Youth baseball: Hawaiian teams battle for title in Fallon

Hawaii Kai saved the best for last as the Honolulu baseball team and cross-city rivals Oahu Bombers played their championship game on Saturday 2,600 miles from the Hawaiian Islands.

Riding a shutout performance from Jackson Marshall, Hawaii Kai beat Oahu 2-0 to capture the 2024 Pacific Southwest Regionals for 11-year-olds at Fallon’s Oats Park.

Hawaii Kai scored the game’s first run in the fourth inning when Marshall, the most valuable player, helped his own cause with an RBI single. The team’s insurance run came in the top of the sixth inning on a passed ball.

Marshall ran into problems in the bottom of the fifth when the Bombers had runners on second and third with two outs. Marshall struck out the final batter of the inning to keep Oahu scoreless.

Hawaii Kai’s team consisted of coaches Ray Jingao, Chad Sakumoto and Larry Burigsay; manager Chris Hino; and players Niki Sakumoto, Cody Burigsay, Brady Burigsay, Ariana Yamagata, Easton Hino, Koa Pua’a, Ryze Sawicki, Kaikea Nishiyama, Peyton Tamanaha, Jeremiah Tabar, Zander Rhea, Jackson Marshall, Ty Takahashi and Ziggy Jingao.

Both teams won their pool play and semifinal games on Saturday morning.

Hawaii Kai now moves on to the Cal Ripken World Series that brings together winners from the other regional play.

The Southwest Region teams that played in Fallon came from California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Guam and Hawaii.