Proud moment for Punahou

HANFORD -- The Hawaii 15-year-old Babe Ruth team flew all the way to California to play in the Pacific Southwest Regionals.

They'll return to the islands as champions.

Hawaii pulled out an exciting 11-9 victory over Nevada champion South Reno on Tuesday night to finish undefeated in the nine-team, double elimination tournament at Tokumoto Field.

"The kids are getting a little homesick, so we'll go back, try to soak up some sun and surf, and give the kids a couple days off,'' Hawaii coach Kyle Shimabukuro said.

Then, they'll take an even longer trip.

By winning the regional championship, the Hawaiians earned a berth in the Babe Ruth World Series, which is scheduled for Aug. 17-24 at Andalusia, Ala.

"I'm very proud of them,'' said Shimabukuro, his eyes teary with emotion. "The boys did a great job.''

Also proud was South Reno coach Kyle DeTomaso, whose team rallied from a 7-1 deficit to eventually force a 9-9 tie.

"Our kids never gave up,'' DeTomaso said. "They showed a lot of heart, just like they've done the entire tournament.''

Hawaii broke the 9-9 deadlock in the top of the seventh with two runs off Tanner Murray. Reece Toma and Alakai Aglipay scored during an onslaught that featured one walk, two Reno throwing errors and three consecutive bunts -- including singles by Aglipay and Jeremy Ioane.

Tourney MVP Jeremy Fujimoto then finished a 1 1/3-inning stint of relief by pitching a perfect seventh. Fujimoto, who pitched in every tournament game for Hawaii, struck out three of the four batters he faced on Tuesday night.

"It's too bad somebody had to lose this game,'' Shimabukuro said. "Reno's a tough team. They're very well-coached.''

The Hawaii team consists of players from the Punahou School, an acclaimed private K-12 institution in Honolulu that boasts 2008 Presidential candidate Barrack Obama, golfer Michelle Wie, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, actress Kelly Preston and Chinese revolutionary leader Dr. Sun Yat-Sen on a long list of famous alumni.

Punahou also has a reputation for baseball excellence.

Its 2007 high school team was ranked No. 25 nationally by USA Today and won the school's fourth state championship. That tradition figures to be in good hands with the likes of Shimabukuro's deep, well-drilled group.

Hawaii hit only two homers in its four tournament games -- a figure South Reno beat by one on Tuesday night alone. But the Hawaiians apply repeated pressure on the opposition, often with aggressive baserunning.

They stole nine bases Monday night. There were two runners caught stealing and another picked off, but they also forced South Reno pitchers into three balks.

Spurred by chants of "Let's Go, Punahou'' from its cheering section, Hawaii rampaged its way to four runs in the third to take a 7-1 lead. But South Reno -- relying on the long ball as heavily as Hawaii depended on the short game -- refused to cave in.

Murray hit a solo shot in the third, Jordan Lewis belted a two-run homer in the fifth, and Anthony Rosa tied it with a three-run blast in the sixth -- managing his fifth homer and 14th, 15th and 16th RBIs of the tournament.

Even then, Hawaii wasn't demoralized.

"The kids are very confident,'' Shimabukuro said. "They told me, 'coach, we're going to get you a run.'''

They got two -- and the championship.

"Hawaii executed well, just like they always do,'' DeTomaso said.

Marcus Yoshii pitched the first 5 2/3 innings for Hawaii, striking out eight.

Hawaii finished with 14 hits off three Reno pitchers. Ioane and Toma each reached base four times, with Ioane going 2-for-3 with an RBI double and Toma going 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI. Both walked twice.

Michael Suiter was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and three runs scored, Ryan Yamane went 2-for-3 with a double. Also for Hawaii, Roy Fuchigami hit an RBI double, and Aaron Miyamoto was 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Colton Sims, Reno's small-but-steady leadoff hitter, went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Lewis and Raul Gonzales were each 2-for-4 and Murray was 1-for-3 with two runs scored.

South Reno, which had 10 hits, finished 4-2 in the tournament, both of its losses being to Hawaii. The Nevadans would have had to defeat Hawaii twice on Tuesday night to win the title.

Joining Fujimoto on the all-tournament team were teammates Aglipay, Suiter and Ioane, Reno's Murray, Lewis Sims and Rosa, Manteca's Ryan Sage and Jordan Louis, and Hanford's Michael Chavez.

(Aug. 8, 2007)