Central East Maui’s All-Star squad is bringing a championship back to the Valley Isle.
The team of 12- and 13-year-olds stormed to the U.S. Intermediate Division title with a 7–3 comeback win over Louisiana on Saturday night at Max Baer Park in Livermore, California.
Louisiana jumped out to a 3–0 lead, but Maui refused to blink. A five-run explosion in the fourth inning flipped the game on its head, and two more in the fifth sealed it. Pitchers Hayden Takahashi and Evan Tavares kept the Louisiana bats in check, holding them to just three runs.
The victory came just days after Maui blanked the same Louisiana squad 7–0, a game highlighted by three home runs, including a grand slam from Tavares. “I thought it was a pop fly, but it ended up going over the fence,” he said with a grin. “I was super happy.”
The roster, Brextyn Hong, Cam Kaneshiro, Gabriel Laloulu, Kamalei Leynes-Santos, Kolten Magno, Eassie “Kaiehu” Miller, Kanon Nakama, Gauge Pacheco, Jet Pontes, Takahashi, Kellen Takamura, Tavares, and Matthew Yang, represents multiple Maui schools, proving talent runs deep across the island. Coaches Kory Takamura and Lester Nakama, along with manager Brendan Fujii, guided the group to glory.
While the U.S. crown was theirs, the world title slipped away. Facing Venezuela in the International Championship, Maui plated seven runs in the first inning, but Venezuela roared back for a 12–7 win. Still, for Central East Maui, 2025 will be remembered as the summer they conquered the nation.