By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — For the first time since 2019, a team from the United States was able to secure the Senior League World Series crown as Pearl City Little League of Pearl City, Hawaii brought home the championship on Saturday with a 5-0 win over Pabao Little League of Willemstad, Curaçao.

The Hawaiian based squad lost its opening game on Aug. 3, only to win five straight games.

After taking down Laredo American Little League of Laredo, Texas, Pearl City began advanced in the loser’s bracket to take on the local S.C. District 1 squad on Wednesday night.

The western regional champions took the lead early in the contest and never let it go with an 11-0 win to eliminate the defending United States champions. Six different Pearl City batters drove in runs in the contest, but Boston Schwager and Ryley Omine led the way driving in seven runs for the Hawaiian squad, including a two-out single from Schwager that put the lead at 11 in the fourth.

Pearl City didn’t get much of a respite as they were forced to take on the Vine-Ingle Little League of Macon, Ga., who had previously beaten them 4-1 to open the tournament. With both team’s fates on the line, Schwager scored the winning run on an error by Vine-Ingle third baseman Kaiden Harvey for a walk-off 3-2 win.

While Schwager was the hero in the win, starting pitcher Kysen Hueu had arguably the biggest impact for the Hawaiian squad pitching a complete game with five strikeouts and just two runs. The Pearl City starter also helped out from the batter’s box going 3-3 and driving in a sixth inning run to tie the game.

The win placed Pearl City into the United States championship game the following day against eastern regional champions Newark National Little League of Newark, Del. The western champions kept their momentum going in a big way as they blasted Newark 12-0.

Schwager dominated from the mound striking out eight Newark batters, while Justin Raine Kamana’o-Bulosan kicked off a six-run seventh inning for the Hawaiian squad to put them into the Senior League World Series championship game.

On Saturday, the western champions had a chance to become the first team since their fellow Hawaiian squad in 2019 to secure a win for the United States in the tournament when they took the Caribbean champions.

Kamana’o-Bulosan set the tone for Pearl City on the mound picking up the complete game shutout for his squad. Kamana’o-Bulosan struck out three Pabao batters, while giving up five hits and a walk in the 5-0 win.

The Hawaiian pitcher also got his team going in the batter’s box with a sacrifice fly in the opening inning to help Pearl City take the early lead. Tytan Takahashi and Hueu provided insurance for the western champions down stretch as they pulled out the championship win.

The win was the fourth all-time for a squad based in Hawaii in the tournament with previous wins coming in 2019, 2011 and 2003.