The Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) baseball playoffs kicked off Monday afternoon on both sides of the isle with Game 1s. Each series will resume today at 3 p.m. See the paper all week for updates.
KSH 5, Kona 4
Kamehameha-Hawaii baseball scored a walkoff in the eight inning after Iokepa Martines was walked, bringing in a run to win 5-4 and take the 1-0 series lead in the the BIIF DI semifinals in Kea‘au.
Both squads finished with seven hits. For the winning Warriors, Keagan Pacheco and Kamaka Ili posted two hits each to lead the team. Teammates Braden Gomes, Noah Palea and Shiloh Santos added one hit each for KSH.
Santos, Gomez and Palea all shared the mound for the Warriors, combining for seven allowed hits and nine strikeouts. Palea was named the game’s winning pitcher. Santos leads the team in innings pitched (24.2) and wins (four), while Gomez leads in strikeouts (20).
Wildcat Armenio Blanco logged a game-high three hits, including a double. Teammate Aycen Blanco added two hits, while Kolt Baptista and Tate Garana each had one.
Kahiau Rivera was Kona’s long pitcher, allowing seven hits and five runs while striking out one.
The Warriors improved to 10-0-1, while the Wildcats fell to below .500 at 5-6.
KSH is out-scoring opponents 92-15 in its state title defense season.
The series will resume in Kealakekua this afternoon.
Pahoa 3, HPA 1
Pahoa baseball took Game 1 of the BIIF DII semis, beating Hawaii Preparatory Academy 3-1 at home.
The game was a low-scoring affair with minimal hitting, but George Kocher and Cash Cohen each had one hit to lead the Daggers. As a team, Pahoa logged three hits and committed two errors.
Brayden Conda was named the game’s winning pitcher after allowing two hits and no runs while striking out six across 5.3 innings. Tripp Kahsen also saw time on the mound.
Ka Makani posted just two hits — one from Ed Lustik and the other from Nishiki Iwai. The pair also split time on the mound for HPA, combining for three earned runs while striking out six.
Pahoa improved to 9-3, while HPA fell to 8-5. Game 2 will be held in Waimea this afternoon.
Honoka‘a 4, Kohala 2
Honoka‘a baseball started its DII semifinal series with Kohala on a high note, beating the visiting Cowboys 4-2 on the Hamakua Coast. The Dragons lead the series 1-0 in a best of three.
Out of Honoka‘a six team hits, Jayden Salazr and Kiakahi Lindsey each had two hits to lead the group. Teammates Josyah Napoleon-Umeda and Isaac Derego added one hit apiece.
Salazar also pitched a gem on the mound, going all 7.0 innings and allowing three hits and two runs while striking out 12. Salazar leads the team in wins with six.
Isaac Salvador-Libron and Wyatt Rabang led Kohala with each hitting a double, while K. Reyes added another hit.
The Dragons elevated to 11-2, while the Cowboys dropped to 1-10-1.
Game 2 will take place today in Kapa‘au.
Waiakea 11, Hilo 1
Waiakea baseball took the 1-0 series lead after an 11-1 thrashing over local rival Hilo in Game 1 of the DI island semifinals at the University of Hawaii-Hilo. It was the Warriors’ first overall win against the Vikings this season after going 0-2 against the hosts in the regular season.
The game was called after five innings due to the run rule. The paper was unable to obtain a stat sheet by deadline.
The series will resume with Game 2 today at the same site.
