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Pono Kong and Kupono Barkdull combined on a four-hitter as No. 1 Kamehameha broke a scoreless duel with two runs in the top of the seventh inning, then held on for a 2-1 win over No. 5 Saint Louis on Wednesday at Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park.
Kamehameha improved to 5-0 in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play, notching its second one-run win over Saint Louis in four days. The Warriors widened their gap in the league standings. Defending state champion Saint Louis dropped to 2-3 in ILH action. Also trailing Kamehameha are Mid-Pacific (2-0-2, Pac-Five (3-1), Punahou (2-1-1) and ‘Iolani (1-3-1). Punahou and Mid-Pacific played to a 7-all tie on Wednesday with the game called due to darkness.
“I respect everybody in the league. I really do, but we’ve got to worry about ourselves. We have a hard enough time worrying about ourselves,” Kamehameha coach Daryl Kitagawa said. “Our league’s so tough. I’ve been in it a long time as a player and a coach. I know how tough it is.”
At one point due to the two-week Kona-low weather crisis, Saint Louis did not play a game for 25 days. In the past eight days, the Crusaders edged ‘Iolani, 3-2, lost to Mid-Pacific, 10-7, and Kamehameha, 3-2, then beat Maryknoll, 13-0, and Rio Americano (Calif.), 11-3, before the rematch with Kamehameha.
“We fought to the end,” Saint Louis coach Benny Agbayani said.
Kamehameha’s Kong and Saint Louis’ Kekai Perreira struggled early on a windy, sunny afternoon at CORP. The Crusaders had at least one runner on in all of the first four innings, but Kong bore down and tossed five scoreless innings with two hits, five strikeouts and three walks.
His slider-curve was effective and his change-up, which breaks inside and down on right-handed hitters, was masterful. He didn’t figure in the decision, but turned in one a gritty performance.
“It all comes from our pitching development here at Kamehameha. Day in, day out, working hard. Coach Ash (Kuhaulua) taught me the change-up,” Kong said. “Great team win. I didn’t have my best stuff, but the boys showed up and I’m just glad we got the win.”
In a game of defensive gems, the first one as crucial as any. Saint Louis had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the first when Nalu Antone sent a fly ball to center. Kaikea Patoc-Young made the grab and rocketed a throw home to catcher Kino Adams, who tagged sliding Colten Silva to end the inning. Patoc-Young is a starting pitcher when he’s not patrolling the outfield.
“That was a beautiful play. Our guys want to play. They love baseball,” Warriors coach Daryl Kitagawa said. “We need every single one of our guys.”
In the first four innings, Perreira walked four and hit one batter, but stranded six Kamehameha base runners.
In the top of the seventh, Perreira walked pinch hitter Kaleb Flores and yielded to relief pitcher Trycen Kaimiola. After sacrifice bunts by Jace Akiona and Coen Sardinha, Ryeder Takahashi doubled to left-center, plating Flores for the game’s first run.
Iona Uyehara then faced Kaimiola, a former teammate with Kado Baseball. The at-bat lasted 16 pitches, including eight foul balls after the count reached two strikes. Finally, Uyehara hit a hard grounder to first base that took a crazy hop and soared over the first baseman, Jonah Brub.
Uyehara’s singled brought Takahashi home from second base for a 2-0 lead.
“We’re lucky. It was a lucky hop. We got a fortunate break and we needed it,” Kitagawa said. “He’s not the prototypical third hitter, but he’s a grinder and he’s got some intestinal fortitude.”
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Drake Kenui (2-for-3) lined a single to center with one out. After Chase Kawakami flew out to center, pinch hitter Dane Kaaihue sent a line drive down the left-field line. Kenui stopped at third base, and when the throw to second was low, Kenui raced home.
Barkdull kept it basic, challenging pinch-hitter Isaiah Poloa. On a 1-1 count, Poloa lined out to first, ending the game.
Perreira allowed one run on two hits in six innings with one strikeout, seven walks and one hit batter. Kaimiola took the loss, permitting one run and two hits in one inning.
