Waipio’s mighty run
Ty DeSa, center, celebrated with his Waipio teammates after hitting a two-run homer off Columbus, Ga., pitcher Jacob Pate during the first inning of a baseball game during pool play at the Little League World Series.
Ezra Heleski slid into home plate to score on a wild pitch in the U.S. championship game. Pearland, Texas, pitcher Jaron Roblyer tagged Heleski without the ball in his glove. Waipio went on to win 10-0 in five innings by the mercy rule.
Justice Nakagawa, right, and Kaimana Bartolome celebrated after Nakagawa's three-run shot off Columbus, Ga., pitcher Brandon Pugh in the second inning got Waipio off to a strong start in the rematch with Georgia.
Ty DeSa collided with Columbus, Ga., catcher Blake Hicks to score on a triple by teammate Shiloh Baniaga in the fifth inning.
Matthew Campos rounded third after hitting a three-run homer off Hamilton, Ohio, pitcher Brooks Robinson in the fourth inning. The home run was Waipio's only hit of the game, but the team scored six runs in the inning for a 6-4 win that staved off elimination.
Shiloh Baniaga, top center, was greeted by teammates Noah Shackles (22) and Matthew Campos (8) after hitting a solo homer off Toms River, N.J., pitcher Michael Tiplady in the first inning of an elimination-game win for the boys from Hawaii.
GEORGIA 6, WAIPIO 2
Wapio got off to a rough start at the Little League World Series, losing the opener to Columbus, Ga., 6-2. The youngsters from Hawaii were held to only two hits and forced into the elimination bracket straight away. Not to worry. The same thing happened in the first round of the West Region in an opening-game loss to Southern California that was avenged in the final a week later.
| Waipio | 200 | 000 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Georgia | 400 | 02x | — | 6 | 3 | 1 |
WP – Jacob Pate (1-0). LP – Noah Shackles (0-1). Waipio’s leading hitters – TyDeSa 2-3, run, 2 RBIs, 2b, HR.
Sunday » 8/22/10
WAIPIO 3, NEW JERSEY 1
Wapio bounced back in a big way by winning the first of five elimination games. The 3-1 victory over Toms River National, N.J., was highlighted by several huge defensive plays, but none bigger than the "snow-cone" snag by Wapio second baseman Kaho’ea Akua that saved a possible big inning. Ty DeSa and Shiloh Baniaga went deep to secure Wapio’s first win.
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| Waipio | 101 | 010 | — | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| New Jersey | 100 | 000 | — | 1 | 3 | 1 |
WP – Shiloh Baniaga (1-0). LP – Tiplady (0-1). S – Dane Kaneshiro (1). Waipio’s leading hitters–Ty DeSa 1-4, HR; Baniaga 2-3, run, RBI; Kaimana Bartolome 2-3, RBI.
NO MORE COMEBACKSThe players who fought all week to overcome deficits and beat the odds didn’t quite have enough left in them after winning five elimination games.
COMING HOME PROUDThe parents of the Waipio team enjoyed the wild ride their boys took them on and have no feelings of disappointment.
LITTLE LEAGUE LESSONSColumnist Ferd Lewis recognizes the Waipio players not just for how well they played but for how they carried themselves throughout.
WORLD SERIES JOURNEYA game-by-game look at how Waipio climbed back from the verge of elimination to win the U.S. championship and reach the world title game. |
Wednesday » 8/25/10
WAIPIO 6, OHIO 4
After having a couple of days off, Waipio managed its most unlikely victory in the elimination run. Despite delivering only one hit, the Waipio boys stayed alive with a 6-4 victory over Hamilton, Ohio. Down 4-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, Waipio rallied for six runs. The key blast was a three-run homer off the bat of Matthew Campos.
| Ohio | 010 | 300 | — | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| Waipio | 000 | 60x | — | 6 | 1 | 0 |
WP–Ezra Heleski (1-0). LP–B. Robinson (0-1). Waipio’s leading hitters–Matthew Campos 1-1, 3-run HR.
Thursday » 8/26/10
WAIPIO 7, GEORGIA 4
After losing to the team from Georgia the first time around, ace Waipio pitcher Noah Shackles felt like he had let his team down. "The first time, I wasn’t mentally there." Well, that wasn’t the case in the rematch, as he helped Waipio to a 7-4 victory over the team from Columbus, Ga., setting up the rubber game between the two American teams.
| Waipio | 023 | 002 | — | 7 | 10 | 0 |
| Georgia | 000 | 103 | — | 4 | 4 | 1 |
WP–Noah Shackles (1-1). LP–B. Hicks (0-1). Waipio’s leading hitters–Shiloh Baniaga 3-4, RBI; Kaimana Bartolome 2-4, run; Shackles 1-2, 2 runs; Justice Nakagawa 1-1, HR, 2 runs, 3 RBIs.
Friday » 8/27/10
WAIPIO 12, GEORGIA 5
The third time was definitely the charm for the Waipio youngsters. Much like they did in the West Region, they avenged their first-round loss to Georgia with a resounding 12-5 victory that sent Waipio into the United States final against Pearland, Texas. Despite trailing 4-0 to Georgia ace Jacob Pate, Waipio scored four in the third to key the big win.
| Georgia | 004 | 010 | — | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| Waipio | 004 | 35x | — | 12 | 7 | 1 |
WP–Keolu Ramos (1-0). LP–Pate (1-1). Waipio’s leading hitters–Kaho’ea Akau 1-4, 2 runs; Ty DeSa 2-4, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, 2b, SB; Shiloh Baniaga 2-4, run, 2 RBIs; Noah Shackles 1-2, run, 2 RBIs, 3b.
Saturday » 8/28/10
WAIPIO 10, TEXAS 0
After securing four unlikely elimination wins, Waipio got the fifth with a 10-0 shellacking of Pearland, Texas, that led to a five-inning mercy-rule victory. Kaho’ea Akau went 3-for-3 and Noah Shackles was 2-for-2 — including a two-run homer to straight-away center that gave the local lads a 4-0 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. It was their biggest win of the series.
| Texas | 000 | 00 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Waipio | 403 | 03 | — | 10 | 10 | 0 |
WP–Ezra Heleski (2-0). LP–Orlando (0-1). Waipio’s leading hitters–Kaho’ea Akau 3-3 run, RBI, 2b; Kaimana Bartolome 1-2, RBI, 2b; Noah Shackles 2-2, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, HR; Cody Maltezo 1-1, run, RBI, 3b; Heleski 2-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs.
