Mid-Pacific slams three home runs in comeback win over PAC-5

Kela Wheeler | SL

The bats were swinging at McKinley High School on Wednesday night, when Mid-Pacific came back to beat PAC-5 in a slug fest that brought in 27 runs between the two teams.

Mid-Pacific found itself down 7-2 in the top of the fifth, but was able to get its offense going to bring out the 14-13 win. The win came with the help of the Owls' junior third baseman Paige Maeda, who hit two home runs.

"I just put trust in myself and just trust that I could do what I normally do," said Maeda, who tallied a two-run and three-run home run in the game. "This win is a big motivation to start the season for us and shows we've improved from last year."

The Owls (1-0) finished last season without a win under their belt, which placed them last in the ILH. The complete opposite was PAC-5 (0-1), who finished at the top of the ILH last season, and made it to the semi-finals of the Division II state tournament. This win from Mid-Pacific makes a statement to the ILH that this is a different team than last year.

Losing 7-4 at the top of the sixth, the Owls needed a momentum swing, and that's exactly what Maeda's second home run brought. The no doubt home run cleared the fence in center field with plenty of room to spare, and brought in three runs to tie the game at 7. As if one home run in the sixth wasn't enough, first baseman Skyla-Kruse Moniz-Faalafua slammed home a two-run homer to give the Owls the 9-7 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.

"That was clutch," said Mid-Pacific head coach Aiko Gojo. "With runners on base especially, that was huge."

The Wolfpack refused to go down easy. They responded in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of singles and doubles to bring home four runs and regain an 11-9 lead.

The Owls bounced right back in the top of the seventh, by finding gaps in the outfield and bringing in another five runs. This put all the pressure on the Wolfpack in the final inning, down 14-11.

Just when it looked like Pac-5 was getting hot again and had the game-tying run on third base, the Owls' closer Tara Gojo threw a strike three to pull out the one-point win.

Both sides had players seeing the ball well, with 29 hits between the two teams. Leading the way was junior Tara Gojo, who finished with four hits in five at-bats for the Owls. While for the Wolfpack, senior center fielder Dahlia Gangano had three hits in four at-bats.

Defensively, the Wolfpack stuck with pitcher Maulioa Zuttermeister for five innings. She gave up four runs in the five innings, but was then pulled after the three-run home run for Destiny Tautofi in the sixth. She later reentered in the seventh inning in hopes of stopping the Owls' momentum.

Mid-Pacific cycled through three pitchers, starting with Liya Siu, who pitched 3 innings, letting up seven runs. She was replaced by Kenzie Nakamura, who also pitched three innings and gave up five runs. Leading to Tara Gojo being brought in to close out the game in the seventh.

"Hopefully now they know we're in it till the end," Aiko Gojo said. "Never give up."