Game 4
Mililani (12-3) vs. Pearl City (9-7)
FINAL: Mililani 3, Pearl City 1
Trenton Darley, a 5-7 right-hander, will start for Pearl City. Koa Eastlack, the 6-0 junior lefty, will go for Mililani.
Dane Kaneshiro gets a two-out hit in the second inning but that’s it as Eastlack rolls up four strikeouts over the first two frames.
TOP 4: Kaimana Souza-Paaluhi absolutely crushes a ball over the fence in right, pulling a solo home run to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead. Impressive looking swing. Trojans follow that up with a base hit and eventually score a second run after an errant pickoff throw at second and a wild pitch on a strikeout. Jarin Morikawa with a two-out double to put runners on second and third but the Chargers are out of it.
TOP 6: A two-out walk to Adam Connell turns into a Mililani run as Connell steals second and then scores on a clutch single up the middle by Morikawa, who has two hits. Darley is done after 103 pitches. He goes a solid 5 2/3 innings but leaves with the Chargers down 3-0. Darley 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K.
BOTTOM 6: Dane Kaneshiro gets a double to fall with two outs but Eastlack throws some nasty breaking balls to get the strikeout to get out of the inning.
TOP 7: Sam Prentice, a freshman left fielder for the Chargers, makes a great running over-the-shoulder catch to rob Souza-Paaluhi of extra bases. He saves a run as Pearl City turns the 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Chargers down to final three outs.
BOT 7: Shaye Higa opens with a double down the left-field line. Ryne Tokunaga, who runs for Higa, moves to third on the groundout as Morikawa makes a great snag of a ball that took a tough bounce near second to make the out. Tyler Kushima scores the run with a groundout to short, but that’s two outs and it’s over.
Eastlack allows three hits and three walks with seven strikeouts as the Trojans move on to play third-seeded Baldwin on Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastlack is now 6-0 this year.
Game 3
Kamehameha (10-7) vs. Kaiser (9-6)
FINAL: Kam 9, Kais 4
Kamehameha will start 6-foot-5 right-hander Codie Paiva against Kaiser senior Noah Sakatani.
TOP 1: Sakatani is wild early and walks the first two batters. Catcher Kekai Rios, who has signed with UH, singles to left to bring in the first run. Clean line-drive single. Codie Paiva finds a hole with a grounder through the left side and Kahoea Akau scores to make it 2-0. Brandon Henderson brings in another run with a sacrifice fly to center.
BOT 1: Luis Omphroy singles to lead off after getting ahead 2-0 and scores on a one-out double to right by catcher Emmett Covello. The Cougars add a second run when Micah McNicolls turn at second on a potential double play is low and bounces away from Henderson at first, allowing the runner from third to score.
TOP 2: Kamehameha gets one-out singles by Micah McNicoll and Matthew Yokota. Rios draws a two-out walk and a wild pitch allows a run score. Paiva now draws a walk to load the bases and Chance Arakaki gets an RBI infield single to first when Sakatani fails to cover the base. Henderson with a two-run single back up the middle to make it 7-2.
BOT 4: Kamehameha brought in Hunter Breault to start the third inning after Paiva gave up five hits and two runs in two innings. He’s clean until the fourth when he walks two consecutive guys with two outs. Covello makes him pay with his second double of the game, a two-out opposite field shot to left to bring in two. It’s 7-4.
TOP 6: Warriors score for the first time in four innings on pinch-hitter Revan Wong’s RBI double. Cacal tries to score from first but is out 8-6-2. Wong takes third on the throw home and scores on a bunt single by Micah McNicoll.
Breault gives Kamehameha a solid 3 1/3 innings before giving way to Taylor Torres with one out and nobody on in the bottom of the sixth.
Game 2
Moanalua (10-6) vs. Maui (11-4)
FINAL: Moan 5, Maui 1
Tanner Inouye, a 5-11 junior right-hander, gets the start for Na Menehune. He walks Micah Jio to start the game but his defense bails him out behind him with the 4-6-3 double play.
Parker Maxwell, a 6-0 lefty, gets the ball for Maui. The first grounder is off the glove of the third baseman for an error and Moanalua gets going early. Nicholas Enrico executes a hit-and-run perfectly singling to the opposite field. Runners are in motion again and the catcher, Kekaulike Kalua, singles into left field to bring home Adam Tanoue for the first run. An errant pickoff throw by Maxwell moves the runners into scoring position and Kenji Yamaguchi drives in the second run with a sacrifice fly. Andrew Oasay adds a two-out RBI double to make it 3-0.
TOP 2: Maui center fielder Kingsley Ballao with a good looking swing to lead off with a double off the wall in right. He gets caught in a rundown 1-6-5 for the first out. Right fielder Brandon Yonashiro gets the Sabers on the board with a two-out triple to right to score Logan Cabrera, who just beats the tag.
BOT 2: Maui makes a pitching change as Cabrera, the DH, goes to the mound in relief of Maxwell, who gave up three unearned runs in the first inning on four hits. Cabrera gives up a leadoff single but gets a 6-4-3 double play and is again bailed out by a double play in the third after hitting a batter.
TOP 4: Inouye has retired seven straight since the two-out triple. He gets a strikeout of Ballao looking after Ballao missed a home run that went foul. Kid can hit.
