Kamehameha-Hawai`i mixed great starting pitching with timely hitting to complete a two-game sweep of Hawai`i Preparatory Academy in the 2014 Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II championship series, held at Wong Stadium Tuesday.
Kamehameha-Hawaii used the mercy rule to defeat Ka Makani 10-0 in five innings in the first game of the doubleheader, then survived a late Hawai`i Prep rally to win the second game 5-2.
“It’s always good to win in more ways than one,” said Warriors head coach Andy Correa after the game.
The most efficient way to win is to keep your opponent from scoring, and Chay Toson did that in the first game of the twinbill. Toson picked up his fifth win of the season with a one-hit shutout, striking out five and walking two in the five inning gem. It was his second win against HPA this season, going back to the season finale on April 19.
“He did pretty much the same thing that he did in Waimea,” said Correa. “To do that twice shows that you did a good job. It wasn’t luck.”
Toson’s effort was, at times, overshadowed by an offense that put pressure on Ka Makani early. In the first inning, the Warriors got a pair of runs against Hawai`i Prep starter DJ Sekiya. Jordan Hirae doubled in Matt Chun with two out in the frame, and Kobi Candaroma followed with an RBI triple to left-center field.
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Toson helped his own cause in the fourth inning with an RBI single to right center field, scoring Baron Victorino to extend the lead to 3-0.
Sekiya, who took the loss, couldn’t get out of the fifth inning after allowing five straight batters to reach base. Makoa Rosario singled and later moved to second on the hurler’s errant pickoff throw to first base. After Hirae walked, Candaroma dropped a sacrifice bunt to move both runners over, but the throw to first base was dropped by Braden Kojima, allowing Rosario to score.
Later, Kamehameha-Hawai`i was caught being too aggressive with a pinch runner Christopher Aiona at third base, but catcher Mike Nakahara’s throw back to third hit Aiona in the helmet and rolled into left field, allowing Aiona and Candaroma to score to push the Warriors’ lead to 6-0.
Daylen Calicdan reached with a walk and Micah Carter followed with a single, chasing Sekiya from the game and triggering Ryan Jarvill to come on in relief. Jarvill immediately walked Baron Victorino to load the bases, and two batters later, gave up a two-run single to Toson to put Kamehameha-Hawai`i up 8-0.
Matt Chun reached on a fielder’s choice that got Victorino out between third and home, and with two on base, Rosario ended the game with a walk-off two-run single, scoring Toson and Chun to end the contest.
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In the second game, the Warriors picked up right where they left off, putting pressure on Hawai`i Prep starter Koa Ellis. Toson singled to start the game and reached third on an error by Ka Makani shortstop Cyrus Inglis. Four pitches later, Chun yanked a triple to left center field to bring him home.
Hawai`i Prep responded in the bottom of the inning against starting pitcher Candaroma. Sekiya singled on a line drive to left field and later moved up when Inglis reached on a two-out error by Chin. Nakahara came up and delivered a seeing-eye single through the left side of the diamond to even the game at 1-1.
Ellis danced around fielding errors to keep the Warriors at bay before giving up the go-ahead run in the fourth inning. Canderoma singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Calicdan followed with a single to left field to push Kamehameha-Hawai`i to a 2-1 lead.
Kamehameha-Hawai`i (12-1-1) broke the game open in the sixth when six consecutive hitters reached base with one out. Canderoma singled, stole second, and scored on Calicdan’s RBI knock to right field. Carter followed with a single to left field and also stole second base. Victorino then reached base thanks to an error by Inglis at shortstop, his fourth error of the game.
After Alika Young singled to load the bases, Toson followed up with a single to left, scoring Carter to get the Warriors’ ahead 5-1.
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Hawai`i Prep appeared to threaten that lead in the bottom of the inning. Ian Rice popped a ball up into shallow left field, but reached base with a single after the ball fell in between Calicdan at shortstop, Carter at third, and Chun in left. Reliever Hirae immediately picked Rice off at first, however, which spoiled the inning after three more hits by Inglis, Nakahara, and Li`i Purdy.
“They made it interesting,” Correa said. “HPA is a good team. Jordan (Hayslip) is a good coach. He’s gonna get them ready all the time, so you know they’re not gonna roll over.”
Hirae would work out of that mess, striking out Kalan Camero and Jervill to leave the bases loaded to secure the 5-1 advantage.
Hawai`i Prep (10-5) made it tougher in the seventh. Pinch hitter Kana`i Gaughen reached base on an error by Carter, and another error by Calicdan allowed Rice to reach with two out. The Warriors committed four errors in the second game, still less than Ka Makani’s five in game two and six in the first game.
After a walk to Inglis, Nakahara singled to score Gaughen and put the tying run on base with one out left, but Purdy grounded out to second base to end the game.
Candaroma picked up the win, improving to 4-0 on the season. He allowed an unearned run on two hits in four innings, striking out three and walking win. Hirae got the save, working the final three innings.
Ellis took the loss, allowing five runs, four of them earned, on ten hits.
Kamehameha-Hawai`i combined to pick up 20 hits in the two games. Toson had four of them with three runs batted in, while Candaroma went 4-for-7 with an RBI.
Nakahara was one of the few offensive bright spots for Hawai`i Prep, hitting 4-for-6 with two RBI.
Both teams will represent the BIIF in next week’s Wally Yonamine Foundation / Hawai`i High School Division II Baseball Championships, held at Hans L`Orange Park and Les Murakami Stadium.
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