Hawaii team starts off strong at Ripken series

Eastside (Hawaii) had the perfect remedy for any possible early jitters.

The Pacific Southwest Regional champion scored 10 runs in the first inning of a 12-2 victory over the Hudson (N.H.) All-Stars on Saturday in the opening game for both teams at the Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, Md.

Eastside, a 12-and-under youth baseball team based in Kailua, sent 14 players to the plate in the bottom of the first, highlighted by a two-run double by Dustin Imanaka, who also tripled in the inning.

"The boys, they played with our minds the last couple of days, but they came out on fire," Eastside coach Charles McNicoll said. "Anything (Hudson’s) guy threw at (us), they hit ’em."

Kaimana Souza-Paaluhi finished 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs, and Kohl Suehiro had two hits and drove in two runs.

Ryne Yamashiro, who also singled and scored, pitched all four innings of the game, which was ended by the 10-run mercy rule.

Yamashiro allowed one earned run on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

"He didn’t throw as much as we thought he would have because we figured it was going to be a tight game, so it saved his arm a little bit," McNicoll said.

Eastside will play Charles County, the Maryland regional champion, on Monday at 6 a.m. Hawaii time.

Today is the team’s only off day during pool play. The top two teams from each pool advance to the U.S. semifinals on Friday.