BANGOR, Maine — The experience of playing in last year's Senior League World Series taught pitcher Jason Rasa and the rest of the Pearl City team a couple of valuable lessons.

First, stay loose. Second, don't let up. Third, score early.

When the third didn't happen, Pearl City was able to lean on the first two in a 7-3 victory over Bloomfield, N.J., yesterday to advance to the World Series championship.

Hawai'i needed a third-inning rally, but last year's tournament runner-up is back in the championship game after defeating the U.S. East team from Bloomfield, N.J., at Mansfield Stadium.

Pearl City will again try to score early in the final today at 8:30 a.m. Hawai'i time.

Hawai'i, now 5-0, will face Latin America team Falcon, Venezuela, which won yesterday's second semifinal.

"We know it's easier if we score runs first because last year we had to come back every game," Rasa said. "This year we've tried to jump on them first."

Hawai'i manager Gary Nakamoto will start Bryson Nakamura against Venezuela, which is also 5-0.

"That's my rotation," Nakamoto said. "That rotation got us all the way here so I'm going to stay with it.

"Hopefully, we can bring it home (today)," Nakamoto added. "We try to do it for all the supporters, and all the family and friends at home."

New Jersey ended its World Series run with a 3-2 record, outhit Hawai'i 10-9, but stranded nine runners while Hawai'i left five.

"Once we got the opportunity to move the runners, we did, and it paid off for us," Nakamoto said.

Rasa (2-0) struggled early, giving up three straight singles and a walk in the first inning. He also had a wild pitch that allowed New Jersey to score its second run after Richard Monroig singled in the first run.

Rasa allowed at least one baserunner in each inning.

"I was getting frustrated," he said. "My coach talked to me, calmed me down, and eventually I got it together."

Rasa did just that in the fifth as New Jersey's Kevin Miller and Mike Chiaravalloti hit back-to-back doubles. Miller scored but Chiaravalloti was eventually stranded at second with no outs as Rasa got two strikeouts and a flyout.

Hawai'i had its share of popups early against New Jersey starter Vinnie Del Vecchio. New Jersey centerfielder Dan Bataille made all three outs in the first, and after Nakamura hit a leadoff single in the second, Hawai'i had three more popups.

It could have been Del Vecchio's curveball.

"He was throwing his curveball more and that's when (Hawai'i) was popping up," Nakamoto said. "When they got patient with the curveball they started hitting."

Things got out of hand for Del Vecchio in the third. After getting a leadoff groundout, he hit Kurt Poentis on the back, followed by singles from Rorry Nakayama, Ryne Acosta and Carlton Tanabe.

Del Vecchio also committed an error when he overthrew a pickoff to first base.

Nakamura, who was looking for a curseball, hit a line-drive triple to right, plating Tanabe. Nakamura later scored on another error.

"I figured he was going to do that because he threw me a fastball earlier," Nakamura said.

In the fourth Bryson Namba doubled and scored, Tanabe singled in Poentis and Acosta scored on New Jersey's third error of the game.