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U.S. Semifinals / Waipio 9, Mill Creek, Wash. 4
Waipio’s bats had been relatively quiet during the first three games, but they came to life in the U.S. semifinals against the Northwest region’s Mill Creek, Wash.
Mill Creek took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but Waipio rallied with a four-spot in the bottom of the inning and never looked back. Waipio hit four home runs in the game, including two by Pikai Winchester that proved to be the difference in the key matchup won by Waipio, 9-4.
Despite striking out 11 Waipio batters, the Northwest squad just didn’t have enough offense to overcome the long balls Waipio hit.
“It’s sad that one of us had to lose,” Waipio manager Timo Donahue said. “Those guys are good guys over there.”
The win moved Waipio into the U.S. finals against Southwest Region winner Lake Charles, La. That team knocked off Tampa, Fla., on the other side of the bracket, meaning Waipio wouldn’t have to beat the Florida team twice to advance to the championship game.
“They’re just too good a team to give up three unearned runs in the first,” Mill Creek manager Scott Mahlum said. “I said they were the best team fundamentally - they were - and I think I also said Winchester was the best hitter here, and darn if he didn’t prove that tonight.”
Starting pitcher Caleb Duhay picked up the win. He had eight strikeouts in 32/3 innings.
“The next time we take the field, there’s only going to be two U.S. teams left,” Donahue said, “and that in itself says a lot.”
Waipio 9, Northwest 4
| Northwest | AB | R | H | BI | Waipio | AB | R | H | BI |
| Kingma 2b/3b | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Donahue ss | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mahlum ss/2b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tokunaga 2b/ss | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Todd ss/1b | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Paris 1b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Soderqvist 3b/1b | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Winchester 3b | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Jondal c | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Ling lf/ph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kisena 1b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Akau ph/rf | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Black ph/3b | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Duhay cf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Baumgartner rf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Andrade rf/lf | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jang ph/rf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Farm ph/lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Neaville lf | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Yap ph/lf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wiggins ph/lf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fong cf/2b | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Bartok cf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ulep ph/cf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dawes cf | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Obedoza c | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 26 | 4 | 7 | 3 | Totals | 25 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Northwest | 210 | 100 | - | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| Waipio | 403 | 20x | - | 9 | 8 | 0 |
E-Baumgartner; Kisena. 2B-Fong. HR-Tokunaga; Akau; Neaville; Winchester. SB-Akau.
| Northwest | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Mahlum (L) | 21/3 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Soderqvist | 22/3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Waipio | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Duhay (W) | 32/3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Tokunaga | 11/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Donahue | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
HBP-Obedoza (by Mahlum). WP-Tokunaga. PB-Obedoza; Jondal.
Umpires-Don Dozier (Plate); Dan Gettert (First); Rob Hacker (Second); Kevin Masnayon (Third).
T-1:58. A-16,300.
