Day 1 of the OIA Division I baseball playoffs is here. After a rainy, windy weekend, weather on Monday and today has been comfy. Sunny here at Roosevelt’s home turf at Stevenson Middle School.
Very little foul territory here due to tight quarters in this busy area.
1st
Waianae loads the bases against Hiram Kaikaina, but the right-handed gets Rico Rosario to fly out to center.
Roosevelt scores two runs in the bottom half against Tavita Lalau. Rylan Terakawa leads off with a walk, advances to second on a sac bunt by Jared Tamashiro. Kekoa Lima reached base on an infield single. The pitcher, Kaikaina, singles on a one-hopper off the right-field fence (roughly 275 feet away), scoring Terakawa for the game’s first run. That was on a 1-2 pitch.
Shayne Cazinha’s sac fly to right scores Lima from third. ROOS 2, WAIN 0.
2nd
Kaikaina catches fire, striking out all three batters he faced. Two Seariders whiff on his curve ball.
Rough Riders put two on base as the visitors commit an infield error, but Lalau retires Kaikaina on a fly ball to right for the third out.
3rd
Kaikaina sets Waianae down 1-2-3.
Cazinha leads off for RHS with an infield single and Zack Harano reaches on a hit-and-run infield single to second. Nice execution by Roosevelt and it has to be frustrating for any pitcher.
Thane Kim lines a single to left and the LF botched the hop. Cazinha and Harano score as the ball bounces all the way to the fence. RHS 4, WHS 0.
Kim goes to third base on a wild pitch and scores on a sac fly to left by Terakawa. ROOS 5, WAIN 0.
Koby Brown, who had walked before Terakawa’s at-bat, is thrown out at second base on a steal attempt.
4th
The Seariders get on the board. Kalei Chun singles to right and Braiden Ayala lines a single off Kaikaina’s leg. Rosario follows with a single to left, plating Chun. ROOS 5, WAIN 1.
After Ejay Kuakini strikes out on a called third strike (curve), Iokepa Kaauwai hits a grounder to third, where the 3B (Harano) elects to tag Ayala, who is running from second to third. But Harano misses the tag, bases now loaded.
Thomas Kaauwai then drops a squeeze bunt on the first-base side of the mound. Nobody covering first, Kaikaina has no choice but to try an awkward toss home, and Ayala slides home safely. ROOS 5, WAIN 2.
Colttin Nash-Santiago drills a 3-2 fastball to left-center, clearing the bases. What a rally. WAIN 5, ROOS 5.
Rough Riders get a baserunner on via another. Waianae infield error. Courtesy runner steals second base, but he is stranded.
5th
Chun leads off with a single to left, advances to second on Ayala’s sac bunt and steals third while Kaikaina stares as his catcher. Throw to third by Kaikaina is too late, but Chun gets tagged out moments later by 3B (Harano) when 1B Cazinha fields a grounder by Rosario and rifles a bullet across the diamond. Big boo-boo. Not the typical fielder’s choice.
Lalau retires Roosevelt 1-2-3. That’s six of the last seven batters, and the exception was an error.
6th
Nash-Santiago reaches on a two-out, bad-hop grounder that eludes the glove of Harano at third base. Kaikaina then goes back to his wicked curve ball and whiffs Austin Keliinoi-Westbrook. Kaikaina has eight K’s and just one walk.
Bottom of the sixth: Terakawa one-out single to left. Jared Tamashiro with a tiny bloop toward second base, scooped up by Lalau, whose throw to first misses. Terakawa races to third base. Lima sends a 2-0 pitch down the right-field line for a sac fly, scoring Terakawa from third. The catcher, Earl Young, throws out Tamashiro at second.
7th
Kaikaina sets the Seariders down 1-2-3. The junior scattered eight hits, fanned nine and walked one for a complete-game win.
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