Hilo’s bats weren’t exactly stymied, but when it mattered most Chula Vista proved its pitching prowess.
The Pony 13s were denied a berth in the World Series on Monday in a 6-1 loss in the PONY League West regional championship game in Whittier, Calif.
Coach Bully Ahuna’s message was onward and upward.
“They had a good run and worked hard,” he said. “We’ve got to get bigger, stronger and faster.”
Hilo connected for 10 hits – Cody Kunimitsu collected three and Stone Miyao capped a sterling tournament with two. But it couldn’t muster a rally and suffered its first postseason loss.
Errors and baserunning mistakes haunted Hilo for the second consecutive day, but facing a Chula Vista staff that allowed only four runs in four games, Hilo couldn’t hit its way out of trouble.
“We put guys on base, but didn’t get any timely hits,” Bully Ahuna said.
Chula Vista may sound like just another city in California, but it’s the second largest in the San Diego metropolitan area with more than 250,000 residents. It outscored its competition 34-4.
“These mainland kids are big, ” Ahuna said.
Hurt by errors, Hilo starter Khaden Victorino allowed four runs in the third, yielding a home run. He worked four innings and Tai Atkins pitched the final three.
Hilo was hoping for an extended stay in Whittier, where the World Series starts Friday. Instead, Ahuna said nine of his players were set to begin high school when they get home. Three of Hilo’s top hitters are heading to different schools. Miyao is transferring to Hilo High, Bula Ahuna will be at Kamehameha-Hawaii and Devin Midel will attend Waiakea.
Hilo PONY still has one Word Series hopeful. An 11-12 team coached by Chris Honda starts its Broncos regional Thursday in Whittier.