Pearl City continues perfect run at Juniors
By James Briggs
Special to The Advertiser
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TAYLOR, Mich. — Another game, another shutout.
Pearl City extended its streak of scoreless innings pitched to 20 yesterday en route to a 9-0 victory over Glendale, Wis., in the Junior League World Series for 13- and 14-year-olds.
Pearl City, which shut out Texas on Wednesday, last allowed a run in the second inning of its 3-2 win over Middletown, N.J., on Tuesday.
"Like I said, pitching and defense," Pearl City manager Mitchell Yamato said.
Pearl City (4-0) was the only undefeated team in the U.S. pool. It will face Laredo, Texas, for the U.S. championship today at 2 p.m. (Hawai'i time).
Makati City, Philippines, will play Surrey, British Columbia, in the international final today at 11 a.m.
Today's winners will play for the World Series title tomorrow at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
Keanu Sato took his turn shutting down Pearl City's opponent yesterday, allowing just two hits in 6 1/3 innings. Wisconsin advanced three runners to third base, but Sato escaped trouble each time.
"He threw a gem," Yamato said. "He was one of our big pitchers last year. He's struggled a bit this year, but when it mattered, he rose up to the challenge."
Sato, whose curveball led to several ground-outs, kept hitters off-balance.
"We originally started with confidence," Sato said. "But now that we've seen we can shut other teams down, we're going to be ready for the next two teams we play."
After a couple of weak offensive games, Pearl City's bats finally matched the caliber of its pitching. Kahana Neal and Chace Numata took advantage of walks in the first inning, both scoring as Pearl City took a 2-0 lead.
Pearl City added one run in the fourth when Christian Perkins singled and scored on a hit by Numata, and then batted around in the sixth.
All but three batters scored in the sixth, as 11 players came to the plate and Pearl City added six runs on three hits, making it 9-0. Perkins walked and hit a two-run double in the inning.