The wind must have been blowing out Wednesday at Honokaa High’s Park and Recreation baseball field.
Kamehameha got home runs from five different players in four innings in a 17-0 victory in which ace Tai Atkins pitched for the first time this season, going one inning in relief of Zakaia Michaels.
Kyran Kai, Bula Ahuna, Dustin Asuncion, Kaynen Tolentino and Rydge Ishii went deep for the Warriors (6-0), who in addition to power and pitching have also found a knack fort avoiding the rainouts that have plagued other Hilo-area teams. Waiakea, by comparison, entered Thursday having only played two games.
Tolentino hit a grand slam to cap an 11-run uprising in the third inning, finishing 3 for 3. Ahuna and Asuncion (2 for 2) opened the third inning with homers, and Ishii replaced Asuncion in the fourth and hit a three-run blast. In the top of the first, Kai hit a two-run shot after DallasJ Duarte reached on an error.
Kekona Naipo-Arsiga and Michaels were each 2 for 3 for Kamehameha, which finished with 17 hits and allowed only two.
Michaels pitched three innings of two-hit ball, striking out two and walking one before Atkins, a junior left-hander and UH-Manoa commit, put two runners on via a hit by pitch and a walk but got out the threat with two strikeouts.
Chad Yanagisawa and Canen Perreira each pitched two innings for the Dragons (0-5).
Konawaena 13, Kohala 0: AJ Allred and James Kapela combined to go five innings of one-hit ball, and Bronson Rivera’s inside-the-park homer sparked a 10-run rally in the third for the Wildcats (3-1) in Kealakekua.
Rivera was 2 for 3 and Kanai Rivera hit a RBI double as Konawaena finished with seven hits and took advantage of seven Cowboys errors.
Allred allowed a hit and two walks with two strikeouts, and Kapela breezed through two innings with four strikeouts and a walk.
Softball
Honokaa swept a doubleheader at home Tuesday against Pahoa, allowing only one hit and scoring 43 runs.
Destynee-Skye Carvalho homered and pitched the first inning of a combined four-inning no-hitter in a 17-2 victory after Kierstyn Carvalho hit a two-run homer and finished with four RBIs in the opener, a 26-9 win.
The Dragons (6-1) survived a statistical rarity in the first game by winning despite allowing nine runs in an inning.
They plated 10 run in the first, six in the second and 10 more in the third, with Oliyane Beemer going 3 for 3 with two RBIs and three runs scored and Puili Hanohano, Destynee-Skye Carvalho (four runs scored) and Kierstyn Carvalho (two runs) each adding two hits apiece.
Alexis Martinez struck out six and walked three in two innings before the Daggers (0-5) erupted for nine runs in the third without being credited with a hit – Chantilly Keliihoomnalu drew a pair of bases-loaded walks.
Each team issued 13 free pases.
Destynee-Skye Carvalho restored order with a scoreless fourth, and in the second game she walked four and allowed two runs in the first inning, then Xyan Ancheta (one inning) and Aulii Meyers (two) each worked hitless stints.
Honokaa finished with 10 hits. Taylor Tabucbuc and Beemer each doubled and Leinaesha Tadio was 2 for 2 with a run-scoring single.
Staysia Hoomana was the losing pitcher in both games.