Waiakea senior David Nakamura had one of those five-star performances on the pitching mound, and the first thing he did was credit his defense, which could have taken the day off because of his strikeout prowess.
The senior left-hander fired a five-hitter and whiffed 11 as the Warriors thumped Hilo 10-1 in Game 1 of the BIIF Division I championships series on Friday night at Wong Stadium.
Waiakea (14-0) plays Hilo (10-4) in Game 2 at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Wong for its second consecutive BIIF title. If necessary, Game 3 will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Wong.
Nakamura walked none and surrendered only a first-inning run. It was the first time he had double-digit strikeouts and no walks. He threw 97 pitches in his complete-game masterpiece, the finest and most efficient of his BIIF career.
“As always, my defense did an awesome job. My stats would not have happened if it weren’t for my defense,” Nakamura said. “To be honest, I usually have plenty of walks. But I was feeling good and comfortable. My defense enables me to pitch to contact and go after them.”
He even had a perfect day at the plate. Nakamura batted 3 for 3 with three RBIs. Casey Yamauchi went 4 for 4 with two RBIs and four runs scored, Stone Miyao had two RBIs, and Khaden Victorino was 2 for 3 with two RBIs.
“I was pretty comfortable at the plate. Coach Rory (Inouye) has been able to get us night practices, and it’s been beneficial for the team. Everybody gets lucky sometimes, and today was my day,” Nakamura said.
Inouye pointed out that what Nakamura calls luck is actually a byproduct of his commitment.
“David works hard at practice and in the offseason,” Inouye said. “I’m glad his hard work is paying off at the right time. But we’re not done.
“He threw a lot of strikes and mixed up his speeds very well. He and catcher Jacob Igawa have a great connection. He knows he can throw strikes with his defense behind him.”
Hilo starter Ryan Ragual couldn’t get comfortable and pitched 4 2/3 innings in the loss. The senior right-hander allowed seven runs on nine hits and three walks and whiffed two. Sophomore Logan Wilson had the best stats of the four Viking pitchers with a scoreless inning and two strikeouts.
Micah Bello batted 2 for 3 to lead the Vikings, the defending BIIF champion. (The league runner-up will have a play-in game for an HHSAA state berth.)
Hilo scratched Nakamura for a run in the first inning. Then he found his rhythm and turned into a strikeout machine. Bello doubled and scored on Puukani De Sa’s RBI single. After that, Nakamura whiffed the next three hitters.
Waiakea answered in the bottom of the first with old-fashioned small-ball. Yamauchi led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on Kalai Rosario’s two-out single to right field for a 1-1 tie.
In the second, the Warriors got into a hitting groove. Trayden Tamiya walked and Victorino reached on a fielder’s choice. Yamauchi stroked an RBI single, and the hitting became contagious. Nakamura followed with a run-scoring single, and Miyao belted an RBI single for a 4-1 lead.
Waiakea tacked on two runs in the fourth when Yamauchi singled and scored on Nakamura’s RBI triple to center field. Miyao followed with a sacrifice fly for a 6-1 cushion.
In the fifth, Ragual walked Cody Kunimitsu with one out and retired Tamiya on a groundout. At 91 pitches and already ineligible to pitch on Monday, Ragual was pulled for freshman Kekoa Ogawa, and nothing went according to plan. (At 85 pitches, Ragual would have been eligible for Monday.)
Safea Mauai singled and Kunimitsu scored on a Hilo error. Victorino singled, and Yamauchi followed with a two-run triple. Ogawa was pulled for sophomore Titus Sato, who gave up an RBI double to Nakamura that made it 10-1 before he retired Miyao.
Inouye quickly put the rout into perspective.
“Hitting is day by day,” he said. “We have to come out and be ready to battle again.”
Hilo 100 000 0 — 1 5 1
Waiakea 130 240 x — 10 13 1