Marzo’s hit helps Mililani win D-I baseball title against Pac-Five

The author of the greatest moment in Mililani baseball history will have to wait for the television replay to fully appreciate it.

Koa Marzo bounced Colten Amai-Nakagawa’s 103rd pitch over the third baseman’s head and into left field for a walkoff single in a 1-0 win over Pac-Five in the Division I championship of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships at Les Murakami Stadium on Saturday for Mililani’s first title.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know I walked it off until I saw all of my boys rushing toward me,” Marzo said. “I was just trying to get there. It felt great, I mean that’s what we came here for and worked so hard for.”

Mililani and Pac-Five were locked in a scoreless duel until the Wolfpack’s defense finally cracked. Ian Murasaki started the telling inning by pulling a grounder to third but was safe when the first baseman came off the bag to receive the throw. A perfect bunt by Taye Marxen put him on first when the Wolfpack didn’t come up with the ball and Kameron Pongasi loaded the bases with no outs when Pac-Five’s first baseman tried to nab the runner at third but was late. That set up Marzo’s heroics.

“Sometimes you need a little bit of luck to win this tournament,” Mililani coach Mark Hirayama said. “You just have to keep coming out and battling. These guys love each other and like playing for each other. They are close, they are tight. That is the big difference with this group.”

Both pitchers, Mililani’s Ezra Ugale and Amai-Nakagawa of Pac-Five, were superb. Ugale struck out four and allowed only four hits on his 93 pitches and Amai-Nakagawa scattered seven hits on 104 pitches three days after throwing 85 in a first-round win over Kaiser.

“All of our pitchers are dogs,” Marzo said. “Nobody should ever doubt them. They are all good every day. (Pac-Five) did great on their side, too. They have a good pitcher on the mound and we just tried to attack him as soon as possible and do some damage.”

The tension didn’t begin building until the top of the second, when the Wolfpack loaded the bases on a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch. Ugale snuffed the rally, though, getting Titan Dixon to pop to right and Alika Ahu to ground out to second.

Pac-Five’s Amai-Nakagawa kept the momentum, striking the Trojans out in order in the bottom of the frame.

Mililani had the next scoring chance, even if it didn’t come until the fifth inning. Ugale walked and stole second and third bases and took off in a sprint for home on a 3-2 pitch with two outs, but Marzo took a healthy cut at the ball and drove it to deep center field. Jaxon Cadiz got turned around on his way to the warning track and somehow made a stumbling catch, displaying the ball in his glove from flat on his back.

The zero on the scoreboard was Pac-Five’s 19th straight in this state tournament, passing a slew of teams — 2008 Saint Louis, 1963 Farrington and 1960 Baldwin — for third longest scoreless streak in state history. Only ‘Iolani in 1979 (25 scoreless) and 1972 Saint Louis (22) can claim longer streaks than Pac-Five’s.