TAYLOR, Mich. — If Pearl City became discouraged by the opening inning of the Junior League World Series yesterday, the team didn't show it for long.

Pearl City allowed back-to-back solo home runs and fell behind 2-0 before recording its first out against South Carolina. But after a shaky start, Pearl City jumped ahead and beat South Carolina, 17-7, in five innings because of the mercy rule.

"The way that we started, you worry a little, but that's not the first time we've been down 2-0," Pearl City coach Mitchell Yamato said. "We've just got to calm down. This is the World Series, and a lot of them are emotionally up and need to relax and remember what we've practiced."

After building a 7-3 lead in the second inning, Pearl City allowed four more runs on a grand slam in the third, which tied the game with no outs. Yamato gave the ball to pitcher Kahana Neal, who struck out three batters to end the inning.

"We've been here and we know what we have to do," Neal said, referencing Pearl City's streak of four straight trips to the Junior League World Series.

Pearl City showed its experience in the bottom of the third, loading the bases three times and scoring eight runs on eight hits. Only one of the hits went for extra bases — a double by Brycen Kometani. All but two batters scored in the inning, with Kometani crossing home twice.

Chace Numata and Sumi Pruett both scored in the bottom of the fourth, giving Pearl City the necessary 10-run lead for an early end. Numata reached base on each of his four plate appearances, scoring each time.

"We feel confident," Numata said. "The team is very excited to be here again. I'm not as nervous as last year when I was a little 13-year-old."

Neal shut out South Carolina in the final two innings to record the win. Yamato shrugged off Pearl City's early problems as jitters.

"The other team came out swinging," he said.

That's what Pearl City will try to do for the rest of the World Series. Pearl City plays the West team from Middletown, N.J. today.

HILO SENIORS WIN, 5-0

By Jessica Bloch
Special to The Advertiser

BANGOR, Maine — It was clear to Jordan Otis early on that he was going to have a problem.

Otis, the starting pitcher for the U.S. West team in last night's Pool A game in the Senior League World Series, just couldn't see the signs his catcher, Kolten Wong, was calling because of the dark.

"I couldn't throw all my pitches," said Otis, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound left-hander.

So during a brief first-inning conference, the batterymates worked out a series of signals — and cruised to a win from there.

Otis struck out 10 and gave up just two hits to post a 5-0 victory for the team from Hilo over the U.S. South representative from Cartersville, Ga., at Mansfield Stadium. The game started at 9:04 p.m., more than an hour later than the scheduled time because the previous game went into extra innings.

It was a big win for the Hilo team, which won the 2003 SLWS title, because it put them at 2-0 in pool play. Hilo faces Canada today and Maine District 3 representative Brewer on Thursday.

"We still have a tough team in Canada and Maine," said Wong, who had a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. "We're going to have a tough road."

Cartersville, the final team to start pool play, fell to 0-1. Manager Eric Stewart said his team didn't adjust well to their long trip and almost two days of sitting around (the team had Sunday off).

"That's what kept us down," Stewart said. "My boys were worn out."

Otis dominated the Georgia lineup, retiring 11 batters in a row at one point, using his fastball, curve, and occasional changeup.

Hilo scored three runs in the fourth inning. Thad Yasuhara hit a two-run single, and another run scored on a throwing error to make it 4-0.

Yasuhara finished with two singles and also pitched one inning of scoreless relief to seal the win.

Blake Amaral singled and doubled for Hilo.