In a stunning display of postseason grit, the Pac-Five Wolf Pack have written their own Cinderella story, dismantling top-seeded Waiakea 8-0 in the semifinals of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Division I State Baseball Tournament. The victory, which took place Friday at Les Murakami Stadium, not only propels the Wolf Pack into today’s championship face-off against Mililani but also marks their very first appearance in the Division I bracket—a feat that echoes the legendary runs of the Molokai Farmers from the late '90s.
While Waiakea entered the game as a state tournament powerhouse with five consecutive semifinal wins, a 2022 title, and last year’s runner-up finish, Pac-Five arrived as the ultimate underdog. Comprised of players from smaller ILH schools that can’t field their own teams, the Wolf Pack have embraced their role as outsiders. “I was 7 years old in 2000, so I have no idea about the Molokai Farmers,” laughed Pac-Five coach Reyn Sugai. “All I know is that this is a special group. They came up together, bought into playing for each other, and turned this program around. It’s truly something special.”
The game’s defining moment came early, with an electric first inning that set the tone for the entire contest. Waiakea starter Hurley Soong allowed just one ball in play on his second pitch, but that was the last easy out he’d get. Alika Ahu led off with a single to center, followed by a walk to Jaxon Cadiz. Soong struck out the next two batters on six pitches, but then walked three straight—Keaka Bennett, Noah Keitzer, and Colten Gallano—forcing in two runs before finally striking out Thomas Mitchell to escape the bases-loaded jam. The damage was done, and Soong needed 40 pitches just to get back to the dugout.
Meanwhile, Ahu—who had texted his coach the night before asking for the ball—was a strike-throwing machine. He needed just 14 pitches in the bottom half of the first, 13 of them for strikes, and the tone was set. The Wolf Pack added to their lead in the second when Ahu singled past shortstop to score Titan Dixon, then raced to third after a misplay in left field. He was later judged to have left third base early on a sacrifice fly by Cadiz, but by then, the damage was done.
Ahu was simply dominant, holding the Warriors to just two hits while striking out eight and walking only one. He was pulled in the final inning of the blowout, giving way to Noah Keitzer, who pitched around two walks to close out a scoreless seventh. “I only care about winning the game, to be honest,” Ahu said. “We had to stay focused and make sure we didn’t let up. It just goes to show that our defense and pitching is pretty scrappy. We don’t have much arms, we just go out there and trust our defense and play hard.”
Pac-Five broke the game open for good in the sixth inning, when pinch hitter Brayden Bello drew a bases-loaded walk after Waiakea’s third pitching change. For a team that had never been here before, the Wolf Pack are proving that heart and hustle can carry you a long way—and maybe all the way to a championship.