Three runs in the nick of time, and the Damien Monarchs are defying all doubters. Of course, not a lot of folks thought Damien would be in this position. The Monarchs finished second to St. Francis in the ILH Division II regular season, which meant the Saints got a favorable status in the postseason. Damien not only had to win the ILH D-II tournament, but would have to win two games in a row against St. Francis to claim the […]
It was a string of missed opportunities by the Saint Louis Crusaders and Kamehameha Warriors on Tuesday night. The ILH baseball tournament title was on the line, a 5-all game, with Saint Louis needing a win to continue its quest for a league title. But they stranded a runner at third base in the top of the fifth against Christian DeJesus, who had replaced starter Kamahao Arita. Kamehameha went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth against Crusaders starter Chase […]
It starts with the coaches. On one side, you have Corey Ishigo. On the other, it’s Rory Pico. Once, they were gritty second basemen for the University of Hawaii baseball team. Now, they’re gritty, no-nonsense coaches. To put it more clearly, they are baseball men through and through, and their players are true reflections of what they bring to the table … and diamond. Those coaches had their teams ready on Saturday in the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship game and […]
In the high-powered arms race of baseball, even the mightiest arsenal wants every competitive edge. In the midst of the ILH Division I baseball tournament, with Saint Louis and Kamehameha playing for the title on Tuesday thanks to the Crusaders’ 2-0 win on Saturday, fans are seeing the rough equivalent of a championship series. Saint Louis has a row of offensive weapons and, as Punahou coach Keenan Sue remarked last week, the best defensive infield in the state. Put Chase […]
If there was ever a wall that made for a obstacle in the life of this season’s Damien Monarchs baseball team, it would be the one they’re trying to climb right now. Damien came through with a gritty, everyone-all-in 9-6 victory over regular-season champion St. Francis on Saturday, which kept the Monarchs’ postseason hopes alive. Unlike the ILH’s Division I baseball chase, which leads to two state-tournament berths, the D-II scramble provides just one state berth. That means Damien’s win, […]
Kailua coach Corey Ishigo talked plainly about Jalen Ah Yat after Thursday’s win. “Jalen is a leader on our team,” Ishigo said. “Whatever he does, the team will do. It’s not just with his actions on the field. It’s also his personality. He’s the glue to the team.” Ah Yat went 3-for-4 and drove in Cody Riturban with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning to push the Surfriders past visiting Pearl City 3-2 in the Oahu […]
Today at Moanalua, Scott Yamada will be the skipper on one bench against his former player, Peter Arakawa, the first-year head coach in the Pearl City dugout. The two teams play in the Oahu Interscholastic Association consolation semifinals, but more than a consolation prize is available. The winner will make the Division I state tournament. The loser will be done for the season. With one-run losses on Thursday, Na Menehune and the Chargers barely missed making the league quarterfinals and […]
Not long ago — March 23, to be exact — Dylan Lum pitched perhaps his finest game of the season. The Saint Louis senior went the distance against Kamehameha, allowing no earned runs and just four hits, but it wasn’t enough. The Warriors won 1-0 and went on to secure first place in the ILH baseball regular-season standings, along with an automatic state-tournament berth. Turn the page to April 12, and Lum showed no signs of decline. In fact, the […]