Moanalua stuns Pearl City with 10th-inning walk-off homer in state baseball thriller
Moanalua secured a dramatic 5-4 victory over Pearl City in the first round of the Wally Yonamine Foundation State Baseball Championships. The game stretched into extra innings before Kyler Fernandez delivered a walk-off home run in the 10th.
Moanalua struck early, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding another in the third. Pearl City fought back with two runs in the fourth and tied the game in the seventh.
In the 10th inning, Noah Medlock ignited the winning rally with a single to left field. A balk then moved him to third base, setting the stage for Fernandez’s heroics. Jackson Hirai had earlier sacrificed to advance Medlock to second, keeping the pressure on Pearl City. Facing a 3-0 pitch from Naden Nihipali, Fernandez launched a home run to left field, driving in Medlock and sealing the 5-4 win. Kallen Kameoka, Moanalua’s starter, threw 112 pitches to keep his team in contention.
The win sends Moanalua to the next round, where they will face Waiakea. Fernandez later spoke about the team’s resilience, highlighting their ability to rally in tough moments. The victory keeps their championship hopes alive.
