By JOE FERRARO
By JOE FERRARO
Stephens Media
Lloyd Fujino wanted to give Kea Miyahira-Young a “confidence boost.”
Fujino said Miyahira-Young, a reserve on Konawaena’s baseball team, had been struggling at the plate lately. So the Wildcats’ manager put Miyahira-Young in the Wildcats’ starting lineup for the team’s Big Island Interscholastic Federation game at Kealakehe, hoping to boost the sophomore’s ego.
Miyahira-Young responded positively, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and leading a productive bottom half of Konawaena’s batting order in the Wildcats’ 13-7 victory over the Wildcats.
“They told me to clutch it up,’’ Miyahira-Young said of the Wildcats’ coaching staff. “They said to look for my pitch (and hit it).’’
Miyahira-Young highlighted a four-run second inning by grounding a two-run single to center. He then added an RBI single in a six-run third inning as Konawaena (2-0) jumped out to a 10-1 lead over Kealakehe (1-2).
“Kea was a little bit weak on the hitting,’’ Fujino said. “He wasn’t too confident. I had to put him in the lineup to break that confidence barrier.’’
Miyahira-Young and the rest of the players in the bottom half of the Wildcats’ lineup started Konawaena’s big second and third innings.
The team’s Nos. 5-9 batters — Jarrett Kitaoka, Evyn Yamaguchi, Ryan Torres-Torioka, Kea Miyahira-Young and Jordan Miyahira-Young — went 5-for-12 with five RBIs and eight runs scored.
“It’s really important because it shows not only can our front four hit, but the rest of the team can hit, too,’’ Torres-Torioka said.
The top four hitters in Konawaena’s lineup helped the Wildcats tack on what turned out to be much-needed insurance runs.
Kealakehe scored four runs in the fifth inning, taking advantage of three walks and two Konawaena errors to pull within 11-7.
But the Wildcats essentially put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh on cleanup hitter Kileona Manzano’s two-out, two-run double to right-center.
Manzano went 2-for-5, while No. 2 hitter Domonic Morris was 2-for-4, with both players driving in three runs. Konawaena’s No. 3 hitter, senior Makana Canda, chipped in a two-run single in the third inning, while leadoff hitter Race Gustafson turned three walks into three runs scored.
The offensive production was more than enough for Jordan Miyahira-Young, who earned the win. In three innings, the sophomore gave up one run on seven hits, walking none and striking out three.
Konawaena jumped out to a big lead against Zaynan Sanchez, who took the loss after pitching 1 2/3 innings. He allowed nine runs — eight earned — on six hits, walking four batters and hitting two.
In relief, junior Keith Pabre kept the Waveriders in contention, leaning on a sharp curveball to keep Konawaena off-balance in the middle innings. In 3 1/3 innings, Pabre yielded two runs on three hits. He struck out one and walked three.
“I think he did very well,’’ Kealakehe manager Louis Garcia said. “I was very impressed.’’
Offensively, Sanchez went 2-for-4 with three RBIs as the team’s No. 9 hitter.
However, Garcia thought the team could have done better offensively with men on base.
Of the 12 runners the Waveriders stranded, eight were in scoring position.
“That was the difference in the game,’’ Garcia said.
Konawaena 046 010 2 — 13 10 4
Kealakehe 010 240 0 — 7 9 2
Hawaii Prep 12, Kohala 1: Senior Kai Fink pitched a complete-game two-hitter for host HPA, which improved to 3-0.
Fink struck out five batters and walked just two in a game that ended after five innings because of the league’s 10-run mercy rule.
The Ka Makani jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run single by sophomore Mike Nakahara, who finished 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.
Sophomore Zane Gray also went 3-for-3, lining a two-run single in HPA’s five-run fourth inning before roping a triple earlier in the contest.
Senior Jayse Bannister was 3-for-4 with a double.
Junior Jeremiah Kanehailua suffered the loss for the Cowboys (0-2) after pitching three-plus innings.
Kanehailua and senior Keanu Bruno, who drove in Kohala’s lone run in the fourth inning, each went 1-for-2.
Kohala 000 10 — 1 2 3
Hawaii Prep 232 5x — 12 14 0
Hilo 5, Keaau 2: Trailing 1-0, visiting Hilo took the lead for good with a three-run fourth inning, taking advantage of two hit batsmen and an error.
Senior Randall Iha, who finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, capped the fourth inning with an RBI double that plated junior Elijah Cruz.
Sophomore Micah Kaaukai also went 2-for-3, while Cruz was 1-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Junior Nick Fukunaga earned the win for Hilo (3-0) by pitching 5 2/3 innings. He allowed just two runs on three hits, striking out five and walking four.
Adrian Huff pitched a complete game but suffered the loss for the Cougars (1-2). He gave up three earned runs on five hits, striking out six and walking none.
Huff also gave Keaau the lead in the bottom of the first, stroking a one-out double and scoring on Jonathan Segovia’s single.
Hilo 000 311 0 — 5 5 2
Keaau 100 001 0 — 2 3 4