The ‘Iolani Raiders are going to the ‘ship.
A 4-10 team in the ILH regular season, ‘Iolani secured its ticket to the state tournament with a come-from-behind 7-4 win over No. 4-ranked Punahou on Saturday morning at windy Ala Wai Field.
‘Iolani (13-12 overall) earned a state berth by staying alive in the ILH baseball double-elimination tournament.
Izack Takazawa pitched 42⁄3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Tyler Young to keep the Raiders’ hopes alive. He was relieved by Trent Ihle in the seventh inning.
“Unbelievable. It’s a dream come true. We all dreamt of this,” said Takazawa, a junior whose mix of off-speed pitches flourished in 10- to 20-mph trade winds.
Ihle had started and went the distance in ‘Iolani’s 4-3 win over Maryknoll on Tuesday. On Saturday, the Raiders were down six runs when he pleaded for a chance.
“My (pitching) coach didn’t want me to pitch. I told him I wanted it for the seniors,” Ihle said.
He headed to the bullpen and warmed up in the sixth inning.
“They told me if we come back or tie the game, I would pitch,” Ihle said. “Everything was working.”
Since losing to Mid-Pacific 12-4 to begin the league tournament, ‘Iolani has won four in a row with wins over Pac-Five (15-11), Maryknoll (4-3), Saint Louis (7-4) and now, Punahou. Raiders coach Kirt Miyahira trusted his team through a roller-coaster regular season, including a key injury to ace Zac Tenn.
“Our guys battled. I’m proud of the guys. They believed in each other. They stayed plugged in,” he said. “Izack laid it all out there. All our kids work so hard. They believed.”
Trailing 4-1 in the top of the seventh inning, the Raiders stunned the Buffanblu with six runs on five hits. That spoiled a superlative performance by Punahou starting pitcher Cade Terada-Herzer, who went six-plus innings. He walked Jonah Velasco to begin the seventh and was replaced by left-hander Landon Chun.
Pinch hitter Cole Ide singled to right field and pinch hitter Cole Yonamine singled to left, loading the bases. Cadence Ueyama then singled to left, scoring Velasco.
Stryker Scales relieved Chun and threw a wild pitch, allowing Makishima to score. ‘Iolani was within 4-3 and had two runners on base. Scales intentionally walked Travis Ujimori to load the sacks.
Bruin Agbayani, a left-handed hitter, singled to right, plating Miyasaki and Ueyama for a 5-4 ‘Iolani lead.
Mana Lau Kong followed with a single to center, bringing Ujimori home for a 6-4 lead. A sacrifice bunt by Makani Tanaka advanced the runners to third and second bases. With Cole Young at the plate, Scales uncorked a wild pitch, permitting Agbayani to score for a three-run ‘Iolani lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, pinch hitter Cooper Hickey led off with a single, but Ihle struck out Nolan Souza. Ihle had a 2-2 count on Cody Kashimoto when he hit him on the leg, but he struck out Kaikea Harrison for the second out with a change-up.
Joey Wilson then popped out to short to end the game.
Punahou won’t get to defend the state title. The Buffanblu were the last team to win the baseball crown in 2019. The state tourney in two weeks will be the first since then due to the pandemic and statewide restrictions.
“At least for our league, the best three teams are going. ‘Iolani turned it on at the right time. It’s a testament to their belief in themselves,” Buffanblu coach Keenan Sue said. “We’re really disappointed for our guys, but really impressed with coach Kurt and his team.”
Punahou struck first in the bottom of the first inning. Souza led off with a single and advanced to second on a groundout by Kashimoto. Harrison then singled to left. With runners at the corners and Wilson at the plate, ‘Iolani starter Tyler Young threw a wild pitch, and Souza scored easily.
The Buffanblu added two runs in the second. Jacob Ornelles and Trent Hamura drew one-out walks, and Cody Oshiro singled to center, scoring Orenelles. Souza’s sacrifice fly to left brought Hamura home from third for a 3-0 Punahou lead.
In the top of the third, Ueyama smacked a triple to left field with one out and scored on Ujimori’s sacrifice fly to right to give the Raiders their first run.
In the bottom of the fifth, Souza led off with a single, and with one out, Harrison reached base on an infield single. Wilson’s safety squeeze allowed Souza to score from third base, giving Punahou a 4-1 lead.
Punahou finished the season 13-8-2 overall.
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ILH
Double-Elimination Tournament
‘Iolani 7, Punahou 4
W—Izack Takazawa.
L—Cade Terada-Herzer.
Leading hitters—’Iolani: Bruin Agbayani 2-4, run, 2 RBI; Kaimana Lau Kong 2-4, RBI; Cadence Ueyama 2-2, 2 runs, RBI. Punahou: Nolan Souza 2-3, 2 runs, RBI, Kaikea Harrison 2-4.
