Honokaa baseball coach Devin Joaquin knows which way he would have leaned if he were calling balls and strikes.
Justin Birch flirted with a five-inning perfect game Saturday, settling for a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts, and the senior hit two doubles and knocked in four runs for the Dragons (2-0) at Kealakehe High.
With one out in the fifth, Birch suffered his only a blemish, a walk in which coach Devin Joaquin said there were some “borderline” calls.
“He was overpowering,” Joaquin said after the Trojans put two balls in play.
Through 11 innings this season, co-aces Birch and Joaquin have combined to strike out 27 batters.
They also led the hit parade Saturday. Birch was 3 for 4 with two runs scored, and Joaquin tripled and doubled with three RBIs. Each scored twice. At the bottom of the order, Jo Badon was 2 for 3 with three runs scored.
Eight of the Dragons’ 13 hits went for extra bases.
Joaquin said Honokaa’s bench was aware that Birch was working on a perfect game, but the Dragons didn’t get superstitious and avoid talking to their pitcher.
“That’s not really our team,” Joaquin said. “Kind of loud.”
In the first of two games in Kailua-Kona, Waiakea made the most of its opener, beating Kealakehe 19-0.
Dylan Honda and Kaden Oshiro combined for a four-inning no-hitter – the only Kealakehe base runner was Keyshawn Lorenzo, who reached in the bottom of the first after being hit by a pitch – and the offense belted out run after run to make quick work of the host Waveriders.
Honda was particularly impressive on the mound, striking out eight of the nine batters he faced to earn the win. Keanu Alokoa took the loss for the Waveriders.