Kamehameha’s pitcher-by-committee strategy went a little longer than expected, and Daylen Calicdan earned a gold star for his overtime work on Thursday night at Wong Stadium.
The senior right-hander pitched six innings of resilient relief as Kamehameha outlasted Waiakea 5-4 in 10 innings in a roller-coaster BIIF baseball game between the league’s last two unbeatens.
Waiakea (6-1) committed six errors but only one run was unearned, but it was the go-ahead score for Kamehameha (7-0), still in the driver’s seat for the BIIF Division II regular season title and the league’s first berth to the HHSAA state tournament.
In the top of the 10th, Jaisten Cabatbat reached on an error and advanced to second and third on a pair of wild pitches by losing pitcher Dillon-Jon Gabriel. Kyran Kai followed with a single to right field for a 5-4 lead.
Calicdan, a second baseman by trade who moonlights as a reliever, beaned No. 9 hitter Mackanzy Maesaka in the bottom of the 10th inning. That likely brought back flashbacks to the seventh and ninth innings when Kamehameha led and couldn’t close the door.
In the seventh, the visitors led 3-2, but Makoa Andres led off with a single and later scored on Jaron Kawaguchi’s RBI base hit to force extra innings.
In the ninth, Kamehameha led 4-3, but Andres reached on an error, and pinch runner Devin Midel scored on another error to tie it and extend the marathon to nearly four hours or 3 hours and 45 minutes to be exact.
Third time was the winning charm for Calicdan, who after his hit by pitch, induced a double play and then recorded a game-ending strikeout.
In six innings, he allowed three runs (one unearned) on five hits and three walks and struck out three for his hard-earned win. Calicdan threw 93 pitches and cemented his reputation as a workhorse reliever.
Kegan Miura and DallasJ Duarte paired hits for Kamehameha, which stranded 12 on base, including the sacks full in the top of the 10th. Right fielder Nate Minami made a running catch to end the inning.
Minami and Kawaguchi had two hits each for Waiakea, which left 13 on base, including the sacks filled in the sixth. Right fielder Kai made a spectacular sliding catch to close the inning.
Neither team retired the side in order, which added to the entertainment value for the sizable crowd. Kamehameha’s three pitchers — Tai Atkins, Brandyn Lee-Lehano and Calicdan — offered 11 free passes (eight walks, two hit by pitches) while Waiakea’s trio — Andres, Bryce Yamashita and Gabriel — allowed eight free passes (six walks, three beans).
Atkins, a freshman left-hander, started and flashed dominant stuff. Right now as a youngster, he doesn’t throw as hard as Lee-Lehano, a husky 6-foot-4 senior right-hander, but Atkins has a fastball that moves all over the place and a sharp curveball.
In his first big game against an annual BIIF title contender and state qualifier (Waiakea has been to states the last five years), Atkins surrendered an unearned run in two innings, allowed one hit and two walks, and whiffed three.
Atkins ran into a bit of trouble in the first. He walked No. 2 hitter Trayden Tamiya and hit Taylor Mondina. But he flashed his power stuff from the stretch and got two strikeouts — cleanup hitter Anthony Benevides on three pitches swinging and Andres on five pitches, also swinging.
Lee-Lehano, who struggled to find his release point and rhythm, threw two scoreless innings. He walked the bases full in the third but got a comebacker for an easy forceout at home.
The last time Andres pitched under the lights at Wong he fired an 11-0 no-hitter with eight strikeouts against Hilo, which had trouble picking up his release point and swung late at most of his pitches. It was the first no-hitter in the long history between the two crosstown rivals.
The junior right-hander didn’t have his best stuff but kept his team in the ballgame. In seven innings, Andres gave up three runs on four hits and four walks and struck out five. He finished with 107 pitches and a hard-luck no-decision.
Kamehameha, which unlike Hilo had little trouble picking up his release point, quickly erased Andres’ no-hit bid in the first inning when Kegan Miura singled off a 1-0 pitch to left field. DallasJ Duarte yanked an 0-2 pitch to left for another single.
On an inside pitch, Makana Aiona kept his hands in and slammed a double that stayed on a straight path down the left-field. Miura and Duarte, one of the fastest runners in the league despite being a catcher, both easily scored for a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the ninth, Kamehameha’s No. 9 hitter Baron Victorino singled up the middle, and coach Andy Correa’s team played perfect small-ball. Miura sacrificed and Duarte followed with a single that sent pinch runner Zach Riveira to third.
Calicdan hit a sacrifice fly to push across the go-ahead run for a 4-3 lead, but Waiakea rallied to give the fans another dramatic jolt, and then Kamehameha’s workhorse reliever shut the door for good.
Kamehameha 201 000 001 1 — 5 8 3
Waiakea 010 001 101 0 — 4 7 6
Honokaa 8, Kohala 5: Jonathan Charbonneau pitched five innings of solid relief, Nainoa Falk collected three hits and scored three times and Toby Molina hit a two-run double as host Honokaa bolstered its playoff positioning in Division II.
Kelvin Falk started for the Dragons (5-4) and pitched two innings, yielding four runs, with two strikeouts. Charbonneau, struck out two and allowed a run on one hit and three walks. He finished with two hits, as did Paki Akau, who doubled.
In relief of Kaimi Hook, Tate Fernandez was the losing pitcher for the Cowboys (2-6), allowing five runs and five hits in six innings with a walk and six strikeouts.
Kohala’s Austin Racoma finished with two hits and two RBIs.
Hilo 11, Pahoa 1: Toa Barclay pitched two innings in a five-inning TKO game.
Julian Beimler took the loss for the Daggers.
No one paired hits for either team.
