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Maui reaches final day

WAILUKU – Just when it appeared Maui’s show would finish with a Big Island final act, Orion Miyasato-Farias came though.

Maui Blue, which lost to Hilo earlier Monday in the Pony 14 state baseball tournament, trailed Kona by a run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the night game at Maehara Stadium before Miyasato-Farias doubled to right field to score Kekoa Ostermiller and Kawena Alo-Kaonohi for a 7-6 victory.

“Just put the ball in play, that’s all I was thinking,” Miyasato-Farias said. “I saw it get over (the second baseman) and it felt good. At least I hit the ball.”

Miyasato-Farias finished the game 3-for-4 with five RBIs.

Maui had been sent to the elimination game after losing 4-2 to Hilo, which got a 15-strikeout performance from Edgar Barclay. Maui and Hilo will meet again today for the title, with Maui needing to win two games in a row.

“Thankfully we fought back in the end,” said Maui coach Kevin Galicinao. “Kona has got a great team, great pitching, great everything, hats off to Kona. Orion struggled the whole tournament, but when we needed him the most he came through in the biggest moment.”

Nawai Kaupe, the only girl in the tournament, threw three scoreless innings of relief and left with a 5-3 lead. Kona tied the game in the sixth and went in front 6-5 in the seventh. Maui first baseman Kaipo Paschoal kept the lead from getting larger when he caught a popped-up bunt and finished a double play with a throw to third base.

Micah Jio gave Maui a 1-0 lead with a home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning.

Kona had defeated Kauai 12-8 in the day’s first game.

In the contest that followed, Barclay needed just 95 pitches, throwing 69 of them for strikes.

“I don’t think I have ever had 15 strikeouts,” said Barclay, who added two doubles in three at-bats. “My defense helped me out a lot. Without them and without our offense, I wouldn’t have been able to do as well. I knew I just had to be patient and that our team would come through.”

Barclay is a 15-year-old rising senior at St. Joseph’s High School, which does not have a baseball team.

“I have a lot of fun because all of these kids are my age,” said Barclay, who skipped the 2nd and 5th grades. “I hang out with older kids, but it is fun to hang out with kids my own age.”

Barclay will not be able to pitch today.

“That’s a big plus for us that (Barclay) is done for the tournament,” Galicinao said. “We better be ready – if they are not pumped up for that, I don’t know what would get them pumped up.”

Maui scored in the first inning when Jio led off with an infield single, and two throwing errors allowed him to circle the bases on the same play. Hilo tied the game in the second on a leadoff home run by Taylor Mondina.

Maui took the lead back in the fourth when Alo-Kaonohi singled with two outs and then scored on a short bloop single to right field by Miyasato-Farias, who was pinch hitting. Alo-Kaonohi took off on the 3-2 pitch and barely beat the tag at the plate.

Hilo answered with three runs in the top of the fifth.

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com

HILO 4, MAUI BLUE 2

Hilo …………… 010 ….. 030 ….. 0-4 ….. 8 ….. 3

Maui Blue ….100 ….. 100 ….. 0-2 ….. 5 ….. 1

Edgar Barclay and Mackanzy Maesaka; Kawena Alo-Kaonohi, Micah Jio (5) and Orion Miyasato-Farias, Bryant Nakagawa (1). W-Barclay. L-Alo-Kaonohi. 2B-Hilo: Gehrig Octavio, Barclay 2. HR-Hilo: Taylor Mondina.

Leading hitters-Hilo: Shaun Kurosawa 2-4, RBI; Barclay 2-3.

MAUI BLUE 7, KONA 6

Kona …………… 030 ….. 002 ….. 1-6 ….. 10 ….. 1

Maui Blue …… 103 ….. 010 ….. 2-7 …… 8 ….. 4

Tanner Gray, Logan Canda (6) and Tyler Kitaoka; Kaipo Paschoal, Nawai Kaupe (3), Laakea Maio-Silva (6), Kamuela Kaniaupio (7) and Kawena Alo-Kaonohi. W-Kaniaupio. L-Canda. 2B-Kona: Vohn Yamaguchi; Maui: Kao Mindoro. HR-Maui: Micah Jio.

Leading hitters-Kona: Canda 2-3; Yamaguchi 2-3, 2 RBIs; Markus Degrate 2-2, RBI. Maui: Jio 2-4, RBI; Miyasato-Farias 3-4, 5 RBIs.

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