Moanalua cashes in on Mililani errors in 7-0 win


Moanalua starter Todd Takabuki pitched a complete game shutout over Mililani. Greg Yamamoto | SL
MILILANI - Mililani just could not stop the bleeding.

Moanalua cashed in on six Mililani errors in a 7-0 win in Friday's O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red tournament semifinal at Mililani.

Na Menehune will face Pearl City for the OIA championship, 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park in a battle of divisional second seeds.

The Chargers are seeking their fifth consecutive title and seventh overall. Na Menehune are looking for their first. This is their fourth title game appearance, their last being in 2006.

Pearl City beat Kailua, 7-6, in the other semifinal. Kailua and Miliani, the East and West champions, respectively, will play for third place at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mililani.

Friday's semifinal was a pitchers' duel between southpaws Todd Takabuki of Moanalua and Christian Namoca of Mililani. The only difference was Takabuki's defense didn't fail him.

Takabuki scattered six hits, walking one and striking out two in going the distance. It was Moanalua's second complete game of the tournament, so its relief corp is well-rested for the championship.

Namoca gave up six runs, four hits and a walk with a strikeout in three innings before giving way to Jamesson Madrid, who gave up a run and two hits, while striking out three. Though they combined on a six-hitter like Takabuki, all of the runs they were charged with were unearned.

"It was just one of those days," Trojans' coach Mark Hirayama said. "I don't know. We just weren't ready to play...we just didn't make the plays."

Takabuki just let his defense do the work. He allowed two base runners in three of the first four innings, but stranded them.

"A couple innings, he kind of fell behind," Moanalua coach Scott Yamada said, "but he battled back and I'm proud of him for doing that."

Na Menehune took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, which the Trojans committed two errors, scoring on one of them and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Kamalu Kamoku.

Moanalua sent nine batters up in a four-run third, when Mililani made three more errors. One run scored on an error with the other runs scoring on Bronson Shim's sacrifice fly and Jordan Deponte's two-run single to make it 6-0 against Namoca.

Madrid wasn't any luckier when he came in the fourth inning when Mililani made its six error that led to the seventh unearned run.




Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].