Kamehameha senior Tai Atkins still remembers the one that got away during his freshman season.
The Warriors would go on to win their first HHSAA Division II baseball championship in 2016, but not before one loss – against Honokaa – kept them from an unbeaten BIIF season.
Kamehameha went out Wednesday and made sure there would be no repeat. On senior day in Keaau, junior Rydge Ishii collected three hits, including a pair of run-scoring singles, and pitched three shutout innings of relief, as the Warriors beat the Dragons 11-3 to complete an undefeated regular season.
Kamehameha (14-0) have more than a week off until these two teams reconvene at Kameeiamoku Field for Game 1 of best-of-three BIIF semifinals.
The Dragons (4-8), who still have two games remaining, will hope for better control from their pitchers after three of their hurlers combined to walk 10 batters Wednesday. Honokaa also committed four errors.
The Warriors actually trailed 3-2 before scoring eight times in the fifth inning. Senior Braeden Coloma hit a run-scoring single and finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored.
Coloma started on the mound and pitched four innings, allowing Canen Perreira’s RBI double as Honokaa scored three times in the fourth. Coloma was charged with four hits and two earned runs with a walk and two strikeouts.
Atkins, who said he was mindful of Honokaa’s ability to pull an upset after pitching a complete game Saturday, wasn’t needed on the mound in this one, though he did draw three walks from the leadoff spot.
Ishii got the win, working around three hits and four walks with three strikeouts.
Justin Birch started and took the loss for Honokaa, allowing four runs and four hits with five walks and two strikeouts in four innings. Taj Vera Cruz had two hits for Honokaa.
