Quintin Torres-Costa, Kodi Medeiros, David Nakamura … Cody Hirata.
Hirata etched his name next to big-game pitchers of recent Waiakea baseball HHSAA championship lore Thursday, delivering a one-hit shutout to lift the Warriors past Kailua 5-0 and into the state Division I championship game for the second consecutive season at Honolulu’s Les Murakami Stadium.
“My team had faith in me, my coach had faith in me, and I just took that faith and threw it to the batters,” Hirata said.
The junior right-hander struck out six and walked one and hit a batter in what he called the “best game of my life.”
At 7 p.m. Friday against top-seeded Baldwin, which beat Iolani in the other semifinal, the Warriors (17-0) will seek their first state title since 2012, when Torres-Costa and Medeiros – who both play for the Milwaukee Brewers’ Double-A affiliate – pitched Waiakea to the championship against Baldwin. The Bears seek their second title in three seasons and the third consecutive for a team from Maui.
Hirata told the Tribune-Herald his previous career highlight was pitching in relief in last season’s state final, a 6-1 loss to Maui High, but he outdid himself in the semifinals against the OIA Surfriders, who’s lone hit came from the game’s leadoff batter. Hirata mowed down 18 of the last 19 batters he faced, threw an economical 83 pitches and he and catcher Jacob Igawa never allowed a base runner to reach second.
“My first complete game, I had fun, and I was able to share it with my teammates,” Hirata said. “I used my fastball to attack batters.”
Beyond Hirata’s gem, this was a true team effort that coach Rory Inouye could appreciate. Waiakea got hits from eight different players and the Warriors didn’t commit an error.
“We played our kind of baseball,” he said. “Trayden (Tamiya at shortstop), Stone (Miyao at third), the outfielders made some real good plays.”
Neither Nakamura, who won Wednesday against Campbell and pitched a five-hit shutout in the 2017 state semis, nor Hirata are eligible to pitch Friday, and Inouye said he didn’t know who he was going to start Friday.
Inouye has used his Nos. 1 and 2 pitchers in Waiakea’s past eight games. Available arms include Khaden Victorino, Casey Yamauchi, Devin Midel, Cody Min, Ty Honda and Reese Mondina.
“A lot will depend on who we play and the matchup,” Inouye said.
Hirata allowed the leadoff batter to reach in the first and second, but both base runners were erased by Igawa trying to steal to end the inning.
“That really gives our team a boost and a lot of morale,” Hirata said.
Waiakea scored single runs in the first and second and busted through for three in the third.
With Trayden Tamiya on second after being hit by a pitch and advancing on a bulk, Kala’i Rosario drove him home with a single to center which got underneath an outfielder’s glove and rolled to the wall, allowing Rosario to come all the way around to score. The next batter, Stone Miyao, reached on a throwing error and scored on Igawa’s single to center.
“Last year, we were just happy to get to the championship game,” Inouye said. “This year, we know we have a good enough team to win, so that’s the difference.”
As Kailua’s defense faltered, Waiakea made all the little plays.
In the bottom of the second, Safea Villaruz-Mauai doubled down right field line, moved to third when Igawa grounded out to the right side of the infield and scored when Reese Mondina singled through a draw-in infield.
The Warriors also manufactured a run in the first when Casey Yamauchi walked, moved to second on Tamiya’s sacrifice, took third on Nakamura’s hit and scored on Rosario’s grounder.
“We just took this game as a regular game,” Hirata said. “We know tomorrow is the one we need.”
