In a fitting end to a wild and unpredictable ILH baseball regular season, the only Division II team in the league knocked the defending Division I league champions out of the top spot.
Damien junior Francis O’Connor and senior Jamieson Pabalan combined to hold Saint Louis to four hits in a 4-1 victory on Saturday, opening the door for Kamehameha to clinch a state-tournament berth and earn the top seed in the ILH double-elimination tournament beginning next week.
Kamehameha trailed Punahou 3-1 at Central Oahu Regional Park when the Monarchs (3-11) finished off the No. 3-ranked Crusaders (9-4-1) on a neighboring field.
The No. 1-ranked Warriors immediately scored three runs to take a 4-3 lead and eventually pulled out an 8-5 win in eight innings to finish 10-4 in league play, edging Saint Louis by a half-game.
The Crusaders played ‘Iolani to an 11-11 tie last month in a game that was called due to darkness.
“We’re just grateful for the opportunity to play in such a tough league with tough competition and with great players and great coaches,” Kamehameha coach Daryl Kitagawa said. “For us, with all of the ups and downs, to the kids’ credit, we won games when we weren’t playing our best and yet we knew at the end of the day every win counts in our league, which makes it so tough.”
Just two days ago, Saint Louis looked like the team to beat following an impressive 7-2 win over the Warriors to drop Kamehameha out of the top spot.
All the Crusaders needed less than 48 hours later was a win over the Monarchs, whose only two lLH victories were against Pac-Five, to clinch a return trip to the state tournament.
Instead, Damien delivered a shocking victory, giving life to the Warriors, who strung together four straight two-out hits in the eighth inning to beat the Buffanblu.
Aydan Lobetos hit the go-ahead RBI double to score a runner from first. Elijah Ickes and Aukai Kea followed with run-scoring hits and Jace Souza doubled home a run before he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.
Ickes finished the game 5-for-5 with two runs scored.
“I was telling the kids don’t watch (the Saint Louis game) because we’ve got to take care of business ourselves,” Kitagawa said. “I think coming out on top knowing we haven’t played our best yet is promising, but then again, not that we’re running out of time, but we’ve got to figure it out fast.”
Kamehameha, which went 7-2 in games decided by three runs or less, hasn’t won an ILH baseball championship since 2006.
Mid-Pacific, which routed Pac-Five 15-2 on Saturday, finished third in the regular season at 9-5. Punahou dropped to 8-6 and will finish fourth or fifth, depending on ‘Iolani’s game against Maryknoll on Monday. The Raiders are 7-5-1 and the Spartans are 5-8.
Three teams from the ILH will advance to the state tournament May 2-5 at Les Murakami Stadium.
The tournament champion will earn the second berth and the final spot will be determined by the best combined finishes between the regular season and the tournament.
By finishing in second place, Saint Louis is assured of at least a one-game playoff tiebreaker to make the state tournament if it doesn’t finish in the top two in the ILH tournament.
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ILH
Damien 4, Saint Louis 1
W—Francis O’Connor. L—Laakea Correa. Sv—Jamieson Pablan.
Leading Hitters—DMS: Nainoa Begonia 2-4, RBI; Jamieson Pabalan run, RBI.
Mid-Pacific 15, Pac-Five 2, 5 inn.
W—Reyn Kapua. L—Ezra Lee.
Leading Hitters—MPI: Jake Comeaux 2 runs, 2 RBI; Chandler Murray 2 runs; Noah Kubo 2-3; Coen Goeas 2 runs, RBI; Nathaniel Wagner 3-3, 2 runs, 6 RBI; Payton Collier 2-2, run; Matthew Kurata 2 runs. P5: Ace Perry 2-3, RBI.
Kamehameha 8, Punahou 5, 8 inn.
W—Caleb Okada. L—Jasen Yuen.
Leading Hitters—KS: Ayden Lobetos 2-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Elijah Ickes 5-5, 2 runs, RBO; Aukai Kea 2 runs, 2 RBI; Jace Souza 2-4, run, RBI; Dane Palimoo 2 RBI. Pun: Nolan Souza 2 runs, 2 RBI.
OIA
Waianae 24, McKinley 5, 5 inn.
W—Chaseten Rice. L—Noa Akana.
Leading Hitters—Waip: Shysten Nagasako 2 runs, 2 RBI; Rico Gazelle 2-4, 4 runs, RBI; Joeziah Clifton 2-2, 5 runs, RBI; Austin Jackson-Anderson 2-3, 4 runs, 4 RBI; Nainoa Nagum 2 runs, 3 RBI; KamrenJ Atanes 2 runs, 3 RBI. McK: Paxton Nouchi 2 runs; Michael Murata 2-3, run, RBI; Mathias Mafi 2-2, 2 RBI.
Kalani 2, Moanalua 1
W—Joseph Yamauchi. L—Brandon Deth.
Leading Hitters—Moa: Rayden Miguel run; Tayden Kaawa RBI. Kaln: Noa Dane Fujitani run; Jase Fujiwara RBI; Reeve Tanaka run.
Aiea 9, Nanakuli 4
W—Brennan Panis. L—Micah Nihoa.
Leading Hitters—Aiea: Bishop Foumai 2-4, 2 runs; Jonah Takeda 3 runs; Isaac Rodrigues run, 2 RBI; Cyd Fukushima run, 3 RBI.
Kaiser 5, Castle 4, 11 inn.
W—Taylin Oana.
Leading Hitters—Kais: Taylin Oana 2-5, run, RBI. Cast: Ryden Yoshikawa 2 RBI.
Waipahu 21, Kaimuki 0, 5 inn.
W—Kawika Mendoza. L—Jomar Peter. Sv—Danen Nishimura.
Leading Hitters—Waip: Donnie Miller 2-2, 3 runs, RBI; Kylan Kono 2 runs; Tobi Yamaguchi 2 runs; Dillon Shim 2-3, 2 runs, 4 RBI; Ronsen Manzano 3 runs, RBI; Mason Salausa-Galletes 2-2, 2 runs, RBI; Kadence Barcenilla 2-2, 2 RBI; Phoenix Torres 2-2, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Callan Okada 2 RBI.
Kalaheo 5, Waialua 4
W—Eric Hufstetler. L—James Born.
Leading Hitters—Kalh: Alika Amasiu 2-3, run; Elijah Taylor run, 2 RBI.
Farrington 12, Roosevelt 7
W—Jayden Andrade. L—Xavier Pressley.
Leading Hitters—Roos: Brayden Higa 2-3, run, 2 RBI. Farr: Cade Nagamine 2 runs; Nathan Chung 2 runs, RBI; Jayden Andrade 2 runs; Jalen Lani 2 RBI; Zachery Aquino run, 3 RBI.
Pearl City 6, Campbell 4
W—Eli Oshiro. L—Xavier Streadbeck.
Leading Hitters—PC: Eddie Ogasawara 2 runs; Kenta Kawasaki run, 2 RBI. Camp: Ridge Choy 2-4, run; Sh. Sarono 2 runs; Julius Guanio 2 RBI..
