Campbell coach Rory Pico put his trust in the top high school draft prospect in the state.
Not only did senior Ian Kahaloa deliver on the mound, his leadoff single in the 10th inning turned into the winning run of a 2-1 victory over Kamehameha on Friday night in the Division I semifinals of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Baseball State Championships at Les Murakami Stadium.
Zachary Kapihe’s two-out double scored Shane Shimizu, who pinch-ran for Kahaloa, to send the Sabers into the Division I state final for the first time since their 1978 championship winning team.
Campbell, the OIA champion, will play ILH champion Mid-Pacific at 7 p.m. Saturday.
"It’s hard to stay in a game and grind it out for 10, 11 innings or whatever we played," Pico said after an emotional win against the ILH runner-up Warriors. "We did it getting through situations and making plays when we needed it."
Kahaloa, who signed to play at UH but will have an interesting decision to make after June’s MLB Draft, pitched all 10 innings and struck out 15 without walking a batter in a 138-pitch performance.
After both teams scored in the first inning, neither team had a runner reach scoring position until the bottom of the ninth, when Kahaloa got a groundout with the winning run on third.
Sitting at 124 pitches, he came back out for the 10th inning with the lead and got three straight outs to end it.
"I just kept going until the end of the game. I was not going to stop," Kahaloa said. "That was the toughest game I’ve ever pitched. Coach came up to me asked if I could do this and I said, ‘Yeah, I could do this.’ "
Pico, whose team lost in the semifinals each of the past two seasons, said the final out of the 10th would have been Kahaloa’s last batter no matter what.
"We had a couple of guys ready to go, but (Kahaloa) wants the ball and works hard every day," Pico said. "He does his running and he’ll be OK. He’ll be fine."
Neither team used its bullpen in a 10-inning game that lasted 2 hours, 19 minutes.
Kamehameha senior Codie Paiva, who signed to play at Loyola Marymount next season, matched Kahaloa nearly the whole way.
He allowed only four hits and one earned run with two walks and five strikeouts. Only three Sabers reached second base the entire game.
"We’ve got to tip our caps to Campbell because they played a great game and it was a battle the whole way. We just came up short in the end," Paiva said. "I knew today was my last game pitching and I put all I had in this game to hopefully get into the championship. We made it a long way and nobody expected us to get this far, so I’m proud of our team for what we did this year."
Kamehameha finished its season 12-8 and advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.
| At Les Murakami Stadium |
| Campbell |
100 |
000 |
000 |
1 |
— |
2 |
4 |
1 |
| Kamehameha |
100 |
000 |
000 |
0 |
— |
1 |
5 |
1 |
Ian Kahaloa and Tryzen Patricio. Codie Paiva and Kekai Rios. W–Kahaloa. L–Paiva.
Leading hitters–Camp: Kahaloa 2-4; Zachary Kapihe 1-4, 2b, RBI. Kamehameha: Kody Cacal 2-4.
Mid-Pacific 6, Mililani 4
A throwing error allowed the Owls (14-3) to score the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to send the 2013 state champions back into the final.
Tyler Yamaguchi singled twice and drove in two runs and is 6-for-7 in two state tournament games with seven RBIs.
Ty DeSa went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for the Trojans (14-4). He walked to force in a run with two outs in the top of the seventh inning before Noah Sills got a groundout to second to end it.
Sills allowed one run on three hits in three innings of relief to earn the win. Starter Grant Doi gave up three unearned runs on five hits in four innings.
| At Les Murakami Stadium |
| Mililani |
003 |
000 |
1 |
— |
4 |
8 |
2 |
| Mid-Pacific |
201 |
003 |
X |
— |
6 |
10 |
1 |
Keolu Ramos, Robert Baker (4), Tyler Kaneshiro (6), Reece Matsukawa (6) and Sean Sonognini. Grant Doi, Noah Sills (5) and Noah Shackles. W–Sills. L–Baker.
Leading hitters–Mil: Ryan Kono 2-3, bb, run; Ty DeSa 2-3, 2 runs, bb. MPI: Alexander Oley 2-3, 2b, 2 runs; Hunter Hill 2 runs; Tyler Yamaguchi 2-3, 2 RBIs; Chase Wago 2-3, RBI; Shackles 2b.
DIVISION I CONSOLATION
Pearl City 10, Kailua 5
| At Hans L’Orange Park |
| PEARL CITY |
053 |
020 |
0 |
— |
10 |
12 |
2 |
| KAILUA |
101 |
120 |
x |
— |
5 |
5 |
3 |
Dane Kaneshiro, Chevy Sumile (6) and Shaye Higa. Dustin Imanaka, Matthew Hanano (4) and Dalton Kalama. W–Kaneshiro. L–Imanaka.
Leading hitters–Pearl City: Tyler Kushima 2-3, RBI; Nicholas Au 2-5, RBI; Matt Tsutmoi 2-4, 3b, 4 RBIs; Higa 2b, 2 RBIs; Brent Clymer 2-4; Davin Kapuras 2-3. Kailua: Noah Auld RBI.
Hilo 4, Moanalua 3
| At Hans L’Orange Park |
| MOANALUA |
000 |
210 |
0 |
— |
3 |
9 |
1 |
| HILO |
000 |
004 |
0 |
— |
4 |
4 |
1 |
Ian Fujitani, Dane Nishimura (5) and Dez Oki-Takahashi. Josiah Factora, Riley Macanas (7) and Joshua Breithbarth, Chase Costa-Ishii (6). W–Factora. L–Nishimura. S–Macanas.
Leading hitters–Moanalua: Micah Nicely 2b, 2 RBIs; Cody Azuma 2-2, 2b; Austin Faulkner RBI; Kenji Yamaguchi 2b; Tanner Inouye 2-2. Hilo: Nick Anthony HR, 4 RBIs.
Baldwin 14, Waiakea 0, 5 inn.
| At Hans L’Orange Park |
| WAIAKEA |
000 |
00 |
— |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| BALDWIN |
444 |
2x |
— |
14 |
11 |
0 |
Evan Ishihara, Dillon-Jon Gabriel (2), Jamieson Hirayama (2), Michael Jitchaku (3), Jaron Kawaguchi (3), David Nakamura (4) and Bryce Felipe, Makoa Andres (3). Kawena Alo-Kaonohi and Ori Miyasato-Farias, Brysen Fukutomi (5). W–Alo-Kaonohi. L–Ishihara.
Leading hitters–Baldwin: Shadd Santos RBI; Curt Keahi RBI; Michael Hooper 2-2, 3 RBIs; Miyasato-Farias 3-3, 2 RBIs; Cody Furomoto RBI; Nawai Ah Yen 2-3, 3b, 3 RBIs; Colten Keahi 2-2, 3 RBIs.
DIVISION I
FRIDAY
Semifinals
Mid-Pacific 6, Mililani 4
Campbell 2, Kamehameha 1, 10 inn.
Consolation
Pearl City 10, Kailua 5
Hilo 4, Moanalua 3
Baldwin 14, Waiakea 0
SATURDAY
At Les Murakami Stadium
Championship
Mid-Pacific vs. Campbell, 7 p.m.
Third place
Mililani vs. Kamehameha, 1:30 p.m.
At Hans L’Orange
Fifth place
Hilo vs. Baldwin, 11:30 a.m.
Consolation
Maui vs. Pearl City, 9 a.m.
