Greyson Osbun scattered five hits over five innings and Elai Iwanaga hurled two scoreless innings in relief as No. 1 Kamehameha posted a 6-1 win over ‘Iolani on Monday afternoon at Hans L’Orange Park.
‘Iolani committed four errors. One miscue led to Kamehameha’s unearned, go-ahead run in the fourth inning, and two more botched ground balls allowed the Warriors to score four more unearned runs in the fifth frame.
The Warriors improved to 8-1 in the ILH (22-5 overall) as Osbun pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the third inning. His fastball popped and the curveball froze several ‘Iolani batters. Osbun fanned five and walked three.
“It’s not my best, I would say. Execution could’ve been better again, especially in the third inning, but it’s a win,” Osbun said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do. Hopefully, I’ll be at my best in (ILH playoffs) and states.”
Iwanaga entered the game with Kamehameha ahead 2-1 in the fifth inning. The right-hander allowed just one hit with three strikeouts and one walk.
“(Osbun) wasn’t at his best, but labored through and did what he had to do to get outs, and come away with a team win, and at the end of the day that’s the most important thing,” Kamehameha coach Daryl Kitagawa said.
“Every person on the team has a role and something to do that can help the team win against a scrappy, formidable ‘Iolani team. I have a lot of respect for Coach Kurt (Miyahira), his staff, his players, their school, their fans. Any time you can get a victory over them it feels good because they’re tough to beat.”
Osbun’s counterpart, Landen Kaneshiro, went four innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits. Kaneshiro walked one and hit three batters.
Noah Chong took over in the fifth inning when Kamehameha pulled away.
The only bad news for Kamehameha is the status of catcher Taj Uyehara, who tweaked a hamstring in the first inning. He stayed in the game before retweaking it during the fifth inning. He was replaced by Kino Adams.
Kamehameha plays Maryknoll on Thursday at Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park, then meets Pac-Five on Saturday at Ala Wai Community Park.
‘Iolani and Punahou play Thursday at Ala Wai. The Raiders meet Mid-Pacific on Saturday, also at Ala Wai.
“We’ve got to keep playing. I’ve got to do a better job, figure out a way to get this team going,” Miyahira said. “Landen battled. It wasn’t pretty, but he limited the damage and kept us in the game, and that’s all we can ask for.”
Logan Sanchez led off the bottom of the first with a walk, and after Taj Uyehara was hit by pitch and Kia‘i Sylvester reached base on an infield error, the bases were loaded.
Kaneshiro had a 1-2 count on Dillon Andres, then plunked him to force in Sanchez from third base for the game’s first run.
Kaneshiro then got three outs in a row.
‘Iolani had two outs in the top of the third inning when Osbun walked No. 9 hitter Ethan Akagi, Mana Lau Kong and Judah Ota to load the bases. Chong Kee then went after a first pitch and sent a soft ground ball to Osbun for the third out.
The Raiders bounced back in the top of the fourth inning. Chase Thompson led off with a single and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Jadon Anzai. Thompson was sent to third base after a balk by Osbun, and came home to score on a sacrifice fly to center by Rand Gushiken to tie the game at 1.
After ‘Iolani (12-10, 3-6 ILH) tied it in the fourth, Kamehameha regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an unearned run. Osbun led off with a single and Kai Kaneshiro was hit by a pitch. The runners advanced when shortstop Jadon Anzai mishandled a pickoff throw from Landen Kaneshiro. Courtesy runner Coen Sardinia raced home from third base on Logan Akaka’s sacrifice fly to right, giving the Warriors a 2-1 lead.
