Big Inning Sparks Championship Sweep for KS-Hawai’i

Kamehameha-Hawai’i poses for a championship picture after defeating Konawaena on Saturday. Photo courtesy: KS-Hawai’i athletics.

Five-run fifth innings have become the standard for the Kamehameha-Hawai’i baseball team.

A day after a five-run fifth pushed Kamehameha-Hawai’i past Konawaena in game one of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II Championship Series, the Warriors got another one, which proved to be the difference in Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Wildcats, clinching the overall league championship in a series sweep.

With the win, Kamehameha-Hawai’i will get the BIIF’s top spot in the Wally Yonamine Foundation/Hawai’i High School Athletic Association Division II Baseball State Championships, held May 5-7 at Wong Stadium in Hilo. Konawaena will also participate in the eight-team tournament.

Leading 1-0 going into the fifth, Kamehameha-Hawai’i put the pressure on Konawaena starting pitcher Tristan DeAguiar in the third time around the batting order. After a strikeout to Kegan Miura, four consecutive Warriors reached base. In that stretch, Makana Aiona’s two-run single to left field made the score 3-0, and he would later score on a wild pitch to add to the tally. Later in the inning, a throwing error by Wildcat first baseman Stevie Teixeira scored Jaisten Cabatbat and and Kekona Naipo-Arsiga.

DeAguiar couldn’t finish the fifth inning, just as Logan Canda couldn’t get out of the same inning in Friday’s opening game. The right-handed hurler went 4 2/3 innings, allowing all six runs, three of them earned, on five hits with three hit batters, three walks, and three strikeouts.

The offensive explosion supported a strong start by Kamehameha-Hawai’i freshman Tai Atkins (3-0), who pitched six strong innings, mixing up speeds and locations against a tough Konawaena lineup. The southpaw retired the first nine batters he faced before allowing a pair of hits to Phillip Grace and Canda to open the fourth. He bounced back quickly, striking out Tyler Kitaoka and inducing a 4-6-3 double play from Tevin Canda to quickly end the threat.

Atkins allowed two runs, both in the sixth inning on a single from Vohn Yamaguchi, on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Daylen Calicdan pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

Kamehameha-Hawai’i (17-1) scored its first run of the game on an error committed by Logan Canda, which scored Calicdan in the second inning.

Calicdan singled and doubled and scored twice, batting 2-for-4. Cabatbat reached base three times with two singles, hitting 2-for-4 as well.

Konawaena (11-7) was led offensively by Logan Canda’s two-hit day, batting 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Kamehameha-Hawai’i 001 050 0 – 6 7 0

Konawaena 000 002 0 – 2 5 3