Kaua‘i PONY All-Stars capture state championship

HILO, Hawai‘i — Four hours into Wednesday’s Hawai‘i State PONY Regional Championship game, Kaua‘i PONY All-Stars pitcher Cal Koga toed the mound at Walter Victor Stadium in Hilo with a 6-4 lead over the Mililani PONY All-Stars.

He proceeded to strike out the side to record the final three outs in a 12-inning marathon to win the championship for Kaua‘i.

With Kaua‘i trailing the majority of the game, the two clubs entered the top of the 12th inning with the score tied at four. That quickly changed as John Dumlao led off the inning with a double, which was followed immediately by two more doubles off the bats of Koga and Micah Layosa to give Kaua‘i the 6-4 lead.

Koga, who took the mound in the seventh inning, pitched six scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out eight Mililani batters, including the final three in the bottom of the 12th inning.

Patrick Keamoai-Strickland started the game on the mound for Kaua‘i and pitched two innings. He was followed by Tyler Toyofuku for one inning and Doug Miyasato who pitched three innings before handing the ball off to Koga for the final six innings.

Sam Nakata contributed with two hits, one run scored and a sacrifice bunt. Miyasato also delivered with a clutch hit in the top of the seventh, and Shane Garcia scored a crucial game tying run on a pass ball in the same inning.

The game would remain knotted at four until the top of the 12th when Kaua‘i would score its final two runs.

To capture the title, Kaua‘i went undefeated going 4-0 over the five-day tournament, while outscoring its opponents 25 to 9.

With the victory, Kaua‘i now moves on to the PONY West Zone Tournament in Watsonville, Calif., which will be held Aug. 2-7.

The winner of the West Zone Tournament will compete for the PONY World Series in Washington, Pa.

The Kaua‘i PONY All-Stars are the first Kaua‘i PONY team to advance to the West Zone Tournament since the Lihu‘e Mustang All-Stars in 2009.