Mid-Pacific wins state title

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Mid-Pacific Institute baseball coach Dunn Muramaru, center, is doused after the Owls beat Kamehameha 6-3 for the state high school baseball championship. It was Mid-Pacific's fourth state baseball championship. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

The Owls' last state title also came against Kamehameha on the same Les Murakami Stadium field.

That win 10 years ago came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Last night, before a crowd of 2,795, MPI (19-5) took care of business early by rallying for five runs in the third inning to take a 6-2 lead.

The Warriors (17-5) scored a run in the fourth, but were blanked in the final three innings by starter Ryan Basco and reliever Pat McGuigan.

The Owls' victory comes one year after their most agonizing loss, a 9-8 state championship defeat to Kailua in the bottom of the seventh inning after building an 8-2 lead through six.

"Last year is forgotten already," said Basco, a junior who started at first base in that 2001 game.

McGuigan, a senior who pitched in last year's title game and was named this tournament's Most Outstanding Player, echoed that thought.

"We tried to leave last year, last year," he said.

Both players certainly did their part to erase any bad memories last night.

Basco allowed one earned run in 4 2/3 innings, and was the Owls' offensive leader, going 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs batted in. McGuigan, who recovered from a fractured jaw suffered during American Legion play last summer, faced the final nine batters and allowed only one hit and one walk. He also notched several key victories during the ILH season

"That guy is amazing," Mid-Pacific coach Dunn Muramaru said.

Kamehameha took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning after singles by Keoni Ruth and Shannon Kahale, a passed ball and an error with two outs which scored both runs.

Mid-Pacific cut the lead in half in the second after a leadoff triple by Basco and an RBI single by Keven Whalen.

The Owls then scored five runs in the third inning. Basco brought home two runs with a two-out single to the left-center field alley, and Jonathan Hee followed with an RBI single to center. Whalen then had a two-run triple to make it 6-2.

All the runs came off Kahale, who recovered to retire the next seven batters in a row before giving way to Ikena Dupont in the seventh.

"Shannon got roughed up in that one inning because he got a little too pumped up," Warriors coach Vern Ramie said. "When that happens, his ball flattens out and doesn't move like it should. But give Mid-Pac credit; they bunched up their hits and put together the big inning."

The Warriors got a run back in the fourth after a two-out triple by Aaron Fuller and a run-scoring single by Baba Merino, but that would be their final run.

Basco left the mound with two outs in the fifth, when Kamehameha put runners on first and second with a double and hit batter.

After Kahe Santos stole third, McGuigan got out of the jam by getting freshman Nick Freitas to ground out to shortstop Troy Hanzawa, who had five smooth assists without an error. With two outs in the seventh and Warriors at first and third, McGuigan induced a grounder by J.P. Kennedy to Hanzawa, who flipped the ball to second baseman Isaac Omura for the final out.

The victory not only ends a 10-year state title drought for MPI, it also soothes the frustration of four championship game losses during that span. The Owls have won four state baseball championships, including three in a row (1990-92).

"We've had our share of feelings," Muramaru said.

This year's Owls also endured injuries to Omura (knee) and Basco (shoulder) and their egos (three losses in one week, including defeats to Pac-Five and Maryknoll).

"We came together after that week," McGuigan said. "We knew we had to if we wanted to get back here."

THIRD PLACE

ROOSEVELT 12, KAILUA 0: Chris Mols threw a five-inning no-hitter, striking out seven and walking three, to lead the Rough Riders to a third-place finish.

Roosevelt (13-4) 350 22—12 13 0
Kailua (12-5) 000 00— 0 0 1

Chris Mols and Kevin Fujii. Jonathan Tabar, Taleki Mailau (1), Kamaile Santos (2), Chris Mahelona (3), Michael Kealoha (5) and Cody Texeira-Vickery. WP—Mols. LP—Tabar.

Leading hitters: Roos—Matthew Terukina 2-4, double; Cameron Kimura 2-2; Blake Isobe 2-4; Ivan Fujii 3-3.

FIFTH PLACE

WAI'ANAE 9, BALDWIN 1: Cid Moses went 3-for-4 with an RBI and picked up the win in relief.

Wai'anae (13-3) 230 211—9 7 1
Baldwin (15-8) 000 100—1 4 3

Dane Awana, Cid Moses (3) and Michael Ferreira. Shaun Saiki, Sean Ogata (4), Jared Nakamoto (6) and Shayne Yatsushiro. WP—Moses. LP—Saiki.

Leading hitters: Waian—Moses 3-4. Bald—Chad Nikaido 2-3.

CONSOLATION

'AIEA 9, MAUI 8: Ranon Aquino's RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning scored Jonathan Sakurai with the winning run, capping off a four-run rally for Na Ali'i.

MAUI (17-6) 320 21—8 9 2
'AIEA (11-4) 012 24—9 11 2

Manu Kaina, Jarrett Agcaoili (3), Jon Cayan (4), J. Agcaoili (4), Joseph Kala (5) and Vance Otake. Nelson Hao, Dustin Grace (4) and Justin Nii, Aaron Asher. WP—Grace. LP—Kala.

Leading hitters: Maui—Chad Fernandez 2-2, triple; Maika Carpio 2-2; Agcaoili 2-2, double; Miles Suyama double. 'Aiea—James Miyashiro 2-3, double; Ross Akimoto double.