Here’s a capsule story on Punahou’s win over Maryknoll on Saturday, including some notes about the Buffanblu-Saint Louis game won by the Crusaders on Friday.
Punahou 14, Maryknoll 3, 5 innings — Rick Nomura, Ryan Yamane and Matthew Barrett-Wright drilled homers as the top-ranked Buffanblu bounced back from Friday’s loss to Saint Louis.
Nomura and Yamane had two-run homers in the first inning, both splashing into the Ala Wai Canal beyond the right-field fence. The Buffanblu also had run-scoring triples by Jeremy Ioane and Rolenn Himuro in a six-run first inning.
Punahou pitcher Zachery Muenster, one of the stars of last year’s state tournament, took the mound for the first time in the regular season. Muenster came in to start the fourth, allowing a hit and three walks with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.
“His elbow’s been a little tender,” Buffanblu coach Eric Kadooka said of Muenster, who has grown three inches since last season and is now a 6-foot sophomore. “He’s been on a pitch count. He’s got to gather himself a little more. His arm is dragging.”
Punahou is 4-1 in league play. The 8-7 loss to Saint Louis on Friday involved a protest by the Crusaders regarding Punahou’s failure to insert a courtesy runner when a catcher reached base. The rule is an ILH rule, not a national federation rule, and the league rule takes precedence. Saint Louis led 7-1 when a 20-minute discussion about the non-substitution ensued.
Kadooka pointed to the Crusaders’ play as the reason for their win.
“Chris (Chung) threw very well. He always has, but usually we have someone to match him,” he said. “For five innings, he was dominant.”
Saint Louis improved to 4-1.
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