Daniel Bolduc's gambit worked out in a big way for Central East Maui.
The manager of the West Region representative in the Little League World Series pulled ace left-hander Evan Tavares early in the hopes of saving him for later in the tournament, and three relievers were just enough to hold down a 3-1 win over New England champion Salem, N.H., on Day 1 of competition in South Williamsport, Pa., on Wednesday.
Hits by Hayden Takahashi and Eassie Miller helped give Central East Maui a 3-0 lead through one inning and four pitchers combined on a one-hitter.
Tavares, coming off a gem in the West Region championship, struck out all seven batters he faced but reached the 35-pitch threshold soon after play resumed from a rain delay in the third inning. Bolduc made the call to swap him out for Kanon Nakama so he'd get the talented Tavares back for the team's next game Friday.
The Kahului-based team of 11- and 12-year-olds, which has garnered attention for hailing from an island still recovering from the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires, just needed to hold on to remain unblemished in the double-elimination format.
"The environment's huge for everybody, so you never know how they're going to react mentally in that situation," Bolduc said after the win.
New Hampshire got one run off Nakama in the fifth. Kamalei Leynes-Santos got out of the inning and recorded the first out of the sixth, a strikeout, but loaded the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Bolduc brought in Brextyn “Bam Bam” Kamaha‘o Hong in a tough spot and New Hampshire’s Grayson Buckley turned on the third pitch he saw. The sharp liner went straight to third baseman Miller, who snared it and stepped on the bag for the game-ending double play.
Central East Maui now faces Hinsdale, Ill., of the Great Lakes Region at 9 a.m. Hawaii time Friday at Lamade Stadium. Great Lakes, along with six of the 10 U.S. regional champs, had a bye on Wednesday.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.