From the time Hilo’s Nobu Yamauchi landed Tuesday in Cincinnati for the RBI World Series, the team’s every minute has been accounted for by Major League Baseball.
From the time Hilo’s Nobu Yamauchi landed Tuesday in Cincinnati for the RBI World Series, the team’s every minute has been accounted for by Major League Baseball.
“We’re on such a strict schedule,” coach Tony De Sa said, “we haven’t had time to practice.”
The daily regimen may have hindered the Hawaii Juniors’ timing at the plate Friday, but they remained disciplined enough to scratch out two runs and play strong defense, riding the sterling pitching of a Briden Silva and Brett Fujii to a 2-0 victory against Houston to open pool play.
De Sa said the Juniors got away with one after mustering only three hits.
“I could tell early on we weren’t going to hit,” De Sa said. “We haven’t practiced in five days.”
Silva, a Hilo Vikings junior, gave De Sa, his high school coach, exactly what he needed, allowing three hits in three innings. The coach wanted at least two innings from Fujii, but the Waiakea Warrior pounded the strike zone and closed the game out, allowing only one hit in four innings.
“Briden got stronger as the game wore on,” De Sa said, “and Brett was great, throwing 10 first-pitch strikes.”
“Our defense was solid today,” he added, signaling out center fielder Logan Respicio, of Hilo, and catcher Jacob Igawa, of Waiakea.
Making its first appearance as the West Region 15-and-under champion since 2002, Hawaii has games Saturday against Pawtucket and Atlanta to close out pool play in the West Division, and De Sa knows how he mixes and matches his pitchers will be key the rest of the way. Hilo High’s Ryan Ragual and Donald Saltiban were two of Hawaii’s top arms at regionals.
Sunday’s quarterfinals consist of crossover play based on seedings, and the semifinals are later in the day, followed by Monday championship game. Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore and the Dominican Republic are in the East division.
“Everybody has to put in some time (on the mound),” De Sa said.
With its bat slowed by two Houston pitchers Friday, Hawaii had to manufacture runs.
Protecting a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth, Konawaena’s Steven Texeira tripled with one out. Ragual couldn’t get his bunt down on a squeeze play, leaving Texeira hanging out to dry in a rundown, but he scored when a throw glanced off his helmet.
In the second, Ragual’s hit by a pitch, Puukani De Sa’s single and a walk by Respicio plated a run.
MLB treated all eight RBI teams to a St. Louis Cardinals-Cincinnati Reds game on Thursday – hometown hero Kolten Wong finished 0 for 1 – and against Atlanta on Saturday night Nobu Yamauchi gets its own crack at the big stage, playing at the Reds’ Great American Ball Park.
“Oh, yeah, they are all looking forward to that,” Tony De Sa said.