West O'ahu Little League of 'Ewa Beach took the state on a magical run last summer, winning the Majors Division (ages 11-12) Little League World Series title.

Pearl City quietly came within one victory last season of winning the Juniors Division Little League (ages 13-14) World Series title.

When the two teams met yesterday at Kapolei High School, it was everything youth baseball fans could have asked for and more.

The final out was recorded when West O'ahu's Layson Aliviado was tagged out while trying to get back to the plate by catcher Ed Izumigawa as Pearl City hung on for a 6-5 victory in the Junior Division state title game.

Aliviado was trying to score from second on a hit to left by Alaka'i Aglipay off reliever A.J. Johnson.

Left fielder Justin Protacio hit third baseman Shane Nakata with a perfect throw, and Nakata's relay to the plate was well ahead of Aliviado, but to Izumigawa's right.

Izumigawa dived back toward the plate, and Aliviado jumped over him and the plate to avoid the tag. Izumigawa then ran up to Aliviado and applied the tag to end the game in the top of the seventh.

"I couldn't see the play," said West O'ahu coach Layton Aliviado, who waved his son around from the third-base coach's box. "That's baseball. We took a chance, we had to score. We figured we'd tie the game and come up and score more runs."

Izumigawa, who is one of four returnees from last year's World Series runner-up team, said: "He jumped to avoid the tag, and I saw him go past so I tagged him on his way back to the plate."

The play snuffed a rally by West O'ahu, which trailed 6-2 after five innings.

Pearl City advances to the Western Regional at Beaverton, Ore., Aug. 1 to 10.

"Words cannot explain it," said Pearl City coach Mitch Yamato, who played on a Pearl City team that won the Big League (17-18) state title in the early 1990s. "I did it as a player and now as a coach. It's quite a feeling."

Pearl City scored four unearned runs, including three in the fifth.

"That's what we strive for," Yamato said. "Other teams try to capitalize off our errors. When they give us a chance we have to take it and run with it."

Kahana Neal picked up the win by working 6 1/3 innings, and Johnson got the final two outs for the save.

In the seventh, Neal allowed a one-out single to Walter Contrades, who stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher.

Neal was removed after walking Aliviado.

"Unbelievable heart, unbelievable guts," Yamato said of Neal. "He didn't want to come out of the game, but I had to make a switch. Hats off to him, he pitched a great game."

Johnson, who made several stellar plays at third base, entered and got a popout for the second out.

An error by the third baseman on Sheyne Baniaga's grounder allowed Contrades to score and put runners at first and second.

Aglipay chopped a grounder into left, but Pearl City executed its relay play to get Aliviado.

West O'ahu beat 'Aiea, 10-5, earlier in the day to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament. It needed to beat Pearl City twice to win the title.

West O'ahu was one of the younger teams in this year's Junior Division state tournament with 11 13-year-olds and two 14-year-olds on the roster.

"You'd expect all the older guys to pound us, but we kept up right with them," Aglipay said.

WEST O'AHU 020 002 1—5 7 3

PEARL CITY 110 040 X—6 8 2

Alaka'i Aglipay, Walter Contrades (6) and Moses Samia. Kahana Neal, A.J. Johnson (7) and Ed Izumigawa, Mikey Kakazu. W—Neal. L—Aglipay.

Leading hitters: WO—Aglipay 2-4, double; Samia 2-2, double, homer, 2 runs; Makana Ramie double, 2 RBIs. PC—Robert Brown 2-4, homer, 2 runs; Justin Protacio double, 2 RBIs; Chace Numata 2-3.

PEARL CITY WINS SENIORS

Carlton Tanabe had two hits, including a triple, and two RBIs and Rorry Nakayama added two hits and scored two runs to help Pearl City defeat Kahalu'u, 8-2, to win the Little League Seniors Division (ages 15-16) state championship yesterday at Castle High.

Pearl City advances to the Western Regional at Salem, Ore., July 31 to Aug. 9.

KAHALU'U 010 010 0-2 6 2

PEARL CITY 200 150 X-8 10 0

W—Nainoa Tampos. L—Roger Van Ness. Leading hitters: Kahalu'u—Coby Agres, 2-4, double; Royce Diaz, 2-3, double. Pearl City—Rorry Nakayama, 2-4, 2 runs; Carlton Tanabe, 2-2, triple, 2 RBIs; John Abreu 2 RBIs; Bryson Nakamura 2 RBIs.

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.