Kai Keamo fanned 11 batters in five innings, and Ryan Murao and Ehu Sanchez belted home runs as Farrington overpowered Castle 13-2 on Saturday.
It was the Oahu Interscholastic Association regular-season opener for the teams. The game concluded at the end of six innings due to the 10-run mercy rule. Keamo allowed just three hits and two runs — both unearned — and walked just one Knight.
“My fastball was working,” the southpaw said. “That’s all. (Pitching) Coach Ross (Hayashi) said, ‘Just throw strikes.’ ”
Farrington scored four runs in the top of the first inning to give Keamo a cushion he enjoyed through his stint.
“We’re happy. We were waiting for this day. We get on the field and we have a senior-laden class,” Governors head coach Eric Tokunaga said.
Three Farrington starters were away attending college graduation ceremonies of their siblings on the mainland.
“We were really, really short-handed,” Tokunaga said. “We were concerned.”
The Governors were the visiting team on their home turf, Joey DeSa Field, because Castle doesn’t have an operable baseball diamond this spring. The Knights have made the best of their circumstances, using the outfield area for infield practice and taking cuts in their batting cage.
“Their pitcher looked good. Even their second one, very good,” Castle coach Shane Kauhane said of Keamo and Sanchez. “We’ve got to work with what it is. COVID just threw a wrinkle in everything. We thought there was no season, so we went ahead and skinned the infield. Then they decided later that we were going to go ahead (with a season). It is what it is right now, and we’re making it work with what we have.”
In the first frame, Kody Pilor walked and Keamo reached base on an infield error. With Sanchez at the plate, Castle starting pitcher Diesel Goya unloaded a wild pitch, allowing Pilor to score from third base.
After Sanchez walked, Landon Furukawa’s sacrifice fly to center brought Keamo home for a 2-0 lead.
Kaimana Werkmeister drew Farrington’s third walk of the inning, and Murao followed with a towering shot over the left-field fence 280 feet away. The Governors led 4-0.
In the top of the second, Pilor and Keamo singled with one out. Sanchez’s sac fly to center brought Pilor home from third base, extending the Govs’ lead to 5-0.
In the third, Murao was hit by a pitch with one out — he got plunked again later and Farrington was hit five times total. Murao came home when Tuan Pham’s ground ball turned into a throwing error, and the Govs led 6-0.
Castle got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Jaden Skolty singled to center and Logan Albinio reached base on an infield error. Kody Miyamoto’s grounder to second allowed Skolty to score from third base.
After Goya was ruled hit by a pitch on a bunt attempt, Albinio scored on a wild pitch, cutting Farrington’s lead to 6-2.
The Govs responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Keamo was plunked for a second time, advanced to second base, and Sanchez followed with a home run to left center off Castle’s second pitcher, Isamu Yoshizumi, for an 8-2 lead.
Farrington put the game out of reach in the top of the sixth with five runs.
Facing Paiea Nachor, Sanchez and Furukawa walked. Shortstop Jesse Reppuhn replaced Nachor and faced Werkmeister, who singled to right, scoring Sanchez.
Murao then smacked a ground-rule double to center, scoring Furukawa for a 10-2 lead. Pham’s single to left plated Werkmeister and Murao for a 10-run margin. After Raphael Bergantinos walked and Loea Albinio was hit by pitch to load the bases, Sanchez got plunked, forcing Pham in from third base.
Sanchez, the starting catcher, took the mound in the bottom of the sixth and allowed one hit, then retired the ensuing three batters, striking out two.
At Joey DeSa Field
Farrington (1-0) 411 205 — 13 7 1
Castle (0-1) 000 200 — 2 4 2
Game ends after six innings due to 10-run mercy rule.
Kai Keamo, Ehu Sanchez (6) and Sanchez, Raphael Bergantinos (6). Diesel Goya, Isamu Yoshizumi (4), Paiea Nachor (5), Jesse Reppuhn (6) and Zayden Uyemura. W—Keamo. L—Goya.
Leading hitters—Farrington: Kody Pilor 1-3, 2 walks, 2 runs; Sanchez 1-1, HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 2 walks, SF; Landon Furukawa 2-3, RBI, run, walk, SF; Kaimana Werkmeister 1-3, 2 runs, RBI, walk; Ryan Murao 2-2, HR, double, 3 RBI, 3 runs, 2 HBP, SB; Tuan Pham 1-2, double, run, walk, HBP.
KAISER 13, KAILUA 9
Kaiser (10)00 000 3 — 13 12 0
Kailua 000 423 0 — 9 13 0
W—Corbin Dennis
Leading hitters—Kaiser: Chun Ming 4-4, 4 RBI; Perreira 2 RBI. Kailua: Kayleb Ma-huka-Lono 3-3, Makai Miyamoto 3-3.
WAIPAHU 21, KAIMUKI 11
Kaimuki 000 290 — 11 6 8
Waipahu 707 043 — 21 13 2
W—Brendan Kumasaka. L—Kaipo Chun.
Leading hitters—Kaimuki: Jaryn Wong-Galope 3 RBI. Waipahu: Kolby Wagatsuma 5 RBI; Noah Takayama 4 RBI.
WAIALUA 3, RADFORD 1
Radford 000 010 0 — 1 5 2
Waialua 021 000 X — 3 6 4
T Tereschuk and G Buchanan. E Bell and K Dellatan. W—Tereschuk. L—Bell.
Leading hitters—Radford: A Gawat 2-3, SB. Waialua: K Lorenzo 2-4, RBI; A Mi-yataki 2-2, run, RBI.
ILH
MID-PACIFIC 10, PUNAHOU 4
Mid-Pacific 312 003 1 — 10 16 2
Punahou 101 020 0 — 4 8 2
W—Cayden Okada. L—Landon Chun.
Leading hitters—MPI: Kennedy Hara 3-3, Karter Wong 2 RBI. Punahou: Nolan Souza 3 RBI.
MARYKNOLL 8, PAC-FIVE 0
Maryknoll 010 012 4 — 8 10 0
Pac-Five 000 000 0 — 0 4 3
W—Parker Grant.
Leading hitters—Maryknoll: Noah Naka-oka 3-3, 2 RBI; Peyton Hino 2 RBI
SOFTBALL
OIA
MILILANI 14, LEILEHUA 1
Leilehua 000 10 — 1 1 3
Mililani 319 1X — 14 15 0
W—Joie Baker. L—Brenna Yoshioka.
Leading hitters—Mililani: Mackenzie Kila 2-3, 3 RBI; Jordan Okumura 2-3; Kennedy Kila 2 RBI; Jackie Kirkpatrick 2 RBI.
ILH
PUNAHOU 14, SACRED HEARTS 5
Punahou 631 102 1 — 14 15 2
Sacred Hearts 003 101 0 — 5 8 1
Details not available.
