Keona Barraza allowed one hit over five innings, and Kaiolohia Araujo-Waiau batted 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs as Hawaii Kai Fear 808 beat Black Hills, Wash., 5-1 on Thursday in the U.S. championship bracket quarterfinals of the Cal Ripken 12U Major/70 World Series in Branson, Mo.
Hawaii Kai Fear 808 (7-0) will face SE Lexington, Ky., in the U.S. final today at 10:30 a.m. Lexington beat Windsor, Calif., 3-0 in the other semifinal.
Barraza allowed one unearned run, walked two and struck out seven against Black Hills.
Colten Hino worked the final inning.
Barraza squeezed in Jayse Braun, and Araujo- Waiau doubled in Barraza to give Hawaii Kai Fear 808 a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Braun scored on an error in the third, and Araujo- Waiau singled in Barraza and Emmric Alapa in the fifth.
Earlier in the day, Black Hills ruined a chance at an all-Hawaii semifinal by topping OBRL New Era 7-6 in nine innings.
OBRL New Era, which trailed 5-0 after three innings, tied it at 6-6 in the sixth and final scheduled inning on Jayden Nieves-
Inong’s squeeze bunt, which scored Sage Sullivan.
Black Hills won it in the ninth on Jax Fulton’s homer to right.
OBRL New Era’s Kobejames Kealoha batted 3-for-4 and Graiden Duke drove in two runs in a game postponed from the previous day because of inclement weather.
OBRL New Era finished 5-1 at the tournament.