By KEVIN JAKAHI
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
After Waiakea senior left-hander Quintin Torres-Costa fired a five-hitter to beat Hilo 3-1, he expressed his appreciation for catcher Kean Wong’s handiwork behind the plate — a theme that carried on among teammates.
Torres-Costa defeated the Vikings for the third time, his last outing against them the most important. His complete game gem wrapped up Waiakea’s second straight Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I baseball championship on Saturday night at Wong Stadium.
It also earned the Warriors (17-0) an automatic berth to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association tournament, which will be held May 8-11 at Les Murkami Stadium in Honolulu. The Vikings (12-5) will have a play-in game. The date has yet to be determined.
“What really helped me was Kean framing pitches and calling pitches,” Torres-Costa said. “I still think catching is half the part of pitching. If you don’t have a good catcher, it makes it more difficult as a pitcher.”
Torres-Costa, who threw 84 pitches, allowed an unearned run on five hits and no walks, and struck out seven. He was helped by two double plays, including Wong’s throw-out of a runner at third in the sixth inning.
The Warriors grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fourth without the benefit of a hit, scoring both runs on sacrifice flies. That old pitching adage — walks will eventually turn into runs — held true.
Torres-Costa and Wong drew back-to-back walks off Cody Kaniho, and Korin Medeiros was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Kodi Medeiros and Davy Camacho fought back from behind in the count to nail sacrifice flies.
“We’ve got all-around great chemistry,” Camacho said. “We all cheer for each other. We’ve got outstanding pitching, good defense and our bats get around in tough situations.”
Kaniho, who held Waiakea scoreless through three innings, took the loss and ended with numbers that didn’t reflect his performance. The junior right-hander allowed three runs on three hits and four walks (two intentional) in five innings.
Kodi Medeiros was 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Wong was 0 for 1 with two walks.
Jordan Tagawa came in relief after Kodi Medeiros belted an RBI single for a 3-1 lead in the sixth, and retired the next three hitters.
Indecision likely cost the Vikings a chance to tie it 2-2 in the top of the sixth.
Randall Iha, who went 2 for 3, singled with one out, went to second on a groundout, and rounded third on Keenan Nishioka’s single over first base. But Hilo coach Tony DeSa threw up a stop sign and Iha hit the brakes. Then Iha was given the green light, stumbled and was tagged out.
Both teams made defensive plays to neutralize a run.
In the second, Hilo center fielder Tyler Higa-Gonsalves caught a short flyball and gunned down Kodi Medeiros at the plate for an inning-ending double play.
It was Wong who gunned down Iha at third base in the sixth, maintaining Waiakea’s slim 2-1 into the bottom of the inning.
Hilo scored an unearned run in the third when Kian Kurokawa reached on an error, and scored on Chayce Kaaua’s long single to left field. Kaaua was caught in a rundown between first and second to prematurely extinguish that threat.
Waiakea also had its moment of base-running drama.
In the fifth with two outs, Torres-Costa turned a single into a double with his hustle after a grounder to center field. Wong was intentionally walked, then Hilo catcher Koa Matson threw out Torres-Costa at third on a double-steal attempt.
“One of the life lessons we try to teach the kids is to set goals, work hard to accomplish them and then you’ll appreciate it more,” Waiakea coach Kevin Yee said. “When you’re able to measure your hard work and accomplish your goals it makes it rewarding for the hard work you put in.”
The Warriors also won with the weight of great expectations. They’re the No. 1 ranked team in the state. They’ve got three Division I players in Torres-Costa, who signed with Hawaii, and UH verbal commits Wong and Kodi Medeiros.
But Camacho noted that it’s not a great weight at all because everyone carries their share of the load. He finished 0 for 2 with an RBI. But the senior shortstop brought home the run that swung momentum on Waiakea’s side.
“We try to play our game, and stick to how we practice,” he said. “Under tough situations, we play as a team.”
Hilo 001 000 0 — 1 5 0
Waiakea 000 201 x — 3 3 1