By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
Kodi Medeiros fired laser beams all night long, whipping a one-hitter and finishing with 12 strikeouts, and his brother, Korin Medeiros, put up monster numbers, cracking a towering three-run homer.
Behind the production of the Medeiros brothers, Waiakea blanked Kamehameha 8-0 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation baseball game Friday night before 500 fans at Wong Stadium.
Kodi Medeiros, a sophomore left-hander, allowed a lonely single — to Nainoa Hart on a full count in the fourth — in a 110-pitch gem. He also surrendered four walks, and hit two batters.
He was also dominant out of the stretch, racking up eight strikeouts with runners on base. Kamehameha (2-2) stranded five on base. Medeiros got an inning-ending strikeout with two on in the sixth, his biggest pickle of the game.
His line was pretty to look at: seven innings, one hit, four walks and 12 strikeouts. “I felt really smooth,” he said. ‘When I was behind, I was able to come back with strikes. I got my strikeouts usually on fastballs, inside or outside corner, with my cutter.”
In the bottom of the first, Waiakea capitalized on two errors — one in which the catcher didn’t throw to first base after a strikeout and wild pitch with two on and two out — scoring five unearned runs on three hits.
Kupono Correa took the loss in three innings. He allowed eight runs — five unearned — on four hits and four walks, and struck out four. Kaimana Moike silenced Waiakea’s bats with three scoreless innings in relief. He gave up a hit and two walks, and whiffed four.
Korin Medeiros started the rally with a two-out single. Then Kodi Medeiros walked. Davy Camacho struck out and ran to first on a wild pitch. The catcher didn’t throw to first and was charged with an error, making all the subsequent runs unearned.
Reyn Kihara walked for an RBI, and Tyler Ishimoto jacked a two-run single to left field for a 3-0 lead. After Robbey Meguro reached on an infield single, Alika Guillermo and Quintin Torres-Costa followed with back-to-back RBI basehits.
In the third, Waiakea again scored its runs with two out. Meguro and Torres-Costa both walked, and Korin Medeiros blasted a soaring home run over the left-field fence for an 8-0 cushion.
He finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Nishimoto was 1 for 2 with two RBIs for the Division I Warriors (4-0).
“That homer was unexpected,” said Medeiros, a senior third baseman. “It was a high pitch. I just kept it simple: see ball, hit ball. I hoped for the best. I’m surprised it went out.”
The game also marked the first BIIF regular-season night-time contest in recent memory. By the crowd’s size, it was a big hit. Waiakea coach Kevin Yee enjoyed the different atmosphere.
“I loved it. The Big Island fans came out to support it,” he said. “It was a fun environment. The kids were excited to play under the lights in front of their family and friends. It was awesome.”
Kamehameha 000 000 0 — 0 1 4
Waiakea 503 000 x — 8 5 1
