Jordan Hirae continued his shutout relief pitching for Kamehameha, which got an offensive boost from the bottom of its lineup in a key ballgame against Konawaena. ADVERTISING Jordan Hirae continued his shutout relief pitching for Kamehameha, which got an offensive
Jordan Hirae continued his shutout relief pitching for Kamehameha, which got an offensive boost from the bottom of its lineup in a key ballgame against Konawaena.
Hirae pitched four scoreless inning and Paka Davis had three RBIs as the Warriors topped the Wildcats 5-2 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II baseball game Wednesday at Wong Stadium.
The two-time defending league champion Warriors (2-0) jumped into the driver’s seat for the BIIF regular-season title, which includes the first berth to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state tournament.
The Wildcats (1-1) have another tough matchup on Saturday against Hilo, the BIIF Division I champion, and won’t have ace Jordan Miyahira-Young, who went the distance in the loss.
Kamehameha started junior Kobi Candaroma, who didn’t have fastball command and allowed two runs in three innings. The left-hander yielded two hits and three walks, and whiffed one. He left with a bit of trouble but the bullpen’s security blanket more than cleaned up.
Hirae relieved Candaroma in the fourth with two on and no outs, picked off a runner, and allowed a sacrifice fly to Kea Miyahira-Young, a run charged to Candaroma. Then the senior right-hander got a groundout to end the threat.
In four scoreless innings, Hirae gave up a hit and a walk, and struck out three for the win. He also pitched four scoreless innings against Honokaa in a 5-0 victory on Monday at Wong Stadium. For the season, he’s got a save and a win in two appearances.
When he’s at his best, Hirae has sharp command of his running fastball, which bores in on right-handed batters. That’s the pitch he got Kea Miyahira-Young to softly line out to third baseman Micah Carter in the sixth with runners on the corners and two outs.
Meanwhile, Jordan Miyahira-Young was throwing goose eggs through the first four innings, catching the corners of the plate, especially with his overhand curveball, a pitch that the Warriors timed but couldn’t square up for basehits.
In six innings, the senior righty surrendered five runs (two unearned) on five hits and one walk. Miyahira-Young struck out none, and for the most part his defense racked up putouts through the air or on the ground.
Then in football terms, the teams reversed fields later in the game.
“We were better in the first half and they outplayed us in the second half, ” Kona coach Dave Distel said. “What I liked is that both teams played their hearts out. It was equivalent to a postseason game. They didn’t win by playing small ball, but they got big hits when they needed it.”
Kamehameha coach Andy Correa saw the victory as a lesson in teamwork and perseverance.
“The guys who you think will make all the plays don’t always make the plays, and the other guys have to step up,” he said. “It’s a nine-man game. When you don’t play your best, you have to keep grinding.”
In the fifth, the Warriors got two runs when their bunting game didn’t work. Daylen Calicdan doubled and Carter reached on an error. Davis missed on bunt attempts twice and then fell into a 1-2 batting-count hole.
Miyahira-Young threw another overhand curveball, but it didn’t have the depth or break that his other beauties did. Davis’ front side went forward, but he kept his hands back and ripped a shot over center fielder Race Gustafson’s head for a two-run triple.
The sixth was a mud puddle for the Wildcats, who allowed the first two Kamehameha hitters reach on fielding errors. The Warriors bunted to the pitcher and lost a run at home. But good fortune shined on the home team when a wild pitch moved the other two runners into scoring position.
Carter, the No. 7 hitter, connected on a two-run single for a 4-2 lead. Then Davis stepped up and banged a 1-2 pitch down the right field line for his third RBI and a 5-2 cushion.
Davis, the No. 8 batter, went 2 for 3 with three RBIs, Carter was 1 for 3 with two RBIs and Calicdan batted 1 for 3 to lead the Warriors, who turned three double plays with Davis flashing a gold glove and scooping low throws out of the dirt.
The home team’s bottom four hitters went 4 for 11 with five RBIs; the first five batters were 3 for 15. Makoa Rosario, the No. 3 hitter, batted 2 for 3, getting an infield single and a bloop hit off a Miyahira-Young table-dropping curve.
Kona’s other run came in the third when Royce Torres-Torioka doubled, and on the same play stole second and raced home on a wild pitch. That came after the Wildcats hit into a double play. They also grounded into double plays in the first two innings.
Zane Gray was the only Wildcat to pair hits. The senior third baseman, with scholarship offers from Menlo, Ventura, Eastern Arizona and Oxnard, went 3 for 3, getting two hits on two-strike counts.
“It came down to mental errors on the field,” Gray said. “Jordan did a great job and he should have come away with the win. They’re a great team and we’ll see them again in the playoffs.”
Konawaena 001 100 0 — 2 6 3
Kamehameha 000 022 x — 5 5 1
