First-year Nobu Yamauchi RBI coach Tony De Sa wanted to make one thing clear: He is not the difference.
First-year Nobu Yamauchi RBI coach Tony De Sa wanted to make one thing clear: He is not the difference.
“Heck, you know me,” joked De Sa, who also coaches Hilo High. “I can’t even beat Waiakea.”
Something has changed, however. Hawaii’s under-15 baseball team routinely finds tough sledding at the RBI West Regional, but this year’s group has turned the tide.
Capped by Donald Saltiban’s grand slam Saturday, Hawaii clobbered San Diego 18-0 to reach the Juniors title game, where it will match up against Arizona on Sunday in Santa Ana, Calif.
“Everybody said we’re good, but it’s hard to know until we see the competition,” De Sa said.
After winning both of its games Friday, Hawaii lost its early game Saturday when Arizona rallied for five runs in the sixth inning for a 6-4 victory, spoiling a fine start by Saltiban, a Hilo High junior who struck out nine and only allowed an unearned run in four innings.
De Sa said Saltiban was the only pitcher that wouldn’t be available for the rematch Sunday with a berth in the RBI World Series on the line.
“This team just gets along really well,” De Sa said.
After compiling only three hits against Arizona, Nobu Yamauchi RBI of Hilo busted out to rout San Diego. Hilo High’s Ryan Ragual hit a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs, and he, Jacob Igawa, Puukani Desa and Logan Respicio each finished with two hits. Respicio pitched two innings to get the win.
Saltiban homered on Friday and pitched two shutout innings in a 9-6 victory against the Los Angeles. In a 10-6 win against Anaheim, Ragual homered, Respicio tripled and drove in three runs and Konawaena’s Steven Texeira collected three hits. Briden Silva pitched two shutout innings.
• Kyle Oshiro hit a three-run double with two outs in the top of seventh inning, helping Hawaii’s Seniors (ages 16-18) to a 4-3 victory against Anaheim. Nobu Yamauchi improved to 2-1-1, but as of the Tribune-Herald’s deadline it was unclear if Hawaii secured a spot in Sunday’s final.
Earlier, Hawaii tied Los Angeles 5-5.
On Friday, Hawaii routed Seattle 12-2 – recent Kamehameha-Hawaii graduate Makana Aiona was 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs and Trayden Tamiya also drove in three to support Justyce Ishii – and lost to Arizona 6-2.
Softball ousted
While Nobu Yamauchi RBI’s baseball teams flourished, its softball team failed to reach the World Series for the first time since 2011, finishing 2-2.
On Saturday, Hawaii beat Arizona 2-1 as Hilo High’s Moana Pinner homered to back a fine effort in the circle by Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Jessica Cameros. But Hawaii was eliminated with a 9-2 loss to Los Angeles.
On Friday, Hawaii crushed San Diego, getting a home run by Waiakea’s Skylar Thomas, then it lost 3-0 to Anaheim.
“We took regionals four years in a row, and the other teams were out to get us,” Hawaii coach Tracy Miyashiro said. “They put together good teams.”