Honokaa shuts down Damien to claim D-II baseball title

Josyah Napoleon-Umeda and his Honokaa teammates came for the Monarchs, and they didn’t miss. Napoleon-Umeda struck out nine batters and didn’t allow a run to beat Damien 3-0 for the Wally Yonamine Foundation Division II state baseball championship on Saturday at Les Murakami Stadium. The Dragons were undefeated in 17 contests this season but still went into the game overlooked because the team in the other dugout is state royalty in Division II baseball.

Honokaa had won only one game on the biggest stage, and that came way back in 2009. The Monarchs, on the other hand, had ruled for two years and sported an 18-2 record in the state tournament, with their only losses coming in championship games. Their state winning percentage of 86% remains the highest in state tournament history, ahead of Maryknoll (83%) and Punahou (82%).

That made the victory all that much sweeter for the scrappy lads from the Big Island and their little lefty. “We wanted to play the best and beat the best,” Honokaa coach Waylon Salazar said. “It’s just a blessing, good stuff for the kids.

We are just super blessed with a super blessed team. ” Napoleon-Umeda allowed only three hits and three walks and never let a Monarch pass second base. His 104th pitch was a weak ground ball to first baseman Rory Crabbe, who ended the Damien dynasty by himself before the Dragons converged on him for the celebration.