BANGOR, Maine — Eric Hernandez hadn't planned on pitching yesterday.

But when he got the sudden call in the first inning with unbeaten Hilo already trailing host Brewer & Orrington, Maine, 4-0, the right-hander responded with a vintage long relief performance that lifted Hilo to a 6-4 victory during the final day of pool play at the Senior League World Series for 14- to 16-year-olds.

Hernandez worked four scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out three and walking one for the Pool A winners. Hilo (4-0) who will face 2006 SLWS winner Falcon, Venezuela, the Pool B runner-up today at 5:30 a.m. (Hawai'i time) in the first of two semifinals.

"I just came in and threw strikes," said Hernandez, "and my defense helped me a lot."

Pool B champion Tyler, Texas, will play Pool A runner-up Cartersville, Ga., in the other semifinal. The winners will meet tomorrow for the championship.

"It's indescribable to have this chance," said catcher Kolten Wong. "We made it to the (2003) Cal Ripken World Series (final) and lost, and we got embarrassed. Then my brother won in Cal Ripken last year and he's always bragging about it so now I want to win one myself."

Wong capped off Hilo's comeback with a tie-breaking two-run homer to right field in the bottom of the fourth that gave Hilo its only lead.

The two-out blast came on a 3-0 pitch after Hernandez drew a leadoff walk off Maine right-hander Billy Bissell and stole second base.

"It was a fastball right down the middle," said Wong, who also had a bunt single and was Hilo's lone player with multiple hits. "My dad (coach Kaha Wong) gave me the green light so I just took it and it was my pitch."

It was Maine — 0-4 in pool play — that had the green light early against Hilo starter Kendal Ushijima, rapping out five hits off the left-hander in building its first-inning lead.

Ushijima faced eight batters before giving way to Hernandez, who came on with the bases loaded and retired the next two batters to end the inning.

"His fastball has a nice tail and he's got a looping slider that catches guys off-guard all the time," Kolten Wong said. "That was working pretty good, so we were trying to mix it up and catch them off guard."

Hilo closed to 4-2 in the bottom of the first on Blake Amaral's two-run single.

Hilo, the U.S. West champs, tied the game in the third despite having three runners thrown out on the basepaths.

Amaral walked, stole second and scored on an outfield throwing error before Jeremy Crivello singled and scored on Jared Shiroma's triple to deep left.