Keaau’s baseball team had every reason to hang its head, but instead the Cougars found a way to hang on and head to victory.
Dylan Kamakea’s single brought home the winning run with one out in the bottom of the eighth Tuesday as the Cougars leapfrogged Kealakehe in the BIIF Division I standings with a 3-2 win at their field.
Keaau starter Edward Oguma was working on a six-hit shutout when his defense let him down in the top of the seventh. A pair of errors, the Cougars’ third and fourth of the game, allowed the Waveriders (1-6) to tie the game.
Bryant Respicio-Mercado pitched a scoreless eighth and Bronson Respicio-Mercado started the winning rally with a single to center.
Kainoa Jones pitched well for Kealakehe, striking out eight in seven inning and yielding only two hits with four walks. Like Oguma, both of the the runs Jones allowed were unearned. Each starter threw 99 pitches.
It was scoreless until the bottom of the third, when Ethan Santos reached striking out on a passed ball, took third on an error and scored on a wild pitch. In the sixth, Bryant Respicio-Mercado singled to right, moved to third on a passed ball and wild pitch and scored on Kamakea’s fly out to right field, putting the Cougars (2-6) ahead 2-0.
Bryant Respicio-Mercado collected half of the Cougars’ four hits, and he earned the win with his inning for work, striking out two.
Kealakehe’s Kai Orlando led off the seventh to get things going with the seventh hit off Oguma, who walked four and struck out four.
Trent Kepano, the second of three Kealakehe pitchers, was charged with the loss. Kepano struck out the first batter of the eighth, but after Bronson Respicio-Mercado’s hit, Bryant Respicio-Mercado reached on a fielder’s choice and Oguma walked to load the bases.
Toby Estrella came on in relief, but Kamakea sent his first pitch up the middle as Keaau turned the tables with a walk-off win to answer the one Kealakehe claimed in a 7-6 victory against Keaau on Feb. 26 in Kailua-Kona.
Konawaena 7, Honokaa 1: James Kapela struck out 12 and came within one out of a three-hitter, and Kanai Rivera drove in four runs as the visiting Wildcats solidified their chances of obtaining either the second or third seed in Division II by sweeping the season series from the Dragons.
Konawaena bunched together three hits, including Rivera’s RBI single, and two batters were hit to score three times in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead. Batting cleanup, Rivera hit sacrifice flies in the first and and sixth innings and a run-scoring single in the third, and Jake Basque doubled home a run in the third and was 2 for 2 with two runs scored. Bronson Rivera also had a multiple hit day for Konawaena (6-3), going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Canen Perreira hit a solo home run and was 2 for 3 for the Dragons (4-4), whose pitchers combined to issue only one walk but hit five batters.
Jake Bannister threw 4 1/3 innings, taking the loss after allowing five runs off four hits and a walk. Justin Birch threw the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits, and striking out three.
Kapela was lifted after issuing his second walk on his 107th pitch. Bronson Rivera secured the final out, striking out the only batter he faced.
The Wildcats will host Hawaii Prep (5-3) on Thursday as the teams vie for home-field advantage in the Division II semifinals.
Kamehameha 22, Kohala 0: Rydge Ishii collected three hits, including a two-run triple to highlight the Warriors’ eight-run first inning in Kapaau, with four RBIs, and Kamehameha outhit the Cowboys 18-1 in Pahala to remain undefeated.
Tai Atkins picked up the win, with 2-1/3 hitless innings with six strikeouts. He also had one walk. Kaizen Kapuni-Lankfo threw the final 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Kalanikealii Marquez hit an RBI triple and a two-run single, Brycen Nakata was 2 for 2 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Bryce Furuli had two hits and two RBIs, and Ayson Mar had two hits and scored twice for the Warriors (9-0).
Kohala’s lone hit came from Quinton Hook.
Legend Libron took the loss, allowing 12 runs, only six earned, off 11 hits.