Hawaiian Electric Game of the Week
Trojans, Sabers to face off for OIA D1 crown


Kalani Takase | ScoringLive
April 26, 2019, 11:22pm

 


MANOA — The Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I baseball title will be decided between the best of the West Saturday night.

Mililani, the ninth-ranked team in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, will try to make it back-to-back league crowns when they take on unranked Campbell in the title game of the OIA D1 tournament at Les Murakami Stadium.

The teams have split two prior meetings this season. Campbell took the first game, back on March 23 at Murakami Stadium, by a score of 4-2, while Mililani avenged the defeat with a 4-1 win at home on Apr. 18.

"Probably more of the same," Trojans coach Mark Hirayama said of his expectations from Saturday's rubber match. "We always get up to play Campbell. They're a great team, a great program and it's not hard to want to come out and try to beat the best, so expect more of the same."

Hirayama's squad will have a quick turnaround after needing 11 innings to stave off a scrappy Kaiser team in Friday night's semifinal round.

"You know what, we get a chance to play for the championship again, so tonight's over with, we gotta want to come back and play tomorrow," Hirayama said.

Campbell built a four-run lead after six innings in its semifinal against No. 10 Kailua before holding on for the win.

"It's exciting. I'm excited for the kids, that's the main thing," Sabers interim coach Glenn Flores said.

Campbell will be making its first appearance in an OIA title game since 2017. It is seeking its sixth league crown and first since winning three straight from 2013-'15.

Mililani won its second OIA title in program history last year, 21 years after its first championship in 1997.

Flores said he will staff Saturday's final by-committee, while Hirayama said he will likely hand the ball to senior right-hander Jason Shiigi to start the game.

"Then after that we'll figure it out," Hirayama said.

First pitch between the Trojans (12-2) and Sabers (12-2) is scheduled for approximately 7 p.m. It will follow the D2 title game between Radford (9-2) and Waipahu (11-0) at 4 p.m.

Kailen Kimata (center) scored the Trojans' game-winning run in the 11th inning off Waika Fukuda walk-off hit to right field. Greg Yamamoto | SL

No. 9 MILILANI 4, KAISER 3 (11 innings)
Waika Fukuda's two-out bloop single to short right field scored Kailen Kimata with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning to help the Trojans walk off against the the Cougars in the late semifinal Friday.

Mililani (12-2), the West top seed, posted nine hits, including two apiece by Vance Oshiro, Charles Winchester and Hunter Faildo to win their fourth straight game.

Kaiser (9-5), the East second seed, was seeking its first appearance in the OIA championship game since 1993.

"Tonight was a great night playing Kaiser and it was just back and forth and everybody making plays and that's what baseball is all about," Hirayama said.

Fukuda, the sixth Mililani batter to come to the plate in the 11th, fell behind in the count after two quick strikes from Cougars' reliever Landon Shigeta. However, he poked the next offering from Shigeta into short right field to allowed Kimata to score easily from third for the game-winning run.

One batter prior to Fukuda, Jayton Pang kept the inning alive after working his way on base with a walk after a 10-pitch battle with Shigeta.

"I knew I had to get on. It was 0-and-2 right off the bat, so I knew I had to protect the plate," Pang said. "We had to dig really deep because Kaiser was a great team. They made it a good ball game. Whoever wanted it more was gonna come out on top and we just did it. I'm very proud of my team."

Pang struck out and grounded out in his first two at-bats Friday, but walked in each of his next four plate appearances.

"The more you see pitches, the better chance you give yourself to put the bat on one, but he just battled and scrapped and that's the kind of kid he is, so it was just the right type of situation for him," Hirayama said.

Oshiro, who started the game at third base, picked up the win after going 5 2/3 innings of relief. He allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Oshiro also drew a pair of walks and scored twice.

"Vance has been huge from last year," Hirayama said. "He just comes in, throws strikes and changes speeds and gets guys out."

Tanner Moran started the game for Mililani and left after four innings with the game tied at 1. He gave up three hits and a walk with four strikeouts and did not factor into the decision.

Pono Lyman surrendered three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. He struck out five and walked six before exiting with a maximum 115 pitches thrown. Shigeta tossed five innings of three-hit ball in relief of Lyman. He walked six, struck out two and allowed one run to take the loss.

Gyson Oshiro and Branden Chun-Ming both tripled and collected two hits apiece in the loss.


Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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