By KEVIN JAKAHI
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
It was perfection at the plate for Kodi and Korin Medeiros, Waiakea’s duo of slugging brothers, who bat next to each other and push one another.
They combined for seven hits and seven RBIs, and Waiakea outslugged and outlasted Kamehameha 11-4 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation baseball game Saturday at the Warriors Field.
Kodi, a sophomore pitcher/outfielder, batted 4 for 4 with four RBIs — his first BIIF game of batting perfection in four at-bats. Korin, a senior third baseman who bats ahead of Kodi in the No. 3 hole, was 3 for 3 with three RBIs.
“I was seeing the ball well, adjusted to what was coming and tried to hit through the ball,” Kodi said. “The key was good pitch selection and hitting the ball where it was pitched.”
There’s no sibling rivalry between the brothers, only a mutual admiration society between the two.
“We watch each other and if one is struggling we’ll say what we think about his swing and vice versa,” Korin said.
Quintin Torres-Costa, Kean Wong and Tyler Ishimoto added two hits each for the home Warriors, who left just two runners on base — a good sign they cleaned up at the dish.
The visiting Warriors went the other way. They got eight hits and walked six times, but left 12 on base — the lack of timely hits their undoing.
“We got guys on. We couldn’t get them in. The main thing is Waiakea hit with runners in scoring position, and we didn’t,” Kamehameha coach Andy Correa neatly summarized.
The Division I public-school Warriors (13-0) kept their record spotless, but endured a game in which offense and not the team’s strength of pitching highlighted the day, a stark contrast to the first two meetings between the two schools with the same nickname.
In the first matchup, Waiakea won 1-0, scoring on an error and receiving six tough innings from Reyn Kihara. In the rematch, Kodi turned into a bolt of lightning, firing a one-hitter and whiffing 12 in an 8-0 win.
The Division II Warriors (8-5) made adjustments in the rubber match against Kodi, the hard-throwing lefty, who got the win in four innings, but suffered a few body blows, giving up three runs on five hits and four walks.
Jace Okutsu and Ishimoto combined to pitch the fifth while Kylen Uyeda and Robbey Meguro each threw a scoreless inning.
“It’s the first time all year we had to use that many pitchers,” Waiakea coach Kevin Yee said. “We picked each other up, which was good. It was a well-played team effort on offense and defense.
“It’s good for us anytime we face a No. 1 pitcher like Kaimana Moike. We could see our weaknesses and hopefully work on them as well as our strengths. It’s a good measure of how well we’re able to compete against a good pitcher like Moike.”
Moike took the loss in three innings while Pono Correa and Nainoa Hart finished up.
Kodi struck out five and revved up his velocity when he needed key punchouts, but lacked his usual corner-painting ability and the sharpness of his breaking stuff. When he left his heater over the middle of the plate or when his ball didn’t spin enough, Kamehameha hit the ball hard.
That’s how the visiting Warriors scored three runs in the third. Leadoff batter Keanu Dudoit-Isa smashed a ball that rolled down the left-field hill, a likely inside-the-park homer. However, the ball got stuck under a fence and Dudoit-Isa was credited with a double.
Three batters later, Makoa Rosario did the same thing. A likely inside-the-park homer was reduced to a double. At least athletic justice was served; both runs eventually scored, with Nainoa Hart’s hard-hit RBI single, scoring Rosario.
“I felt all right,” Kodi said. “I missed my spots a few times. I saw how they adjusted and I learned that I have to pick that up and make my own adjustments.”
Rosario went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and smooth-swinging Chay Toson was 2 for 3, providing the bulk of Kamehameha’s offense, which has been infused with the return of Chad Teshima, back for his second game after dislocating his right shoulder in the preseason.
Correa’s ballclub has a first-round bye in the six-team BIIF Division II tournament, which starts next week. Kamehameha will likely face either Hawaii Prep or Honokaa in the semifinals for a state berth.
There’s no better time for Rosario and Toson to keep their bats hot and Teshima, a starting freshman outfielder last season, to rediscover his swing. Teshima batted in the No. 2 hole and was 0 for 2.
“We’re trying to solidify our starting lineup for the playoffs,” Correa said. “We’ve had an up and down season, and we’re hoping to peak at the end of the season. We’re hitting the ball a little bit better.”
Kamehameha 003 010 0 — 4 8 3
Waiakea 403 202 x — 11 12 0
• Hilo 5, Keaau 2: Kian Kurokawa pitched four scoreless innings, and the Vikings made the most of their four hits to improve to 10-3. The junior right-hander allowed three hits and one walk, and struck out four.
Chayce Kaaua batted 2 for 4 with an RBI and scored two runs, and Keenan Nishioka was 1 for 2 with an RBI.
Adrian Huff went five innings in the loss. Mareko Remlinger pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits and one walk.
Jonathan Segovia batted 2 for 4 and Rason Martines 1 for 3 with an RBI to lead the Cougars (5-8).
Hilo 203 000 0 — 5 4 2
Keaau 000 010 0 — 2 6 2
• Pahoa at Ka’u: The Trojans (2-11) had to forfeit the game because they did not have enough players. The Daggers (1-12) picked up their first victory of the year.