Milton Takenaka didn’t need a whole lot of words to sum up his first state championship.
He simply nodded toward the joyous group of Waipahu players singing the school’s alma mater outside the Marauders dugout.
"There’s no describing the feeling," Takenaka said. "Just look at the kids, that tells the story."
It was a moment Takenaka could savor for the first time in his 28 years of coaching at Waipahu after the Marauders pulled out a 1-0 win over Waimea on Friday in the Division II final of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships at Les Murakami Stadium.
Waipahu senior Micah Luke worked out of trouble in stringing five zeros across the scoreboard and delivered the deciding RBI double in the top of the sixth inning. Dylan Sugimoto then threw two innings of perfect relief, catching a popup for the final out in Waipahu’s first state championship.
DIVISION II BASEBALL
All-Tournament Team
1B: Brock Ephan, Waimea
2B: Micah Luke, Waipahu
3B: Bronson Pulgados, Kamehameha-Hawaii
SS: Kaelen Hirashiki, Maryknoll
OF: Jed Andrade, Maryknoll; Dominic
Morris, Konawaena; Dylan Sugimoto, Waipahu
C: Keanu Dudoit-Isa, Kamehameha-Hawaii
P: Mikeo Rita, Waimea
DH: Matapua Tulafale, Waipahu
U: Drake Yoshioka, Waipahu; Bj Freitas, Waimea
Most Outstanding Player:
Drake Yoshioka, Waipahu.
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"This means the world right here," Luke said. "In the beginning of the year, we set our goal to win the state championship and giving Coach Takenaka his first one out of the whole time he’s been here."
The Marauders did just that by posting their second shutout of the state tournament to finish the season at 15-0.
"We expected to have a battle on our hands," Takenaka said. "I told (Waimea coach Michael Rita), that’s the way championship games should be played. They came and battled and it could have gone either way."
Waimea won the Division II title two years ago and threatened to take the lead early in Friday’s final when the Menehunes loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the third inning. But Luke fielded a grounder and threw to the plate to start a 1-2-3 double play. After a walk, Mikeo Rita tried to bunt for a base hit and Luke again pounced on the ball and a strong throw to first ended the inning.
After Luke got out of a bases-loaded jam again in the fifth inning, Waipahu shortstop Drake Yoshioka singled with one out in the top of the sixth and advanced on a groundout to give Waipahu a runner in scoring position for the first time in the game. Luke then lined a two-out double down the left-field line to push across the game’s lone run.
"I knew Drake had the wheels to score on a base hit, so I just got a pitch I could hit into the outfield," Luke said.
On the other end of the play, Yoshioka had equal confidence in his teammate.
"This whole state tournament he’s been hot with the bat, so I had a lot of faith he was going to drive me in," Yoshioka said.
Sugimoto then retired Waimea in order in the sixth and seventh to secure the title for the Marauders.
"We had opportunities and they made the plays and that’s baseball," Michael Rita said. "It doesn’t go your way all the time, but we congratulate Waipahu.
"You look at the board, 3-3 in hits. They hit at the right time, we really didn’t, but hat’s off to them. Mikeo did a great job today. We stress defense and the defense played well."
