Hilo Bronco prevails; three others eliminated
The Hilo Bronco All-Stars picked up two wins Sunday to advance at the PONY baseball state tournament on Kauai.
Hilo beat Maui 7-5 in the first game, and later eliminated Mililani 9-6 in the ages 11-12 division to earn a spot in the semifinals.
Hilo will play either Kauai or Oahu’s Windward B at 11:30 a.m. Monday.
In the first game, Kekoa Ogawa pitched 6 1/3 innings and had two hits in the 7-5 win over Maui. Dayson Valentin had two homers and Makakoa Auwae also paired hits.
In the 9-6 win over Mililani, Auwae had three hits, including a homer, and three RBIs. Keahi Hisashima added two hits.
Valentin went six innings for the win, and Christian Ribordy closed with an inning.
The three other Big Island teams in the Mustang 9s, Mustang and Pony divisions were all eliminated on Sunday.
Mustang 9s
Mililani 14, Hilo Silver 9: Kayden Kunimitsu had two hits while Keanu Huihui and Justin Kubojiri each had a hit and RBI in the loss.
“Kayden, our catcher, did really well. He blocked a lot of balls,” Hilo Silver coach Cory Wakano said. “The kids did what they were supposed to do. They played their hearts out. I’m proud of them.”
Mustang
Hawaii Kai ousted Hilo in the ages 9-10 division. No other information was available.
Pony
In the 13-14 age division, West Oahu eliminated Hilo Blue 15-14 in the ninth inning.
Hilo’s Brandon Nakayama hit a two-run, inside-the-park homer in the extra-inning loss.
