By KEVIN JAKAHI By KEVIN JAKAHI ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald sports writer HONOLULU — Bronson Pulgados continued his hot hitting and tried his best to carry Kamehameha on his back, but he eventually ran out of opportunities at the plate. The junior
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
HONOLULU — Bronson Pulgados continued his hot hitting and tried his best to carry Kamehameha on his back, but he eventually ran out of opportunities at the plate.
The junior third baseman went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, but top seed Waimea neutralized that performance with a six-run third inning and beat the Warriors 9-4 in the semifinals of the Division II state baseball tournament on Thursday at Les Murakami Stadium.
Kamehameha (13-6) will play Maryknoll (8-9-1), the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion, at 8:30 a.m. today for third place.
Pulgados batted 2 for 3 with two RBIs in an 8-3 first-round victory over Kalaheo. His bat remained full of hits a day later.
In the first inning, Pulgados got stuck in a 0-2 hole, fouled off two pitches, then belted a two-run single to left. In the fifth, he singled up the middle, and had a run-scoring single to left in the ninth.
“My swing is going good. I go for line drives, put the ball in play and make the defense work,” he said. “I keep my swing flat and don’t get under the ball. I just keep my eye on the ball and put it in play.
“The state experience is good. There’s a lot of competition here. Our team has a lot of heart and talent. We help each other to get better. We should be back at states next year.”
The Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion and No. 4 seed Warriors and Kauai Interscholastic Federation champion Menehune know each other well.
Waimea outlasted Kamehameha 11-10 for the state title in 2010. The teams split a pair of preseason games this season.
The Warriors were on the verge of exacting a measure of revenge, leading 3-2 heading into the fourth. But starting pitcher Pono Correa turned his ankle on the bases an inning earlier, and the game took a turn for the worse, when Nainoa Hart entered in relief.
Waimea (10-5) scored six runs on two errors by Hart, three hits and two walks, highlighted by two straight squeeze bunts and a double steal of home. The had three steals and finished 6 of 7 in stolen-base attempts.
“We had one poor inning. Unfortunately we didn’t play bunt defense well,” Kamehameha coach Andy Correa said. “That’s what good teams do. They put pressure on you.”
At the time, the decision to go to Hart was an easy one. In the preseason, he pitched a 7-2 complete-game win over the Menehune.
Correa got a no-decision in three innings. The senior right-hander allowed two runs (one unearned) on four hits and two walks, and struck out two. Hart got the loss in 1 1/3 innings. He surrendered six runs (three unearned) on two hits and two walks, and struck out one.
Pulgados was Kamehameha’s most effective pitcher. He made four appearances during the BIIF season. But his lack of mound time was no hindrance. He threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, yielded a hit and three walks, and whiffed one.
No one else paired hits for the Warriors, who made frequent contact and struck out just three times, all against starter and winning pitcher BJ Freitas, who tossed five innings and allowed three runs on five hits and four walks.
In the eight-team Division II tourney, no one has a first-round bye, so no team has an extra- day pitching edge. It’s an equal pitching matchup all around. The Warriors and Menehune used their aces in first-round wins.
With a seemingly comfortable 9-3 cushion, Waimea brought in Job Delos Santos in the bottom of the fifth, but after recording an out, he walked two batters and was yanked for ace Mikeo Rita, who pitched five innings in a 5-1 win over Waialua on Wednesday.
Rita went 1 2/3 innings to close the game, but he got hit, too. He gave up three hits, including an RBI single to Pulgados in the ninth.
“Bronson has been hitting the ball well. He finally figured out how to hit behind in the count,” Correa said. “I’m happy what he did in this tourney.
“Overall, I’m very happy what the boys did this season. I’m pleased with the outcome, regardless of one game. That doesn’t affect what we did this season.”
The Warriors lose five senior starters in catcher Keanu Dudoit-Isa, first baseman Gideon Kalili, ace pitcher Kaimana Moike, second baseman/pitcher Pono Correa and Hart, a right fielder/pitcher.
“We’ve got Kupono Decker, Chay Toson, Chad Teshima to pitch. We’ll be OK,” Kamehameha coach Correa said. “We return 11 guys. We have some work to do.
“We’ve got a good nucleus of juniors and sophomores. The main thing is they’re hard working and have good attitudes. If you work hard, then good things can happen.”
Waimea 101 610 0 — 9 8 2
Kamehameha 210 000 1 — 4 8 6
