hits the next batter and Waiakea goes to the bullpen. Devin Midel on in relief with the tying run on second, the go-ahead run on first and nobody out. Yamamoto with the sacrifice bunt to put both runners in scoring position. Bryson Sato will pinch hit for Moanalua. Sato fouls off FOUR two-strike pitches and then bounces a single back up the middle. TWO runs score. Sato is thrown out trying to go to second on the throw but he gets the job done. Two runs in and Moanalua is back in front, 3-2.
BOTTOM 5
Victorino draws a leadoff walk and moves to second on the bunt. Anthony Benevides Jr. pinch hits in the No. 9 spot and hits a double to right-center that goes all the way to the wall to drive in a run for Waiakea. Yamauchi sneaks a single through the right side past the second baseman and Midel, in to run for Benevides, scores from second to give Waiakea a 2-1 lead. Yamamoto gets the grounder to third for the second out and Minami drills a line drive to center but right at Tachino who makes the catch. 2 RUNS, 2 HITS, 1 LOB.
TOP 5
Oshiro draws a leadoff walk to reach base for the second time and is bunted over to second. Tabura with a line drive right at the second baseman who nearly doubles up the runner at second. Oasay pops up to shallow left. Hirata has thrown exactly 13 pitches in three consecutive innings.
BOTTOM 4
Neither team has a hit yet. Igawa draws a two-out walk. Tabura falls behind 2-0 to Nakamura and Moanalua makes a pitching change, bringing in Skyler Yamamoto. Nakamoto with a single back up the middle on a 3-2 pitch for the first hit by any team. First runner in scoring position for Waiakea. Octavio flies out to left. 0 RUNS, 1 HIT, 2 LOB.
TOP 4
Trim draws a four-pitch walk to lead off. Trim takes second on a wild pitch and moves to third on an excellent bunt by Yamamoto. Hedcox lifts a pop up to shallow left and they hold the runner at third. Hirata gets the groundout to short to end the inning. 0 RUNS, 0 HITS, 1 LOB.
BOTTOM 3
Inouye draws an eight-pitch walk with one out for Waiakea’s first baserunner. Midel with a pop fly to shallow right and Moanalua second baseman Cody Isa makes a great play going back and over the shoulder to make the catch. Right fielder wouldn’t have gotten there. Yamauchi flies out to right. 0 RUNS, 0 HITS, 1 LOB.
TOP 3
RHP Cody Hirata on in relief for Nakamura (2 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 K). Nakamura throws 50 pitches and can come back Friday. Hirata goes 1-2-3 with a strikeout of Oasay. 0 RUNS, 0 HITS, 0 LOB.
BOTTOM 2
Second straight 1-2-3 inning for Tabura in exactly 13 pitches again. 0 RUNS, 0 HITS, 0 LOB.
TOP 2
Nakamura walks his fourth batter with one out but then catcher Jacob Igawa throws a bullet right at the corner of the bag at second to get Kaz Tachino, who got a great jump. Perfect throw. Ryne Oshiro checks his swing on a 3-2 pitch and that’s five walks now for Nakamura. Oshiro steals second on a 1-1 pitch that bounces in the dirt. Nakamura paints a 3-2 fastball on the inside corner for strike three. Five walks and three strikeouts in two innings for Nakamura, who is at 50 pitches. 0 RUNS, 0 HITS, 1 LOB.
BOTTOM 1
Tabura with a nice 1-2-3 inning that ends with a strikeout looking. 13 pitches. 0 RUNS, 0 HITS, 0 LOB.
TOP 1
Nakamura gets off to a good start with a strikeout before hitting Tabura with two outs. Nakamura suddenly can’t find the strike zone and he walks three batters in a row to force in a run. Tyler Trim draws a bases-loaded walk to bring in courtesy runner Zak Tachino. Nakamura gets his second punch out as Na Menehune leaves the bases loaded. 1 RUN, 0 HITS, 3 LOB.
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