Williamsport, Pa. >> Honolulu Little League entered Wednesday’s opening game of the 2022 Little League World Series as the favorite not just to win the contest, but to claim the entire United States bracket.
The lofty expectations might be a lot for some teams, but Honolulu is used to the pressure and goals that come with appearances in the Little League World Series.
Honolulu Little League rose to the challenge in Williamsport to knock off Northwest Regional Champion Bonney Lake, Wash., with a convincing final of 11-1.
Cohen Sakamoto delivered a gem on the mound and the offense, hampered by a difficult challenge from Northwest starting pitcher Brody Santman, did enough to advance.
A small bit of adversity did strike at the beginning of the day when longtime manager Gerald Oda was separated from the team due to health protocol. Oda’s brother Keith Oda stepped in for Honolulu as it rallied for its manager.
“They’ve been working hard all summer so it was pretty much just executing the game plan,” Keith Oda said. “It really gets to show who the brains behind the operation are. I’m kidding. They were prepared.”
Keith Oda said Gerald woke up and didn’t feel well in the morning. They gave him two home tests which came back positive before Little League issued a third test.
Keith Oda said at 1 p.m. the team was informed their longtime manager would not be able to attend the game. Despite the setback, Keith Oda kept the kids focused on the task at hand.
“When he got tested, we knew he was in trouble,” Keith Oda said. “They told us he was going to be out and we had to kind of scuttle and figure out what we were going to do.”
Keith Oda was supported by his brother and coaches as he attempted to step in as manager. He was also supported by his players, who helped by picking up some of the slack.
“We told the team it would be a little bit different,” Keith Oda said. “We told them to pretty much just execute the plan.”
Sakamoto started the game for Honolulu, retiring the first six batters he faced. That run included three strikeouts over the first two innings.
“I was feeling really good,” Sakamoto said. “Plus, it feels really easy with a good defense behind you.”
When not striking batters out, Sakamoto relied on his defense as the players backed him up throughout the game. Kekoa Payanal recorded the first out with a strong throw from third after fielding a grounder. Esaiah Wong prevented early damage with a nice grab on a line drive to first.
“Cohen did a wonderful job,” Keith Oda said. “We tried our best to conserve our pitchers. Cohen kept his pitch count down. Thirty-five pitches in three innings are great. We thought he wouldn’t get past the second inning with 35 pitches, but he just did an excellent job.”
Sakamoto was countered by the Northwest’s Santman, who looked every bit of an ace as he kept Honolulu guessing early on.
Santman was outstanding in the early portions of the game, fanning three in the first and coming back to get three in the second.
The Northwest ace delivered pitches from several different arm angles to keep the Honolulu hitters off balance. An error and triple by Sakamoto in the second gave Honolulu the early lead, but even then, Santman came back to fan the final batter of the inning.
Good thing for Honolulu Sakamoto was up for matching the Northwest ace with some tricks of his own to keep the opposition at bay.
After the offense was able to get two in the second, Sakamoto cruised through the third with three consecutive strikeouts.
The true depth of Honolulu Little League was on display after a four-run third inning when Luke Hiromoto took over for Sakamoto to open the fourth inning. He recorded his first strikeout against his first batter.
His second out came from West Regional standout Jaron Lancaster, who made a nice pickup and quick throw for the inning’s second out. He then made a streaking stop and throw from the middle of the infield for the third out. Keith Oda confirmed Lancaster would be the starter in Honolulu’s game Saturday against a New York team which had a bye with the addition of two U.S. teams to the 10-team U.S. bracket.
Kama Angell was Honolulu’s first base runner when he reached on a fielding error at centerfield. Esaiah Wong followed with a six-pitch walk to put Angell into scoring position.
Both runners scored when Sakamoto lined a triple into left field from the No. 9 position in the batting order. He easily reached third and reacted to his bench as they cheered their teammate on.
“That was amazing,” Sakamoto said. “I haven’t been hitting well and once I hit that ball it felt good. I was a little nervous, but after the first pitch I felt locked in.”
Hiromoto took advantage of a walk to open the third inning, scoring on a Jaron Lancaster’s sacrifice fly after a wild pitch and passed ball, giving Honolulu a 3-0 advantage.
Daly Watson then reached on an error and Angell recorded his first single of the series to put a runner into scoring position. After a fly out for the second out, Brennan Tomas was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kobe Hino came on as a pinch hitter and got a four-pitch walk to make it 4-0. Ruston Hiyoto followed with a two-RBI double to push the Honolulu advantage to 6-0.
Angell reached base for a third time when he drove an RBI double down the right-field line in the fourth inning. The hit brought home Watson, who reached on a single.
Honolulu’s bid at perfection ended in the fifth inning when Liam Ferguson ended the shutout, no-hitter, and perfect game with one swing. Ferguson opened on a fastball and lifted it into the shrubs in centerfield for Northwest’s first run of the game.
Hiromoto came back to fan the next batter. Two putouts in the field ended the threat and kept Honolulu in front by six runs.
Honolulu Little League 11, Northwest 1 (5 innings)
NW 000 01—1 1 2
HLL 024 14—11 6 0
Brody Santman and Jace Abe. Cohen Sakamoto, Luke Miromoto (4), and Kaeo Nouchi.
WP—Sakamoto. LP—Santman.
Leading hitters: Northwest—Liam Ferguson 1-2, HR, run, RBI. Honolulu Little League—Cohen Sakamoto 1-1, 3B, 2 RBIs. Kama Angell 2-3, 2B, 2 runs. Brennan Tomas 2B, 2 runs. Luke Hiromoto 2 runs. Ruston Hiyoto 2 RBIs..
Records: Northwest 0-1. Honolulu Little League 1-0.
