Mid-Pacific's Tyler Yamaguchi turns a defensive play for the owls. Steve Erler | Special to SL

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MANOA - Chase Wago is showing he is no one-dimensional player.

The All-Hawaii second-team pitcher from Mid-Pacific Institute had an RBI double as the starting designated hitter and pitched the final three innings of scoreless relief for the save and the Owls beat defending state champion Saint Louis, 4-1, Monday in Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I baseball at Damon Field.

Wago did not bat in previous seasons, but it wasn't because he couldn't. The Owls had enough depth to cover their pitcher. But this season, they need his bat as well. It was his second game he has been the DH.

"He was too valuable to us," MPI coach Dunn Muramaru explained. "We had enough people to hit. It was just a matter of if we have enough people to hit, and he doesn't hit and that makes the difference, then we won't hit him. But this year it makes the difference."

The right-handed Grant Doi, the winning pitcher, threw four strong innings for the Owls (3-1), allowing three hits - two of them doubles - and two walks while striking out three. The left-handed Wago finished off the Crusaders (2-2) the next three innings. He allowed three hits and a walk. Two of the hits came in the top of the seventh, but the threat was erased when Wago got Mana Manago to ground to shortstop for a game-ending double play, the second twin killing turned by the Owls.

Left-hander Dawson Yamaguchi allowed the lead-off batter to reach in three of his five innings pitched. Twice the Owls cashed in those lead-off batters. Yamaguchi was touched for four runs, five hits and a walk with no strikeouts. Noah Abreu pitched a perfect sixth, but the damage was already done.

"It's a game of making adjustments and we were just not able to," Saint Louis coach George Gusman said. "Back to the drawing board. They're talented and have good coaching. A tough combination to beat."

The Owls scored in the bottom of the first when Alex Oley singled with one out. An out later, Oley scored on Tyler Yamaguchi's double to left before Wago grounded out to third to end the inning.

Mid-Pacific did more damage in the second. Ryne Yamashiro led off with a single and Yamaguchi hit Trevin Tengan with a pitch. Pinch hitter Davin Takanishi bunted foul on the first pitch. The runners advance one base on a passed ball and advanced again on a wild pitch to score Yamashiro and move Tengan to third, where he scored on Takanishi's single to left to make it 3-0. Jarrod Infante's sacrifice moved Takanishi to second, but Jacob Maekawa grounded out to short to move the runner to third and Oley grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Crusaders picked up one of the runs in the top of the third. Manago doubled to left and took third on a passed ball. After Keith Torres struck out, Taylor Meilleur's ground out to short scored Manago before Travis Tanaka flied out to right for the third out.

But in the bottom of the third, Yamaguchi allowed a lead-off single to Shackles, who was lifted for courtesy runner Hunter Hill. After Tyler Yamaguchi's foul fly out to right, Hill scored when the left-handed hitting Wago went opposite field for a double. Yamashiro walked and the Owls were hoping for a big inning, but Dawson Yamaguchi settled and retired the next two batters to keep the damage to a minimum.

"It's been good, finally, after three years," Wago said of getting a chance to bat this season, instead of have a DH hit for him when he pitched. "I just try to help the team out. If it means I'm batting then it's fine by me."

Saint Louis had an opportunity in the sixth when Wago walked Meilleur to start the inning. Courtesy runner Ronson Timbreza tried to take second on a pitch in the dirt, but Shackles' threw him out. It proved costly as Tanaka followed with a single, but Wago struck out Ryder Kuhns and got Brendan Uchima to ground out to second to end the frame.

"We shot ourselves in the foot in the sixth inning," Gusman said. "We had the runner on with nobody out and we got the runner thrown out at second."

Being a close game, Saint Louis wasn't surprised to see Wago enter the game as a reliever. And it appears it doesn't matter to Wago whether he starts the game or ends it.

"It's a different mindset ," Wago said. "You have to come into the game and keep the damage to a minimum. It was pretty good."

Doi, though, was a key. He gave the Owls' four quality innings.

"We had (Wago) going and then maybe have Maekawa come in," Muramaru said. "That was the plan, but (Doi) threw well."

Muramaru credits catcher Shackles for calling a good game. The coaches and the battery discuss before the game how they will approach the opponents' starting lineup, but for the most part, Shackles delivers the pitching signals.

"He does a good job," Muramaru said of Shackles. "I have nothing to do with it. I just stick my two cents  once in a while, like 'I saw (the batter) do this on this pitch.'"

"I trust Noah Shackles behind the plate with all the calls he makes," Doi added. "I trust him and I just try to get (the pitch) over for a strike and let Saint Louis hit the ball."