Staten Island's Little League World Series team faced off against another high-scoring undefeated team Wednesday evening.
But with a hurricane moving towards Hawaii, Honolulu's Sean Yamaguchi cracked a ball more than 200 feet away to give everyone back home a reason to celebrate.
Sean Yamaguchi hit the first grand slam of the Little League World Series and Hawaii pitched 4.1 shutout innings as Honolulu crushed Mid-Island, 10-0, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to push Staten Island to the brink of elimination.
Honolulu's biggest power threat, Yamaguchi stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the second with Mid-Island starter Chris Bedford already faltering. Down 2-0 and having hit three batters in the game, Bedford faced bases loaded and nobody out.
Bedford hurled a breaking ball, up near the letters and on the outside part of the plate, hoping to dance his way out of Staten Island's biggest jam of the tournament.
Instead, Yamaguchi went with the pitch, hitting a towering fly ball that cleared the wall by less than ten feet, sending his jovial teammates to the mound to mob him and giving Hawaii residents a major reason to smile as emergency preparations were getting under way.
Hawaii residents emptied store shelves Wednesday, claimed the last sheets of plywood to board up windows, and drained gas pumps as Hurricane Lane churned toward the state.
The category 4 storm could slam into the islands Thursday with winds exceeding 100 mph, making it the most powerful storm to hit Hawaii since Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
Back in Pennsylvania, the Little Leaguers pushed through their concerns and got off to a fast start against Staten Island.
Fresh off dropping eight runs against Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores of Michigan in their last game Sunday, Honolulu Little League struck early Wednesday thanks to shaky defense and Bedford's command issues.
With two runners on in the bottom of the first, centerfielder Jace Souza chopped a pitch that Mid-Island second baseman Gregory Bruno bobbled and ended up throwing away, allowing John De La Cruz to score the first run from third.
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Bedford plunked back-to-back Honolulu hitters soon after to drive in a run, putting Hawaii up 2-0.
Honolulu put the finishing touches on the win in the bottom of the fifth inning, when a John Calabrese wild pitch allowed the tenth run to score from third, implementing the mercy rule.
The thumping marked Mid-Island's first loss in the tournament and qualifying. It had won 17 consecutive games before Honolulu crushed them.
Bedford lasted just one inning and was charged with five earned runs on four hits, two walks, and three hit baseman.
Hawaii starter Aukai Kea was dominant, allowing just a single hit, a walk, and a hit batter in 4.1 innings pitched. He struck out six Staten Island players.
Staten Island will face Peachtree City American Little League of Georgia in an elimination game Thursday night. If New York wins that game, it will advance to the United States Championship Game on Saturday afternoon. Honolulu awaits the winner of the Mid-Island- Peachtree City battle.