An apparent step up in competition didn’t prove to be much of a challenge for Waiakea, which went to Hawaii Prep and came away Saturday with a 9-2 BIIF baseball victory.
Reese Mondina pitched four strong innings, Kala’i Rosario hit a two-run double and Trayden Tamiya and Casey Yamauchi each drove in runs with doubles and finished with two RBIs.
The Warriors matched Hilo at 4-0 in Division I ahead of their first regular-season meeting of the season Tuesday at Wong Stadium.
Mondina struck out five and allowed just two hits and a run and three walks and was followed by Ty Honda (two innings, one run and four strikeouts) and Rysen Ross, who struck out two in the seventh.
Sheldon Aribal struggled with his control and pitched into the second for Ka Makani (3-3) and was charged with three runs on three hits and four walks in 1 1/3 innings. Of HPA’s four pitchers, Michael Hughes was the most effective, striking out three in an inning and a third.
Nate Heymann doubled and hit a sacrifice fly for HPA.
Yamauchi was the only player in the game to finish with two hits.
The two runs is the most given up so far by Waiakea, which has outscored its competition 39-3.
Honokaa 5, Keaau 4, 8 innings: After pitching seven innings, Benjamin Akau hit a bases-loaded single with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning as the host Dragons won for the first time this season and kept the Cougars winless.
Kaia Nakamoto was 3 for 3 with a double and an RBI and Kalae Pauli collected two hits with an RBI single for the Dragons (1-5).
Keaau’s Ricky Rapoza got the first out of the eighth, but Honokaa loaded the bases on an error and walks to Zavier Ugalde and Chad Yanagisawa, setting the table for Akau’s hit to center.
Canen Perreira earned the win with a scoreless eighth after Akau struck out eight and allowed seven hits, three earned runs and walked four.
For the Cougars (0-6), Delvin Ongais-Kilaulani was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI single and Bryant Respicio-Mercado was 2 for 4.
Starter Edward Oguma came within an out of finishing the seventh, striking out six and walking four, with five hits allowed and four runs (three earned).
Softball
Honokaa 14, Keaau 4: Taylor Tabucbuc doubled home two runs and finished with three hits and three RBIs, and Tehani Epenesa hit one of the Dragons’ three triples and was 3 for 3 as host Honokaa improved to 7-1.
Ceelyn Gali-Lucero (2 for 3) and Natasha Molina also tripled as Destynee-Skye Carvalho (2 1/3 innings) and Epenesa (2 2/3) handled the duties in the circle in the TKO. Each allowed two runs. Epenesa’s were unearned and she struck out four.
Britney Calhoun and Bryana Grace each had two hits for the Cougars (2-2).
Grace pitched 4 2/3 innings, and half of the 14 runs charged against her were unearned thanks to seven Keaau errors.
Honokaa overcame five errors.
Konawaena 11, Ka’u 1: Jayla Medeiros’ big day at the plate led the Konawaena Wildcats to a mercy-rule victory over visiting Ka’u on Saturday.
Medeiros went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. She knocked in four runs and scored twice.
Shaylann Grace followed Medeiros’ performance with a 2-for-4 day of her own, which included two singles. She picked up three RBIs.
Andi Uemura picked up the victory inside the circle. She struck out three, walked two and hit one batter.
Kealakehe 23, Pahoa 1, 3 innings: The Waveriders ran their record to 4-2 with a road win, dropping the Daggers to 0-6.
Water polo
Kamehameha is still floating well atop the standings after another unbeaten weekend.
The Warriors added a pair of wins to run their record to 5-0 early this season on Saturday, taking down Kealakehe and Konawaena in a couple of matinee games at Naeole Pool.
Kamehameha beat the Waveriders 10-6, pulling away in the fourth quarter after the teams stayed within a goal of each other for most of the contest.
The usual suspects did the damage for the Warriors, with Lahela Rosario and Aubrey Carter notching seven combined goals. They also came up in clutch time, scoring all three of the fourth quarter tallies.
Maiana Villegas led the Waveriders with four goals.
Things were a little more comfortable for Kamehameha against Konawaena, coasting to a 19-3 victory. Rosario added six more goals to her gaudy season goal total, while nine other contributors found the scoresheet, Emma Kanoa was premier among those, with four.
Nikki Demers and Payton Walters were among the goal-scorers for Konawaena.
