Hawaii finally relaxes, cruises past Bangor U.S. West faces East in semis

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BANGOR – With nothing on the line for the first time all tournament, Pearl City, Hawaii, finally looked relaxed in a Senior League World Series game.

The pressure was all on Bangor, which had a chance to become the first Maine team to win two games in pool play.

The Maine District 3 representative wasn’t able to stay with Hawaii, fighting through the middle innings but struggling with errors and walks as the U.S. West representative (4-0) earned an 11-5 victory Thursday night at Mansfield Stadium.

It was the final game of pool play as the tournament moves to the semifinal round today. Hawaii, which had already clinched the top seed in Pool A, will play Pool B No. 2 seed Freehold Township, N.J., which is the U.S. East rep, at 11:30 a.m.

Bangor wrapped up its tournament with a 1-3 record.

“We battled there for a while,” Bangor manager Tyler Jellison said. “Overall, it was a very good tournament. We didn’t get the W’s, but we showed a lot of people that we belonged.”

Hawaii’s Jason Rasa went 3-for-3 and Ryno Acosta became the first pitcher of this year’s World Series to go 2-0.

Rasa led the Hawaii offense with two singles, a double, and two RBIs. There was no letting up, he said, despite the fact that Hawaii had already advanced.

“We decided to go all the way, try to win every game we could and go undefeated,” Rasa said.

That, and Pearl City was eager to finally have a comfortable lead in a game. Hawaii’s biggest win previously had been by three runs.

Hawaii put things away early with seven runs in the first three innings, including three in the first inning on two walks and an error. Rasa brought home two of the first-inning runs with a double to right field.

Pearl City managed eight hits but took advantage of eight walks and three Bangor errors.

Hawaii manager Gary Nakamoto gave No. 4 pitcher Acosta his first start of the World Series. He pitched a complete game to allow the rest of Pearl City’s pitchers to stay fresh.

Acosta scattered seven hits while striking out 10 and walking two.

Kyle Gallant took the loss for Bangor. He threw 149 pitches, including 82 for strikes, in 5 2/3 innings.

“We started to get to him, especially in the first inning,” said Rasa, who improved his batting average to .583 and stole his fifth base of the World Series. “His curve was working pretty good, so I waited for the fastball the whole time, and when the curve came, I let it go by.”

Jellison was pleased that Gallant gutted out the game despite Bangor’s miscues.

“He threw a lot of pitches and didn’t get a lot of help from his defense early,” Jellison said. “He didn’t want to come out of the game and I wasn’t about to take him out. It was just a gutsy performance.”

Bangor’s Neal Russell went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Ian Edwards singled and drove in two runs.

U.S. WEST 11, BANGOR 5

(Pool A)

Bangor (1-3) Pearl City, Hawaii (4-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Vanidestine,2b-lf 3 0 0 0 Nakayama, cf 4 1

Larochelle, 2b 1 0 0 0 Muraoka, rf 1 0

Russell, 3b-lf 4 1 3 1 Acosta, p 2 0

Webb, c 3 1 0 0 Liu, ss 4 2 1 0

Edwards, ss 3 0 1 2 Ushijima, 1b 2 3 0

Batchelder, 1b 1 0 0 0 Rasa, 3b 3 2

A. Gallant, 1b 3 0 1 1 Tampos, rf 1 0

Brookings, lf 1 0 0 0 DeKneef, cf-rf 2 1

Walton, 3b 2 0 0 0 Kiyota, c 1 1 0

K. Gallant, p-2b 2 1 0 0 Domingo, c 2 1

McDade, rf 1 0 0 0 Lee, lf 2 0 0 0

Jellison, rf-p 1 1 0 0 Tanaid, lf 2 0

Crews, cf 2 1 2 1 Quillopo, 2b 2 1 0

Martinez, cf 1 0 0 0 Sugitaya, 2b 1 0 1

Totals 28 5 7 5 Totals 29 11 8 6

Bangor 000 220 1 – 5

U.S. West 304 202 x – 11

E-Vanidestine, Russell, Edwards; Liu; LOB-Bangor 6, U.S. West 10; 2B-Rasa, Quillopo; S-Rasa; SB-Russell, A. Gallant 2, K. Gallant; Nakayama, Rasa 2

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

K. Gallant (L,0-1) 5 2/3 8 11 8 8 6

Jellison 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

U.S. West IP H R ER BB SO

Acosta (W,2-0) 7 7 5 5 2 10

HBP-Ushijima by K. Gallant, Acosta by Jellison; Edwards by Acosta; WP-K. Gallant 6; Acosta; BK-K. Gallant; T-2:08; ATT-1,550