Ryne Yamashiro and Kaimana Souza-Paaluhi each hit home runs, and a five-run fifth inning helped Eastside (Hawaii) advance to the Cal Ripken World Series United States championship game with a 9-1 victory over Clifton Park (N.Y.) on Friday in Aberdeen, Md.
Eastside, a perfect 5-0 in the World Series, will face the Southeastern Lexington (Ky.) All-Stars today at 8 a.m. Hawaii time. The game will be shown on the MLB Network. Lexington, the Ohio Valley Regional representative, defeated Charles County, Md., 11-5 on Friday to reach today’s U.S. championship game.
The game between Eastside and Clifton Park was delayed 90 minutes on Friday due to rain, but that didn’t cool the Eastside bats.
Yamashiro hit an RBI single and Micah McNicoll hit a two-run double to give Eastside a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Clifton Park scored its only run in the third on a solo homer to close to 3-1. But Eastside answered in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double by Yamashiro, who finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Eastside broke the game open in the fifth with five runs, including run-scoring singles by Dustin Imanaka and Trevin Tengan.
Yamashiro was just as good on the mound, earning a complete-game victory. He allowed three hits and the one run with one walk and two strikeouts.
Eastside will try to become the first team from Hawaii to win the U.S. championship since Hilo did it in 2006.
Hilo to play in title game on ESPNU
Hilo advanced to the championship game in the senior division of the Little League World Series with a 10-0 win in five innings over Giulia, Italy, on Friday in Bangor, Maine.
Korin Medeiros tripled and had four RBIs and Kean Wong had three singles and scored a run for Hilo, which will play Tyler (Texas) for the championship this morning at 8 Hawaii time.
The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Medeiros also picked up the win on Friday, tossing two shutout innings. He combined with Kaimana Moike and Quintin Torres-Costa to hold Italy to just two hits.
Torres-Costa also singled twice and scored two runs and Chayce Kaaua went 1-for-2 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. Kaaua is hitting .563 (9-for-16) in the World Series with seven RBIs and is one of three Hilo players batting at least .500.
Wong is 10-for-19 (.526) with five stolen bases and Medeiros is 8-for-16 (.500) with two triples.
