When it wasn’t raining, which was about half the time, Waiakea ace David Nakamura was absolutely dominant, and to throw in a little suspense he walked a handful of hitters but often erased his mistakes with more strikeouts.
Despite two rain delays that totaled nearly an hour, the Warriors defeated Kamehameha 8-1 in a BIIF game that went the full seven innings on Wednesday night at Wong Stadium, which, surprisingly didn’t turn into a tide pool.
Nakamura pitched six innings of one-run ball for the win. The senior left-hander allowed three hits, walked four and struck out 10. Even after the rain breaks, he quickly got in a rhythm and attacked hitters.
He’s at his best when his fastball is running on both sides of the plate. Nakamura’s heater had its usual arm-side run, and his cutter bore in on right-handed hitters. When he pitched from the stretch, Nakamura’s stuff didn’t take a dip, and he looked the same as if he were in the windup.
“Everything was pretty much on, my fastball. I threw my changeup beautifully and my cutter when I needed it,” he said. “Pitching through rain delays is tough mentally and physically. But you have to keep your head in the game, and the goal is to keep going on, no matter how long it goes.”
Division I Waiakea (10-0) only had four hits but scored five unearned runs in the fifth on one hit, five walks, one hit batter, and one error.
Cody Min pitched the final inning to close out Division II Kamehameha (11-1), which had just three hits.
Nakamura was the only one to pair hits. He batted 2 for 3 with an RBI.
Kalani Marquez pitched 2 2/3 innings, walked three and took the loss. Rydge Ishii followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Tai Atkins recorded two outs, walked three and allowed five unearned runs. Zakaia Michaels pitched 1 1/3 frames and walked two and hit a batter.
Out of Kamehameha’s eight walks and one hit batter, Waiakea scored four runs. The run Nakamura gave up came on a free pass.
Defense was the bigger issue.
Waiakea had two harmless errors while the visitors committed four, which led to extra pitches and extended innings, not to mention a door opening for those five unearned runs in the fifth.
The game started with a sprinkle of drama before the first rain delay.
In the second, Kamehameha got two free gifts but couldn’t cash in when Kekoa Naipo-Arsiga walked and Kahi Tolentino reached on an error. A catcher’s errant pickoff attempt advanced both runners into scoring position.
Then Kamehameha’s bunt execution wasn’t too good. Waiakea snagged a misplaced bunt, and Naipo-Arsiga was run back to third and tagged out. With runners on first and third, Nakamura struck out Marquez on an 0-2 changeup to extinguish that brush fire.
The visitors bunted better the next inning. No. 9 hitter Kalai Klask-Hoopii and DallasJ Duarte walked, and Kyran Kai put down a perfect bunt down the third-base line, and Nakamura fired a fastball to barely get him at first.
On a 3-2 fastball, cleanup hitter Bula Ahuna drilled a rocket to center field for a sacrifice fly and 1-0 lead, and Kamehameha scored first without the benefit of a hit.
Kamehameha returned the free gift favor in the bottom of the third. No. 9 batter Chris Hatakenaka-Gibbs was hit by a pitch, and a throwing error allowed him to score all the way from second when no one covered home plate.
Two outs later, Kalai Rosario walked, Stone Miyao whacked an RBI double, and Jacob Igawa followed with a run-scoring single for 3-1 Waiakea lead. Marquez walked his third batter and was pulled for Ishii, who got a groundout to close the inning.
The top of the fifth was key inning because Waiakea led 3-1, and if Nakamura could complete the frame the game would be official if rain stopped play.
He got two quick strikeouts, then gave up consecutive singles to Duarte and Kai, but Nakamura got Ahuna to swing and miss on a 3-2 changeup.
Like clockwork, it started to rain in the bottom of the fifth, and a 30-minute rain delay followed. Soon after, it was time to play ball, again.
In the loss, Kamehameha sophomore shortstop Kalia Agustin flashed a golden glove with three highlight plays, each one better than the previous one. In the first inning, he slid, scooped the ball near second base and gunned out speedy leadoff hitter Casey Yamauchi at first base.
Then the degree of difficulty was turned up, and Agustin still made tough plays look easy. In the second, he made a back-handed stop in the hole, set his feet and gunned down Reese Mondina at first base.
In the fourth, Agustin had his best golden moment. He snagged another ball in the hole, whipped the ball across his body while his momentum carried him to third and got Devon Hirata at first base.
After the game was over, like clockwork, it started to rain again.
Then Waiakea coach Rory Inouye neatly summed up his team’s win under the stadium, where the rain didn’t get a chance to soak him.
“David pitched a great game. We had patient at-bats,” he said. “We put pressure on the defense, and that’s the name of our game.”
Kamehameha 001 00 — 1 3 4
Waiakea 003 05 — 7 4 2