BOT 4: Speaking of kids that can hit, Oasay, the 5-11 freshman right fielder for Moanalua, goes one-hop off the right-center wall for a leadoff triple. Jerred Soriano with a slow roller in front of the mound and Oasay beats the throw home to make it 4-1. Dilan Casupang adds an RBI triple over the head of a drawn-in outfield in right for another run.
TOP 5: Maui gets a leadoff double and a single and loads the bases but can’t cross a run as Inouye gets a 5-4-3 double play behind him to get out of the jam.
TOP 6: Sabers strand two more after Inouye gets a pop out with Marshall Mindono on second (hit) and Kingsley Ballao on first (HBP).
BOT 6: Micah Jio ends the sixth with a great dive and throw from deep in the hole at short to rob Kalua of reaching base for a fourth time. Dez Oki-Takahashi in for Moanalua to try and close out the win.
Maui gets the leadoff guy on by error but Oki-Takahashi gets a 4-6-3 double play. Kalon Medeiros and pinch-hitter Sale Ioakimi single to put two on. Jio walks to load the bases but a ground out end it.
Tanner Inouye gets the win for Na Menehune, allowing one run on four hits in six innings with one walk and one strikeout. Moanalua will play No. 1 seed Campbell on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Leading hitters—Moan: Oasay 2-3, 2b, 3b, run, RBI; Randy Tabura 2-3; Dillan Capusang 2-3, 3b, RBI. Maui: Kingsley Ballao 1-2, 2b; Kaipo Paschoal 1-3, 2b; Brandon Yonashiro 1-2, RBI.
Game 1
Kailua (12-3) vs. Waiakea (9-3)
FINAL: Waiakea 4, Kailua 3
The opening game of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships is underway. The Division I tourney has BIIF runner-up Waiakea facing OIA third-place finisher Kailua. The Surfriders have been a Top 10 unit all season, the first-place team from the Red East. The Warriors won the regular season in the BIIF, then lost in the tournament semifinal round.
First inning
The Surfriders get two runners on base via base hit and walk, but Waiakea starter Makoa Andres fans Dalton Kalama on a high heater, then chases Brendan Odo between first and second base before throwing to first baseman Ryder Oshiro for the tag and the third out in an attempted double steal by Kailua.
Two walks and a hit batter by Kailua freshman Stone Parker give Waiakea a chance to score in the bottom of the first, but Andres, the pitcher, grounds into a 4-6 fielder’s choice to end the threat. Still no score after one.
Second inning
Kailua benefits from two more walks by Andres, and Keiki Kanahele-Santos delivers a clutch, two-out single up the middle to score Noah Auld from third base. On the same play, Noah Ah Yat scores from second when the throw from center field takes a hop and caroms off the chest of Andres, the cutoff man. The ball bounds into foul ground and Ah Yat scores easily. KAIL 2, WAIK 0.
Waiakea gets on the scoreboard in somewhat odd fashion. Parker hits two batters, and after a wild pitch moves them into scoring position, he balks on a 3-1 pitch to Gehrig Octavio. (Great name.) Bryce Felipe advances home for the Warriors’ first run. KAIL 2, WAIK 1.
Third inning
Waiakea’s first two hits of the game convert into the tying and go-ahead runs. Taylor Mondina triples to deep center and Caleb Freitas-Fields socks a ground-rule double over the wall in the right-field corner. The wind carried that ball quite a way. That ties the game. Isaiah Kaeo-Cash replaces Parker, and three batters later, pinch hitter Anthony Benevides sends a sac fly to center, scoring Freitas-Fields with the go-ahead run. WAIK 3, KAIL 2.
Fourth inning
Surfriders threaten after Daniel Thomas reaches base on a passed ball (strikeout) and Keiki Kanahele-Santos gets hit by a pitch. But Andres perseveres and gets Kanahele-Santos to pop out to first, ending the threat.
Kaeo-Cash sets the Warriors down in order: leadoff man Nathan Minami (groundout), Octavio (flyout), Mondina (flyout).
Fifth inning
Andres gets into trouble, allowing a single, hitting a batter and issuing three walks. He escapes and allows just one run — Brendan Odo scored with the bases loaded — on a wild pitch. KAIL 3, WAIK 3.
The Warriors got runners at third and second with one out after Fretias-Fields was hit by pitch and Andres doubles to the wall in left-center. Then they’re foiled on a freak play. The next batter, David Nakamura, sends a foul pop toward the third-base dugout and the runner on third, courtesy runner Jaron Kawaguchi, is called for interference as Kailua’s third baseman gives chase. Tough result for Waiakea, but technically, it’s the right call. Nakamura then pops out in foul ground to the catcher, ending a golden opportunity for the Warriors.
Sixth inning
A Waiakea error to start the inning nearly hands the lead to Kailua. Calvin Uemura replaces Andres and throws a double play (4-6-3) ball and a groundout. Nice work.
Waiakea goes in order in the bottom of the sixth.
Seventh inning
Auld draws a two-out walk, but that’s all the Surfriders muster in the top of the seventh.
The Warriors win it in the bottom half. Uemura reaches base on an infield single, and pinch runner Yokoe comes home on Ryder Oshiro’s triple to the right-field wall. Again, the wind blowing out to right plays a big role in this game. The relay throw home was up the line, but Kailua catcher Dalton Kalama made a great effort to tag Yokoe, who eluded the glove by inches and slid home for the winning run.
FINAL: Waiakea 4, Kailua 3. Waiakea will play Mid-Pacific in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
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