What coach Dennis Segovia likes best about his Little League squad of 13 players is that they are a “team of fighters.”
“From the beginning to the end,” Segovia said. “You can see it in their eyes.”
Hilo didn’t quite need that bulldog mentality Monday in Kapaau, not after a pair of home runs set course for an 11-1 TKO victory against North Hawaii to clinch the district championship for ages 11-12.
On the second pitch in the bottom of the first, Koa Ogawa hit as homer, the first of his two hits.
“That set the tone and started everything in the right direction,” Segovia said. “A bomb.”
BJ Respicio followed with a tape-measure shot in the second. His three-run blast was his second home run of the tournament.
“You could tell it was gone by the sound of the bat and wasn’t landing in the field,” Segovia said. “Even the umpire was like Wow.”
And with that, Hilo was for all intents and purposes ready to make plans for the state tournament, which won’t require as long as a drive as the island tournament. States run July 25-28 in Waimea, and the winner is one step closer to reaching the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
Assistant coach Baba Lancaster took a Hilo 9-10 team to states on Oahu in June, and he watched Pearl City take advantage of home cooking to reach regionals.
“We just have to keep hitting,” Lancaster said. “Our pitching staff is pretty deep. We have about eight we can use.
“We can also save some (travel) money.”
Both coaches lauded Hilo’s bench. It finished 3-0 at districts, outscoring the opposition 25-6.
“It’s a lot better to have 13 players than only nine,” Segovia said. “Almost all of our guys got on base.
“We can do well (at states) if all 13 produce.”
One day removed from a fever, John Ramirez pitched 3 2/3 innings, and Owen Arashiro secured the final four outs.
Jahsiah Yoshizumi drove in North Hawaii’s run, and Kainalu Shimizu took the loss.
Mason Galima contributed two hits for Hilo, and Reyn Segovia-Tanonaka and Davin Arkangel each drove in runs.
“Mason, Owen and BJ had pretty good tournaments,” Lancaster said. “Pretty much everybody.
“It’s very easy to coach these kids. Oahu and Maui will be tough (at states), but we feel good.”