Aloha, Texas! Aloha, Japan!
Waipahu, Hawaii flies past Pearland, Texas 10-0 to become U. S. Champions
Source: South Williamsport, Pa.
Date/Time: Saturday, August 28, 2010, 4:30pm ET
Texas’ bats powered the Southwest region champs to the United States
Championship Game, but they could muster no strength against Hawaii on Saturday.
In fact, it was Hawaii who flexed its muscles.
Hawaii starting pitcher Ezra Heleski shut out the mighty Texans, and the West
region champs won 10-0 in five innings at Howard J. Lamade Stadium to become
United States champions.
The Waipahu, Hawaii Little Leaguers earned a date with Japan in the Little
League World Series Championship Sunday, hoping to become the sixth consecutive
World Champions from the U.S. They also hope to win the state of Hawaii’s third
title in six years and the second in three years for Waipio Little League.
The game was the first U.S. Championship Game to be ended by the mercy rule
since 1997, when Mission Viejo, Cali., topped Bradenton, Fla., 12-1. The shutout
was the first in a U.S. Championship Game since 2004.
“Just winning it any possible way is great,” Hawaii manager Brian Yoshii said of
his team’s dominating performance. “[The players] were up, I didn’t have to do
anything. It’s all them.”
Heleski held the Texans in check all game, scattering two hits and striking out
six over five innings.
“It felt good in the bullpen today,” said Heleski. “When I came out on the
mound, same thing, it felt good.”
Hawaii jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Kaimana Bartolome ripped a two-run double that one-hopped the left-centerfield
fence to put the West region champs on the board. Two batters later, Noah
Shackles lined a home run to center to cap the rally.
“I haven’t hit a home run in a long time,” said Shackles. “I haven’t really hit
good since regionals, so it felt good to finally come through.”
Hawaii continued their offensive onslaught in the third. With runners on first
and second and one out, Hawaii took advantage of two wild pitches to score
Shackles and move Tyler Kushima to third base. Heleski singled on the next pitch
to make the score 6-0. He was then driven in by a Kahoea Akau double to give the
Hawaiians a 7-0 lead after three innings.
Hawaii sealed the deal in the fifth, pushing the lead to 10 runs to end the game
early. With Shackles on first, Cody Maltezo tripled to the right-field warning
track and made the score 8-0. Maltezo was singled in by Ezra Heleski, who
eventually moved to third on a wild pitch and fielder’s choice.
Heleski would score on another wild pitch to make the Waipio Little Leaguers the
United States Champions.
The runners-up from Texas will face Chinese Taipei Sunday afternoon. Though
Texas Manager Mike Orlando made a point to say that his team will play to win in
the consolation game, he spent most of his time after the game reflecting on the
team’s journey this summer.
“I’m very proud of them,” said Orlando. “I hope each one of them does a lot
greater things in life than baseball. I think they will. I hope they learned a
whole lot from this experience, and I hope they learned a whole lot from me.”