BANGOR – Pitcher Jason Rasa and his U.S. West teammates proved Sunday afternoon that no matter what it took, they would fight to the finish.

Despite squandering a bases-loaded, nobody-out threat in the ninth inning, the West team didn’t become deflated.

Shannon Liu and Chad Quillopo hit RBI singles in a decisive two-run, 10th-inning rally as Pearl City, Hawaii beat Asia-Pacific representative Agana, Guam 5-3 in the first round of the Senior League World Series at Mansfield Stadium.

U.S. West continues Pool A play today with a 10 a.m. game against U.S. South entry Clarksville, Ga. (0-0), while Asia-Pacific faces Maine District 3 rep Bangor (1-0) at 8 p.m.

U.S. West followed the lead of Rasa, who threw 132 pitches in a gritty complete-game performance.

“It’s the longest I ever went. I wanted to go to the end,” said Rasa, who spread out 12 hits while striking out three and walking one.

Rasa also stroked two singles, one an RBI hit in the first inning.

“His arm wasn’t hurting or anything, so that’s why we went with him,” said manager Gary Nakamoto.

The Hawaiian squad, which scored a run in the seventh to tie it, finally got to Asia-Pacific reliever Freddy Cepeda.

Kellen Ushijima sparked the rally with a leadoff double to center field and pinch runner Nainoa Tampos advanced on Rasa’s sacrifice bunt. Liu plated the first run with an opposite-field single to right field.

One out later, Jeffrey Domingo singled for the third time in the contest and Quillopo followed by fisting an RBI single to right to make it 5-3.

“I knew we had it, that if we could come back the next inning we could win the game,” Rasa said. “I trusted my teammates; I had had faith in them. I told them, ‘just get me runs and I’ll win the game for us.'”

Rasa allowed a leadoff single in the 10th, but retired the next three batters to clinch the win.

Rorry Nakayama and Quillopo each singled twice for U.S. West.

Alejandro Diaz led Asia-Pacific with three singles, while Derwin Aguon had two singles and an RBI.

“We ran out of gas toward the end of today’s game, but we gave them a fight,” said Asia-Pacific manager Darrell Guerrero. “Some of these guys, it was their first loss in 21, 22 games.”

Trailing 2-1, Asia-Pacific scored twice in the sixth on a two-out double by Kristopher Kaneshiro and Quichocho’s two-run single to center field.

U.S. West tied it in the seventh when Quillopo reached on an error and later scored on Ryne Acosta’s sacrifice fly.

Hawaii had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the ninth when Domingo, Quillopo and Nakayama posted consecutive singles. However, a fielder’s choice grounder and a failed squeeze play helped Asia-Pacific escape unscathed.

“It’s frustrating, because we have the bases loaded and no outs and we still didn’t score,” Quillopo said. “We had to just toughen up and play defense.”

Guam then had runners at first and third with one out in the seventh, but Rasa induced a popup and registered a strikeout to force extra innings.

Cepeda scattered 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings, fanning six and walking one, for Asia-Pacific.

U.S. WEST 5, ASIA-PACIFIC 3

(Pool A, Sunday)

Pearl City, Hawaii (1-0) Agana, Guam (0-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Nakayama, cf 2 1 2 0 Sanchez, cf-lf 5 1 0

Muraoka, rf 1 0 0 0 Dazo, lf 2 0 0

Acosta, ss 4 0 1 1 Cepeda, lf-p 2 0 0

Tampos, rf 4 0 0 0 Aguon, ss 4 0 1

DeKneef, cf-rf 0 0 0 0 Diaz, c 5 0 0

Ushijima, 1b 5 1 1 0 Barcinas, 3b 5 1 0

Rasa, p 4 0 2 1 Bautista, 1b 3 0 0

Liu, 3b 5 1 1 1 Peredo, 1b 2 0 0

Lee, lf 4 0 1 0 Kaneshiro, p-cf 5 1 0

Tanaid, lf 1 0 0 0 Quichocho, rf 4 0 2

Kiyota, c 1 1 0 0 Daga, 2b 1 0 0

Domingo, c 4 0 3 0 Diaz, 2b 3 0 0

Quillopo, 2b 4 1 2 1

Sugitaya, 2b 0 0 0 0

Totals 39 5 13 4 Totals 41 3 12 3

U.S. West 100 100 100 2 – 5

Asia-Pacific 001 002 000 0 – 3

E-Liu, Quillopo; Barcinas; LOB-U.S. West 12, Asia-Pacific 10; 2B-Acosta, Ushijima; Kaneshiro; DP-Sanchez-Peredo; S-Rasa; Cepeda; SF-Acosta; SB-Rasa

U.S. West IP H R ER BB SO

Rasa (W,1-0) 10 12 3 0 1 3

Asia-Pacific IP H R ER BB SO

Kaneshiro 3 2/3 3 2 2 5 3

Cepeda (L,0-1) 6 1/3 10 3 2 1 6

BK-Cepeda; T-3:02; ATT-350 (est.)