Sugar Mill Classic returns with Aloha beating Ohana, 9-5

Sylvia Lee | SL

WAIPAHU - Just shy of two weeks from winning the Division I state baseball championship, Mid-Pacific Institute players were still contributing to winning.

The Owls delivered at the plate on mound and in the field to help the Aloha Stars beat the Ohana Stars, 9-5, Monday in the revitalized Sugar Mill Classic Senior All-Star baseball game at Hans L'Orange Park.

The event, which features players from Hawai'i high schools who just graduated (or who will be doing so), returned after a one-year hiatus. Former University of Hawai'i shortstop Eric Tokunaga, who founded the game in 1999, helped restore it with another former UH player, Vern Ramie, and Bruce Sugawa.

It wasn't so much a game as it was a showcase. All participants batted through, so some 20 or so batters went up before getting to bat again. Each pitcher threw only one inning. Also, even though the designated home team, Aloha, had the lead after the top of the ninth, it still batted in the bottom of the frame to allow maximum participation.

The Aloha Stars were comprised of Interscholastic League of Honolulu players, plus Waimea's BJ Freitas and Maui High's TJ Molina and Sammy Sutton.

The Ohana Stars were made up of players from the O'ahu Interscholastic Association.

Noticeably missing were pro prospects Marcus Doi of MPI, Iolana Akau of Saint Louis and Kean Wong of Waiakea. The three were invited to a pro combine on the Mainland, Tokunaga said. All three are signed to play for UH.

Trey Saito, MPI's winning pitcher in the state title game, started and pitched a scoreless inning, as did first baseman Daniel Fentriss, shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and third baseman Brent Sakurai.

At the plate, Fentriss was had a double, sacrifice fly and was hit by a pitch. He also had a stolen base. Kiner-Falefa scored the game's first run in the bottom of the first after reaching on a walk. After taking second on Austin Darmawan's single, Kiner-Falefa stole third on the front-end of a double steal and scored when the catcher's throw sailed into left field. Sakurai had an RBI single and a stolen base. Even Saito drew a walk and eventually scored a run.

"This was the first time I picked up a ball since the state tournament," said Fentriss, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound right-hander who is heading for the College of San Mateo. "A little rusty, but I got back into it."

Defensively, Kiner-Falefa continued to frustrate hitters, stealing a single Anu Smeigh on a grounder to the left-side hole and forcing a runner out at third. Third baseman Sakurai turned a nifty third-to-first double play after back-handing a grounder near the foul line.

Kiner-Falefa will continue his playing at San Jose State, which is coached by Dave Nakama, who is a Kaiser graduate.

"I wanted to play for Coach Dave," Kiner-Falefa said. "Try to help another Hawai'i coach out. And the field is beautiful. Municipal Stadium, it's Single-A (park) for the Giants.

"I chose the school because of it's business program. No. 1 on the West Coast."

The Owls weren't the only ones to shine. Saint Louis' Kaimi Umebayashi legged out a triple to center and 'Iolani's Tanner Nishioka had an RBI triple for the Aloha Stars.

Aloha didn't have the monopoly on highlights. Castle's Christian Kapeliela batted 2 for 2, including a two-run double. He also pitched a scoreless inning of relief for Ohana. Kailua's Wyatt D'Alessio also had two hits. Campbell's Ali'i Pedrina made the most of a hit batsman. He stole second and third on successive pitches, scoring on the latter when the catcher's throw sailed into left field.

Kailua pitcher Bryce Ah Sam had an interesting outing. One of his warmup tosses rocketed to the backstop. He walked the first two batters he faced and allowed an RBI single. He then struck out the next three batters. Kaiser's Makana Lyman also had three strikeouts.

"Just working in my other pitches helped me find my fastball," Ah Sam said of striking out the last three batters in a row.

The left-handed Ah Sam has signed with UH.

"I'm pretty excited," he said. "Hopefully, I get to play."

He will pitch for the Island Movers this summer.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].