Exciting game ends in 7-7 tie for Mid-Pacific, Punahou
By Wes Nakama
An exciting ILH baseball game between Mid-Pacific and Punahou filled with lead changes, pivotal plays and unexpected twists and turns ended in an anti-climactic 7-7 tie at dusk Wednesday afternoon.
With darkness quickly falling upon MPI's iconic Damon Field, Punahou actually scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning for a temporary 10-7 lead. But with two outs, the two umpires conferenced near third base and declared the game final due to darkness, and by rule the score reverted back to the last completed inning and the game was recorded as an official 7-7 tie.
That left Mid-Pacific still unbeaten at 2-0-2, and the Buff 'N Blue at 2-1-1.
"We didn't lose," Owls coach Dunn Muramaru said. "Heck, I'll take the tie, it's not too much damage."
Punahou's first-year coach Alaka'i Aglipay also took a positive attitude toward the end result, despite it erasing the temporary 10-7 lead.
"I think initially, (the feeling) is always, 'I hope we can finish it,' " Aglipay said. "But I've never been in that situation where we called a game mid-inning, due to darkness. So I'm assuming if it affects us later on in the standings, then we're probably going to have to finish that game. That's kind of what's been done in the past. But we'll see, you never know.
"We kept trading punches -- that's a testament to our team, it's a testament to their team ... it was a great game."
The Buff 'N Blue took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Kahaku Harrison's two-run homer over the center field fence, then made it 3-0 in the second on Brennin Lee's RBI double. MPI closed it to 3-1 in the bottom half after La'akea Inglis led off with a double down the left field line, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on an errant pickoff throw to first.
In the bottom of the third, the Owls closed it to 3-2 on Ezekiel Asato's RBI double to center field, then took a 5-3 lead on Reece Higuchi's three-run blast over the right field fence. But Punahou took the lead back at 6-5 in the top of the fourth after three singles, a double, walk and hit batter.
Mid-Pacific tied it up at 6-6 in the bottom of the fifth when Higuchi's drag bunt brought home Asato from third, and then the Owls went ahead 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth on Max Taniguchi's sacrifice fly to right field.
But in the top of the seventh, Jack Grier led off with a walk and courtesy runner Treysen Taoka advanced to second base on Lee's one-out walk and to third on Kekoa Payanal's two-out single to right. The right fielder's throw to the cutoff man between the pitcher's mound and first base ricocheted off the fielder's thigh and toward the fence, allowing Taoka to dash home and slide headfirst touching home plate with his left hand just barely before the tag was applied.
That tied the score at 7-7, where it officially ended by rule despite Punahou scoring three more runs in the top of the eighth.
"I'm just happy and proud of the fight in our boys to not just back down," Aglipay said. "We had multiple times with our backs against the wall, two outs, down one and we come back and tie the game. Great team baseball ... they're getting better every day and I'm really proud of them."