UHH senior Cole Nakachi performed the best of all the pitchers who trotted out on the diamond, including Azusa Pacific ace Isaiah Carranza, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound right-hander, who was under the microscope of an MLB scout.
Nakachi is 5-6 and 150 pounds and entered the game with a 2-1 record and a 6.00 ERA in 24 innings. But score one for guile as he kept pulling the string on the Cougars, the PacWest’s front-runner, who got their launch angles wrong and hit harmless flyouts.
APU beat the Vulcans 5-3 in the first game of a doubleheader on Monday at Wong Stadium, but Nakachi stole the show and starred after starter Kyle Alcoran got lit up for five runs in five innings for the loss. In the second game, UHH (12-18, 8-14 PacWest) got a good start from Dylan Spain only to watch the Cougars score three runs in the ninth off of closer John Kea, who was trying to get six outs, to win 3-2.
Nakachi pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and a walk and didn’t strike out anyone in a solid damage-control outing that started in the sixth inning. Nakachi inherited a runner on first, no outs and the Cougars ahead 5-2.
Most of the APU players look like football players and are much bigger than the Vuls, who could pass for soccer players. The most fearsome Cougar is outfielder Pablo O’Connor, who had a .375 batting average, was a first team All-American last year and stands 6 feet and 215 pounds.
Nakachi got catcher Justin Gomes on a flyout to second base (wrong launch angle), then faced O’Connor. He took a Ruthian cut and retired himself on a harmless flyout to right field. Adversity was up next.
UHH second baseman Mana Manago committed an error, and No. 5 batter Osvaldo Tovalin was also ready to take a Gorilla swing and see if he could smoke a ball into Hilo Bay.
The Cougars struck out only once; Alcoran had the punchout. So they made contact often but couldn’t square up the ball at least against Nakachi, who throws a fastball that doesn’t break speed limits, a slider, and changeup.
Tovalin didn’t cheat himself and swung for the fences. His ball went high, far and right into the glove of center fielder Kyle Yamada. It was another instance of Nakachi fooling launch angles.
“I mostly change speeds and outsmart hitters,” Nakachi said of a strategy that also worked for another little Vul pitching giant, Deric Valoroso Jr., who’s a 5-6, 145-pound senior sidearmer.
In the ninth, Nakachi surrendered a single, got his ninth and final wrong launch angle flyout and was hooked after he allowed a walk. Valoroso walked the first Cougar he faced, then got a popup and flyout.
Carranza went five innings for the win. He allowed two runs on four hits and three walks and whiffed two. He made two mistakes, an RBI single to Jonathan Segovia in the third and a solo homer to Phillip Steering in the first.
Steering’s bomb was one of those no-doubt shots as soon as it left the bat. Carranza threw a middle-in meatball that Steering nuked at a 25-degree launch angle, and off it went, far, far over the left-field wall.
Apparently, Carranza is a fast learner. In the third, he walked Steering to fill the bases with one out. But RJ Romo dribbled a comebacker to Carranza, who threw home and catcher Gomes fired to first for a pitcher’s best friend double play.
Hayden Jorgenson pitched four innings of one-relief for the save and whiffed two Vuls in the ninth with a runner on. O’Connor went 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Sean Aspinall was 2 for 5 with two RBIs.
Nakachi pointed out a team goal is to break UHH’s 25-year losing streak, a collegiate record.
“Of course, we want to break it. We all know about it,” said Nakachi, who pointed out that coach Kallen Miyataki is steering the Vuls in the right direction. “He doesn’t want to focus on the past but build toward the future. We’re improving. We’ve got great guys, but the ball hasn’t been falling in our direction. We focus on what we can control.”
Asked if he wished he was born the same size as Carranza, Nakachi, who’s set to graduate next semester with a kinesiology degree, made another perfect pitch.
“That would be nice, but I do with what I’ve got,” said Nakachi, who lowered his ERA to 5.27. “I’ve made the most of my career. I’ve played every game like it’s my last.”
In the nightcap, Spain worked six shutout innings with four strikeouts and four hits allowed and Brandy Lee-Lehano pitched a scoreless seventh. Kea worked around a hit in the eighth before falling into trouble with out in the ninth as a single at two hit a batters loaded the bases for Grant Gamble, who hit a two-run single to center to tie the game. The next batter, Tim Lichty, grounded out to second to plate the go-ahead run.