McCully of Oahu captured the 78th Annual State AJA Baseball Championship at Les Murakami Rainbow Stadium on Oahu , April 6 -7, 2013 outlasting Daimyo of Maui in the Championship game 20 to 15 on Sunday April 7, 2013 in the last battle of aluminum bats in State AJA Baseball play. Led by Most Outstanding Player Ridge Carpenter and Batting Champion Waylen Sing Chow, Oahu McCully beat the Maui Daimyo in the Championship game. The Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Ridge Carpenter’s 4 RBI and 3 hits, Batting Champion Waylen Sing Chow’s 3 hits and Mason Suga’s 4 hits, McCully hammered 18 hits while pitcher Shaun Kiriu pitched a gutty 6 innings to earn the win in relief of starting pitcher Jim Okano. Van Delos Santos, the Tournament’s Most RBI Award winner, led Daimyo with 5 RBI, a homerun and 3hits in the game while teammate Lance Migita chipped in with 4 hits. McCully won their 1st State AJA Championship since 2000.
Each island was represented by their league champion, supplemented by all stars. Hawaii was represented by the Keaukaha Warriors, Kauai by the Kalaheo Homesteaders, Maui by Daimyo and Oahu by McCully.
In the consolation game on Sunday, the Keaukaha Warriors led by Shannon Camero, Thad Estrada and Alton Penrose with 3 hits each, defeated the Kalaheo Farmers 16 to 6. The game’s highlight was Kalaheo Farmers’ Robbie Correa’s pinch hit grand slam homerun off former major league pitcher Onan Masaoka as the last batter of the game.
McCully advanced to the Championship game by earlier defeating the Kalaheo Farmers of Kauai 8 to 2 on Saturday April 6 behind 4 hits by Jaryd Maeda and Nick Wong’s homerun. Kalaheo was led by Jason Koga’s 3 hits.
Daimyo got to the Championship game by beating the Keaukaha Warriors of the Big Island 13 to 6 led by Lance Migita’s 3 hits, aided by 7 other players pairing hits and Allen Castro’s complete game pitching performance. Shaye Miura had 2 hits and homerun for the Warriors.
The Tournament’s Opening Ceremony honored the 70th Anniversary of the 442 Regimental Combat Team (RCT) with veterans of the 442 RCT, the 100th Infantry Battalion, Military Intelligence Service and the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Also honored were long time AJA Baseball volunteers Wendell Koga and Bert Yasui for their 41 and 37 years of service respectively.