It was almost perfection for unbeaten Waiakea, which did everything well, especially pitching and hitting.
It was almost perfection for unbeaten Waiakea, which did everything well, especially pitching and hitting.
Makoa Andres threw a no-hitter, Ryder Oshiro had four RBIs, and the Warriors blitzed Hawaii Prep 15-0 in a BIIF baseball game on Tuesday, just missing a perfect game.
In the four-inning TKO game at the Warriors’ field, Andres, a sophomore right-hander, struck out six and needed only 46 pitches, throwing mainly fastballs that HPA couldn’t time.
Freshman center fielder Jonah Hurney reached on an error in the second inning, and was quickly erased on a double play. And that was that for the Division II Ka Makani (1-2).
The Division I Warriors (3-0) didn’t get out in front against HPA starter DJ Sekiya’s off-speed pitches, and chewed him up for six runs in the first inning.
The senior left-hander didn’t have his normal pin-point control, when pitches are brushing the corners, and mistakes are balls instead of over the plate.
He hit three batters, and walked one in a lopsided first inning. All those free passes came around to score.
Sekiya went two plus innings, facing four batters in the third before he was yanked for Hurney. The two southpaws gave up five hits each, and a lot of runs.
Oshiro, a senior first baseman, had a game to remember. The husky Warrior went 2 for 3, clubbing a three-run triple in the first and an RBI single in the third.
Nate Minami batted 2 for 3 with three RBIs, Bryce Felipe and Gehrig Octavio had two RBIs each, while Caleb Freitas-Fields added two hits for the Warriors, who only struck out once.
If Oshiro, who played football for Waiakea, wasn’t built like a linebacker, and had the body of a receiver, he would have likely had an inside-the-park homer.
Still, the left-handed slugger was all smiles while recounting his production. On both base hits, the ball screamed off his bat.
“The past two games, I was in a little bit of a slump. My right shoulder was flying open,” he said. “I’m a natural pull hitter, and the coaches told me to sit on my butt (to stay back).
“I’m working on going to the opposite field, but if I see my pitch I can turn on it. I hit that triple on the sweet spot. It was a fastball right down the middle, and it felt really good.”
Meanwhile, Andres was a strike-throwing machine, something that gave good comfort to coach Rory Inouye, who has a reliable No. 2 starter behind ace Freitas-Fields.
“Makoa did really well. He attacked the strike zone, and threw a lot of strikes,” Inouye said. “Our bats are coming around. Hopefully, it will continue through the season.
“We offer optional hitting at night because we have lights in the batting cage. The kids love to hit, and we have no problem throwing. It’s paying off.”
Andres is a stocky 5 feet 10. His dad is an inch shorter, but his older brother is 6-3, so the Waiakea sophomore has room for growth.
He recently joined Kaha Wong’s Big Island Baseball program because he wants to earn a college scholarship as a pitcher. Wong has landed over 50 scholarships for BIIF players.
Andres also hits and went 1 for 2 with an RBI, but his enjoyment comes from throwing the ball, or standing on the mound as a commanding presence.
“I like pitching and facing the opposition,” he said. “Throwing strikes is the main thing. If they hit it, I let my defense work.
“I thought our offense was not bad. My team did their job. The bats were alive.”
Hawaii Prep 000 0 — 0 0 3
Waiakea 609 1 — 15 10 1