Barkdull got the win. The southpaw allowed one unearned run on two hits with one strikeout and a hit batter in two innings.
Hawaii Prep World
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Kamehameha improved to 5-0 in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play, notching its second one-run win over Saint Louis in four days. The Warriors widened their gap in the league standings. Defending state champion Saint Louis dropped to 2-3 in ILH action. Also trailing Kamehameha are Mid-Pacific (2-0-2, Pac-Five (3-1), Punahou (2-1-1) and ‘Iolani (1-3-1). Punahou and Mid-Pacific played to a 7-all tie on Wednesday with the game called due to darkness.
“I respect everybody in the league. I really do, but we’ve got to worry about ourselves. We have a hard enough time worrying about ourselves,” Kamehameha coach Daryl Kitagawa said. “Our league’s so tough. I’ve been in it a long time as a player and a coach. I know how tough it is.”
At one point due to the two-week Kona-low weather crisis, Saint Louis did not play a game for 25 days. In the past eight days, the Crusaders edged ‘Iolani, 3-2, lost to Mid-Pacific, 10-7, and Kamehameha, 3-2, then beat Maryknoll, 13-0, and Rio Americano (Calif.), 11-3, before the rematch with Kamehameha.
“We fought to the end,” Saint Louis coach Benny Agbayani said.
Kamehameha’s Kong and Saint Louis’ Kekai Perreira struggled early on a windy, sunny afternoon at CORP. The Crusaders had at least one runner on in all of the first four innings, but Kong bore down and tossed five scoreless innings with two hits, five strikeouts and three walks.
His slider-curve was effective and his change-up, which breaks inside and down on right-handed hitters, was masterful. He didn’t figure in the decision, but turned in one a gritty performance.
“It all comes from our pitching development here at Kamehameha. Day in, day out, working hard. Coach Ash (Kuhaulua) taught me the change-up,” Kong said. “Great team win. I didn’t have my best stuff, but the boys showed up and I’m just glad we got the win.”
In a game of defensive gems, the first one as crucial as any. Saint Louis had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the first when Nalu Antone sent a fly ball to center. Kaikea Patoc-Young made the grab and rocketed a throw home to catcher Kino Adams, who tagged sliding Colten Silva to end the inning. Patoc-Young is a starting pitcher when he’s not patrolling the outfield.
“That was a beautiful play. Our guys want to play. They love baseball,” Warriors coach Daryl Kitagawa said. “We need every single one of our guys.”
In the first four innings, Perreira walked four and hit one batter, but stranded six Kamehameha base runners.
In the top of the seventh, Perreira walked pinch hitter Kaleb Flores and yielded to relief pitcher Trycen Kaimiola. After sacrifice bunts by Jace Akiona and Coen Sardinha, Ryeder Takahashi doubled to left-center, plating Flores for the game’s first run.
Iona Uyehara then faced Kaimiola, a former teammate with Kado Baseball. The at-bat lasted 16 pitches, including eight foul balls after the count reached two strikes. Finally, Uyehara hit a hard grounder to first base that took a crazy hop and soared over the first baseman, Jonah Brub.
Uyehara’s singled brought Takahashi home from second base for a 2-0 lead.
“We’re lucky. It was a lucky hop. We got a fortunate break and we needed it,” Kitagawa said. “He’s not the prototypical third hitter, but he’s a grinder and he’s got some intestinal fortitude.”
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Drake Kenui (2-for-3) lined a single to center with one out. After Chase Kawakami flew out to center, pinch hitter Dane Kaaihue sent a line drive down the left-field line. Kenui stopped at third base, and when the throw to second was low, Kenui raced home.
Barkdull kept it basic, challenging pinch-hitter Isaiah Poloa. On a 1-1 count, Poloa lined out to first, ending the game.
Perreira allowed one run on two hits in six innings with one strikeout, seven walks and one hit batter. Kaimiola took the loss, permitting one run and two hits in one inning.
Barkdull got the win. The southpaw allowed one unearned run on two hits with one strikeout and a hit batter in two innings.
Hawaii Prep World
For high school sports record books, visit .
Continue reading...
