With age comes patience and understanding.
With age comes patience and understanding.
Veteran coach Jerry Hiraishi knows it well, and now so do West Side’s 13-and 14-year-olds. They outlasted North Hawaii 14-9 on Sunday for a two-game sweep in their Junior series as West Hawaii and the Hiraishi ohana moved closer to a complete takeover of the Little League District 4 tournaments at Walter Victor Complex.
Hiraishi coached Gold Coast to the Majors softball title Saturday.
“It shows our side it getting better,” Hiraishi said. “We just have to work on it.”
The West Side Majors, coach by Hiraishi’s son Kallen, can make it 3 for 3 at 11 a.m. Monday when they take on Hilo in the 11-12 final.
“Hopefully,” Jerry Hiraishi said. “That would be perfect.”
Kobe Kaaekuahiwi and Bronson Rivera each finished with three hits and Jason Alani hung tough on the mound for five innings for the Juniors, who will represent the Big Island at the five-team state tournament, which starts Friday at Walter Victor Complex.
Michael Hughes was 3 for 3, including a double, and scored two runs for North Hawaii, and Chad Yanagisawa also had three hits and scored twice.
Under a searing sun, the game lasted a lengthy 3 hours, 15 minutes, giving West Side enough time to steal a 4-1 lead, cough it up and then rally for eight runs in a fifth inning ignited by smallball.
“Every time we have runners in scoring positions, we have to get them in,” Kaaekuahiwi said, noting the game at this age level is played more situationally. “We have to execute.”
The fifth started innocently enough with Howard Robert’s single. He headed for second on the pitch to the next batter, Isaac Kaku, who laid down a bunt that was misplayed, allowing Robert to come around and score to give West Side the lead.
A second bunt, off the bat of Benjamin Apilado, plated another run, and a hit batter and a walk loaded the bases for Kaaekuahiwi, who cleared them by smoking a double to left. Alani added a two-run single as North Hawaii went through four pitchers in the inning.
West Side also manufactured runs in the first inning, running at will to steal nine bases and score four times.
“When you get older, this is more about baseball,” Hiraishi said. “It depends on the situation. Execution has a lot to do with it. We just happened to bunt at the right time and made the plays at the right time.”
Alani gave up at least one run in each of the first four innings, allowing North Hawaii to take the lead. But Alani struck out the side in the fifth after Rivera’s single in the bottom of the fourth scored Kaaekuahiwi to tie the game.
“He started hitting his spots, ” said Kaaekuahiwi, who caught portions of the game.
Jamison Medeiros worked the final two innings.
North Hawaii starter Oscar Kaawa-Culp struggled with his command, walking four of his first eight batters. Yanagisawa was solid in relief, striking out four, before running into trouble in the fifth.
“Every time the other team scored runs, we pushed harder,” Kaaekuahiwi said.
• In Majors, Xaige Lancaster singled in the bottom of the sixth and scored on a bunt by Reyn Segovia-Tanonaka as Hilo beat North Hawaii 3-2 to reach the final.
Legend Lancaster got the win, while Quentin Hook took the loss. Kaimana Kuamoo collected two hits for Hilo, and Micah Reyes had two for North Hawaii.
North Hawaii tied the game in the top of the sixth when Reyes’ single scored Hook, who reached on an error.
Hilo will have to beat West Side twice Monday to win the title. West Side bested Hilo 8-4 on Saturday.
• At the state Seniors (ages 15-16) tournament last weekend on Oahu, West Side finished 0-2.