KAILUA-KONA — The Kamehameha Schools Hawaii varsity baseball team defeated Kealakehe High School 17-0 in four innings Wednesday evening.
Junior leadoff hitter Liwai Correa got the Warriors off to a good start with a grounder single.
Correa and classmate Dominic Christensen scored the Warriors’ two runs for the inning, stealing bases and advancing on wild pitches and passed balls — with Christensen being batted in by sophomore Noah Palea’s single.
Palea took the mound in the bottom of the first and consecutively struck out the Waveriders’ first three batters.
Despite their first two batters flying out and striking out, the Warriors had a colossal second inning with six runs and nine consecutive batters touching base.
KSH’s defense made clutch plays in the bottom second, preventing two runs. Palea threw out a runner at third base who was attempting to steal home — and later, with a runner on third, Correa caught a grounder at shortstop and threw to senior first baseman Dylan Hanson to put out the batter and end the inning.
The Warriors showed excellent plate discipline in the third, with Hanson and junior Brayden Malani getting walked and Christensen getting hit by a pitch. By the end of the inning, KSH had notched three more runs for an 11-point lead.
Palea capped off his last inning on the hill with another three strikeouts.
In the fourth, the Warriors remained disciplined at bat and continued to take advantage of wild pitches, with six more players crossing home plate.
Correa subbed in at the mound and struck out two batters.
Palea earned the win with seven strikeouts and just one hit — and also led his team at bat, going two for three.
Correa, Hanson, junior Kaohu Kawelu and sophomore Justin Kubojiri each scored two runs, and sophomore courtesy runner Keagan Pacheco notched four runs.
Thanks to Palea and Correa’s pitching, the Warriors had a quiet day in the field — except for Christensen, who recorded ten putouts.
The Warriors will be back in action at 1 p.m. today at home against Keaau High School.
