SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT — The boys from Waipahu, Hawaii, dig the long ball.

Iolana Akau homered in his first action since getting hit by a pitch, and Pikai Winchester went deep twice as Hawaii moved on at the Little League World Series with a 9-4 win Wednesday night over Mill Creek, Wash.

Next stop for the hitting Hawaiians: the U.S. finals on Saturday.

Tokyo clinched a berth in the international finals after beating Willemstad, Curacao, 11-4. The matchups in both brackets won't be set until after Thursday night's games.

It looks as though Akau will be suiting up for the finals no matter the opponent. He played his first game since getting drilled in the left elbow on Friday, and he wore a padded sleeve on the arm during his first at-bat for added protection.

Akau didn't miss a beat.

With Hawaii trailing 2-0, Tanner Tokunaga tied the game in the bottom of the first with a two run-homer to left. Later, Winchester reached on an error to bring up Akau, whose homer off a 1-2 pitch from Derrick Mahlum rattled off the brick wall just beyond the center-field fence.

Akau couldn't hide his glee, pumping his right arm high in the air several times as he circled the bases.

"When I got to bat I was kind of nervous. I didn't get a hit because I got beaned the first time," said Akau, who had an ice pack on his sore arm.

Winchester has three homers and eight RBIs in the tournament.