KEALAKEKUA — In baseball, control is everything. If a pitcher doesn’t have it then his team is very unlikely to win.
KEALAKEKUA — In baseball, control is everything. If a pitcher doesn’t have it then his team is very unlikely to win.
Control was the difference between Honokaa and Konawaena on Friday in Game 1 of the BIIF Division II best-of-three semifinal series.
Both teams battled early on, but the Wildcats were patient at the plate, walking nine times on the way to a 6-3 victory. Game 2 will be at Konawaena on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Honokaa’s ace Caden Perriera started Game 1, but did not have his best stuff. Perriera walked six batters over two innings, allowing the Wildcats to take a 3-2 lead off only two hits. He struck out two. On the other side, Konawaena started Tristan DeAguiar walked only two batters in five innings of work.
“We had a game plan going in and stayed disciplined inside the box,” Wildcats head coach Adam Tabieros said. “Tristan kept their hitters off balanced and kept us in the game.”
DeAguiar received the start in the opening game of the series because of his knack for performing in clutch situations.
“When it comes to big games, no one has performed better,” Tabieros said. “He is very good and keeps calm under pressure.”
While Konawaena was able to take advantage of the free bases for an early lead, the game still remained close. The Wildcats entered the top of the sixth inning with a one-run lead.
DeAguiar exited the game after the fifth inning having allowed three earned off seven hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.
Steve Texeira took DeAguiar’s place on the hill but struggled. He got a quick out but then allowed a hit and walked two to load the bases. He was pulled after the second walk for Logan Canda, who was was simply lights out, striking out the first two batters he saw to get out of the jam.
“There was a lot of pressure with the bases loaded but I knew my defense was going to work behind me so I came in throwing strikes,” Canda said. “I just wanted to be there for my boys and help them out.”
The Wildcats finally picked up some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Tyler Kitaoka led off the inning with a single to left. Canda was hit by a pitch and A.J. Allred singled to center, scoring Kitaoka. Kaiya Leleiwi reached on an error by the pitcher, which allowed Canda to score for a 6-3 advantage.
Canda threw the final inning, picking up the five out save. He struck out four of the six batters he faced, while allowing no hits and one walk.
“He came in and shut the door,” Tabieros said. “I am glad he was able to stop the bleeding.”
The Wildcats scored what would be their winning run in the bottom of the fifth inning right after the Dragons tied the game at 3-3. With two outs, Keleiwi reached on an error and both Adnrew Udac and Vohn Yamaguchi were walked to load the bases. Kolu Alani followed with a single to score Keleiwi. Konawaena never lost their lead again.
Jonathan Charbonneau threw the final four innings for Honokaa, taking the loss. He allowed one earned off three hits, while walking three and striking out three.
The Wildcats spread out six hits to six different batters. Kitaoka led the way, going 1-for-2 with two walks a run and an RBI. Yamaguchi had the only Konawaena extra base hit.
Paki Akau led the Honokaa offense. He went 3-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored. Kievan Lo was 2-for-3 with a double.