O'ahu gains Babe Ruth finals
By Len Bardsley
Special to The Advertiser
Hamilton, N.J. — One at a time they have folded; some have taken longer than others, but every team O'ahu has faced in the 13- to15-year-old Babe Ruth World Series at Switlik Park has cracked under the pressure applied by the Pacific Southwest Regional champions.
Last night in the semifinals Langley British Columbia were the latest victims of O'ahu, falling 9-3.
O'ahu has used an impressive combination of pitching, defense and balanced hitting to outscore the opposition 55-16 in five games.
"We are hitting the ball solid," said O'ahu coach Eric Kadooka. "This is a great opportunity for our kids. They have already made Hawai'i proud."
O'ahu will face Jefferson Parish today for the championship. The Jefferson Parish program won this Babe Ruth World Series title last season in Lebanon, Mo.
O'ahu fell behind for the third straight game against Langley last night but took the lead for good with a five-run third inning.
O'ahu started its rally with a walk to Kaimi Mead. Shaun Kiriu then reached first on a bunt single. Justin Ariki's sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third for Michael Lam, one of Hawai'i's top contact hitters.
Lam made contact, but he surprised himself with the result: A three-run homer to give O'ahu a 3-1 advantage.
"I am not a power hitter," said Lam. "That was my first home run ever. With runners on second and third I was just looking for something to drive."
Lam's blast seemed to rattle Langley, as starting pitcher Jordan Lennerton then walked Kasey Ko and gave up a single to Mel Silva, forcing Langley manager Dave Mihalech to pull his tall left-hander.
Jared Krause took over, but it didn't seem to help as a Mark Veneri grounder resulted in an error, scoring Ko and Silva to give O'ahu a 5-1 lead.
It was a huge advantage with Mead on the mound for O'ahu. Backed by a defense that has only committed two errors the entire tournament, Mead gave Langley little hope of a comeback.
Mead pitched five innings, scattering seven hits, walking none and striking out four.
"I felt confident with the lead," said Mead, who picked up his third victory for the tournament. "It is a relief to me when we take the lead."
Mead didn't worry about Langley before the game or the fact Lennerton came into the game with a Babe Ruth World Series record five home runs.
"I was not really focused on them," said Mead. "I was focused on what I had to do."
Langley cut the O'ahu lead to 5-2 in the top of the fifth and had runners on second and third, but a running catch by center fielder Ariki ended hopes of a rally.
"Our game plan is to get the lead and hold them down," said Lam. "We can do that because we have solid pitching and defense is one of our strengths."
Lam is one of six O'ahu players who have hit a home run during the tournament. Yesterday, beside the Lam home run, Kiriu went 3-for-3 batting ninth.
"They can hurt you with the short ball (singles) or the long ball," Mihalech said. "We came up against a great team in O'ahu. They excel at all aspects of the game."
O'ahu remains the only undefeated team in the World Series at 5-0. Jefferson Parish advanced to the finals by beating New England champ, Cambridge, Mass. 15-9.
