This was unlike any other BIIF Division I championship between Hilo and Waiakea in their long storied history.
This was unlike any other BIIF Division I championship between Hilo and Waiakea in their long storied history.
When the Vikings and Warriors meet, there’s always a high-intensity atmosphere, but it increases when there’s the carrot of a HHSAA state tournament first-round bye on the line.
Unlike other sports that receive a first-round bye at states, which can basically be counted as an automatic win, Division I baseball is different because a pitching staff is saved for a day. (In Division II, it’s an eight-team field, and there are no byes.)
Waiakea defeated Hilo 4-3 to capture the BIIF championship on Monday night at Wong Stadium, securing its first league title since 2014 and earning that coveted first-round bye.
The Warriors (15-3) and Vikings (12-5) have berths to the HHSAA state tournament, which will be held May 4-7 on Maui. *The last time a BIIF champion (Hilo) didn’t receive a first-round bye was in 1992.
The game got off to a hotly contested start. Literally. And it was only the top of the first inning.
Noah Higa-Gonsalves led off with walk and was picked off by Waiakea starter Reese Mondina. Then Joey Jarneski singled, and Josiah Factora doubled.
But Waiakea coach Rory Inouye asked the umpires to check Factora’s bat. After a 10-minute inspection/conference/discussion, the bat was ruled illegal, after measured across home plate, which is 17 inches wide.
That brought memories of Kansas City Royal Hall of Famer Brett George’s pine tar incident against the New York Yankees in 1983 at the old Yankee Stadium.
Brett, who had too much pine tar on his bat, was called out and so was Factora. Brett went nuts and made himself into a lifetime Google punchline. Factora shrugged it off, kept his cool and plotted his revenge.
Cleanup hitter Ryan Ragual singled to put runners on the corners, but Mondina got Micah Bello on a comebacker to shut the door on that bit of trouble.
In the bottom of the first, Nate Minami walked, and Trayden Tamiya reached on Hilo starter Noah Kalaola-Richardson’s error. Taylor Mondina, Reese’s brother, reached on third baseman Factora’s fielding error to bring in Minami.
Cleanup hitter Shaun Kurosawa walked, and Kalaola-Richardson was pulled after facing four batters and getting no outs for No. 3 starter Donald Saltiban Jr.
Gehrig Octavio’s sacrifice fly gave Waiakea a 2-0 lead, and then Saltiban, a sophomore right-hander, got a groundout to end the inning.
In the top of the second, the Viking faithful needed to reach for a bottle of Tums after more consternation when Josh Breitbarth walked, and pinch runner Kahale Huddleston stole second with Bud Cox at the plate. Catcher Mackanzy Maesaka’s throw was late, but Cox was called out for batter’s interference.
A Game 3 was probably the best thing to happen for Waiakea and Hilo because both teams had to rely on the back end of their pitching staffs, something they’ll do at states.
A Game 3 is also managed much differently. As Hilo coach Tony De Sa showed with his quick hook of Kalaola-Richardson, Inouye did the same in the third inning. He yanked Mondina after Jarneski led off with a single.
Waiakea reliever Dillon-Jon Gabriel gave up a single to Factora, who got one part of his revenge, and Ragual bunted for a single. Bello had a sacrifice fly to cut Waiakea’s lead to 2-1.
In the bottom of the third, the Warriors grabbed a 3-1 lead when Taylor Mondina reached on first baseman Bud Cox’ error and scored on Maesaka’s run-scoring single.
Hilo staged a two-out rally to get within 3-2 in the fourth when Jarneski singled, and Factora remembered that revenge is a dish best served cold and delivered an RBI single.
In the fifth, Bello led off with a single, and pinch hitter Nick Antony was intentionally walked. Then Inouye replaced Gabriel with Andres, who went eight innings in Game 1’s 4-2 loss. Pinch hitter Austin Damate-Aina singled up the middle for a 3-3 tie.
Waiakea went up 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth frame when Octavio walked with one out, and pinch hitter Anthony Benevides later singled off Ragual, who was brought in the replace Saltiban.
In four-plus innings, Saltiban allowed two runs (one unearned) on two hits and four walks and whiffed two in the loss. Ragual pitched two innings of scoreless relief. Kalaola-Richardson gave up two unearned runs on two walks.
Factora batted 3 for 4 with an RBI and Jarneski went 3 for 4 to lead Hilo, which left 13 on base, including the sack filled in the second and third innings.
Andres picked up the win with 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief. He struck out two and allowed two hits. Mondina went two-plus innings and gave up a run on four hits and three walks. Gabriel pitched 2 1/3 innings of bridge work and surrendered two runs on four hits and three walks.
No one paired hits for the Warriors, who stranded seven runners on base, including the sacks filled in the fourth.
It’s often said that defense wins championships, and in Waiakea’s case that was true. Defense helps, too. The Warriors walked six and had one error; just one run scored off that free pass.
On the other hand, Hilo also issued six free passes but had three costly errors. Two runs came home on walks, and two other runs crossed home on miscues. Of the Viks’ four runs surrendered, three were unearned.
Factora was in a hitting groove in the BIIF championship. Despite his illegal bat out, he got his revenge at the dish. Factora and Aina were the only ones to single off Andres, Waiakea’s junior ace.
But the Warriors played cleaner ball and didn’t beat themselves. They knew the rules and called Hilo on it. They won.
But like George Brett’s pine tar incident (can anyone remember the score?), this BIIF championship will long be remembered for something other than another thrilling battle in the league’s best crosstown rivalry — one in which either Waiakea or Hilo has won 42 of the last 43 BIIF titles.
Hilo 001 110 0 — 3 10 3
Waiakea 201 010 x — 4 3 1