Youth baseball: Hilo Mustang 9s start strong at state PONY tournament

A younger quartet of Hilo PONY League baseball teams didn’t have the home-field advantage their older brethren enjoyed last week, but a pair of teams didn’t need the Big Island boost Friday to thrive.

Salota Ofisa hit a home run in the first, and Braden Oda pitched four strong innings as the Hilo Mustang 9s edged Kauai 6-5 in their state tournament opener in Kapolei, Oahu.

“The coaches and myself had a game plan for today’s game which was to go hard and try to win the first game so we could get a day off to rest,” coach Justin Merritt wrote in a text to the Tribune-Herald. “The plan worked.”

Oakley Kailimai collected two hits, Koamalu Merritt drove in two runs and Kainui Keopuhiwa doubled for Hilo, which will take the field again Sunday in the winner’s bracket game of the four-team tournament.

Rycen Garza, who his coach called a hard-throwing right-hander, pitched the final two innings.

“It was a good team win,” Justin Merritt said.

In the Pinto coach-pitch tournament, Hilo White beat West Oahu 12-2 to earn a day off, while Hilo Black lost and will face an elimination game.

The Hilo Mustangs drew a bye and will start play in a seven-team field at 8 a.m. Saturday.