KEAAU – In a matter of minutes last Friday in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation game of the year so far, Kamehameha’s Kobi Candaroma went from would-be hero to walk-off loser. ADVERTISING KEAAU – In a matter of minutes last
KEAAU – In a matter of minutes last Friday in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation game of the year so far, Kamehameha’s Kobi Candaroma went from would-be hero to walk-off loser.
If the senior was carrying any lingering doubts from that setback, they didn’t show Wednesday against Keaau.
Candaroma pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings, posted three hits, stole four bases and scored three runs as the Warriors beat Keaau 8-0 on their new turf field.
“You win some, you lose some,” Candaroma said. “Baseball is a game of failure. That loss really got to us. We worked really hard for it, but it was back to the drawing board.
“It matters how you come back. We treat every game like a Game 7 championship game.”
As the lone team with a winning record in Division II, Kamehameha (4-1) is threatening to run away with the regular-season title. The Warriors’ only loss came 2-1 against Division I Waiakea. Candaroma extended that game with a hit in the seventh but then allowed the winning hit in the eighth.
“We learned from that game that we’ve got to work hard,” said sophomore Jaisten Cabatbat, who posted the first four-hit game of his varsity career.
“We used that as motivation.”
Kamehameha scored in every inning but the fifth and banged out 14 hits against the Division I Cougars (4-2), who have lost two in a row after an unbeaten start.
Keaau starter Justin Quesada allowed 10 hits and five runs – three earned – with a walk and two strikeouts.
Kobie Kinzie collected two hits and two RBIs and Makana Aiona was 2 for 4 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI for the Warriors, who were playing their second game on their turf field.
“No excuses to not get better,” said Cabatbat, who tripled in Kamehameha’s final run in the sixth. “We can practice in any conditions.”
In past years, the Warriors’ grass field was hampered by drainage problems.
“If it drizzled, it was flooded,” Candaroma said. “We would practice indoors and a lot of times we’d use tennis balls, and that kind of took away the whole purpose.”
Candaroma allowed two hits to Quesada and worked around four walks with six strikeouts before giving way to Daylen Calicdan, who got the final five outs and drove in two runs at the plate.
Keaau 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
Kamehameha 112 103 x – 8 14 0
Honokaa 3, Kohala 2: Caden Perreira struck out seven over five solid innings, and Kilipaki Akau and Kieran Lo each came through with RBI singles in the fifth as the host Dragons won their first game of the season.
“The kids deserved this win,” first-year Honokaa coach Tim Sumera said. “We’ve been switching around the lineup trying to find ways to produce runs.”
His team is suddenly in the thick of the Division II playoff race despite being 1-5.
“It’s been a funny year,” he said.
Perreira gave up one run on a wild pitch and survived six walks. He singled in the fifth against Kainalu Emeliano-Solomon and scored on Akau’s hit.
Akau also singled in the third and scored on a wild pitch. Lo also had two hits.
Kamaehu Richards allowed Kohala (2-3) to score a run in the sixth on a wild pitch, but he worked two innings for the save.
Emeliano-Solomon took the loss after Joey Salvador pitched the first four innings.
Kohala 000 011 0 – 2 3 0
Honokaa 001 020 x – 3 6 0
Hilo 12, Pahoa 0: Kaiden Cox pitched four shutout innings. and Nick Antony and Joey Jarneski each had a double among their two hits as the Vikings won on the road.
While Antony drove in three runs and Jarneski drove in two, Cox allowed two hits with a walk and one strikeout for Hilo (4-2).
Tryson Kenui took the loss for the Daggers (1-3), yielding eight runs – three earned – on five hits with two strikeouts.
Lava Benn doubled for the Daggers.
Hilo 215 31 –12 9 1
Pahoa 000 00 –0 2 7
