Ryder Oshiro’s two-out triple in the bottom of the seventh inning scored pinch runner Guy Yokoe from first base to lift Waiakea over Kailua 4-3 in the opening round of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships at Les Murakami Stadium.
Waiakea (9-3), the BIIF runner-up, will face second-seeded Mid-Pacific in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal at Les Murakami Stadium. Kailua (12-4), the OIA third-place finisher, will play at 9 a.m. Friday at Hans L’Orange Field in a consolation contest.
Trade winds prevailing at 15-25 mph, blowing out to right field, proved to be a major factor in the game. That force of nature helped the Warriors in two crucial scoring scenarios.
"Well, this is Manoa, right? It’s always windy. I’m surprised it’s not raining," said Waiakea coach Rory Inouye. "All game, the ball was carrying to right field. It was good for Calvin to get on base and Ryder came up and got the hit.
Oshiro got the sweet spot of his bat on a fastball from Kailua reliever Isaiah Kaeo-Cash.
"I thought it was going to go, but we got the win. That’s the most important thing," said Oshiro, a left-handed hitter. "It was shifty running by (Yokoe)."
Yokoe, the pinch runner, had the green light all the way from first.
"Off the bat, I could tell that Ryder did hit it pretty far, most likely over the outfielder’s head. When I was about a quarter or a third of the way down, I saw (catcher Dalton Kalama) move up the line. I took a side-step," he said.
Kalama’s attempt to tag Yokoe barely missed.
"I’m not sure, maybe a foot or foot-and-a-half at the most," Yokoe said.
Inouye’s gamble paid off.
"We had to take our chances," he said. "Kailua played a helluva game."
Calvin Uemura went 12/3 innings in relief to notch the win. The junior also had the two-out infield single in the bottom of the seventh, before being replaced by Yokoe.
Makoa Andres started for Waiakea and overcame some early jitters. The sophomore wound up throwing 51/3 innings with seven strikeouts, seven walks, one hit batter and one wild pitch. He permitted four hits and kept the Warriors in the game with a tough curve ball.
It was a game of missed opportunities for Kailua, which stranded nine baserunners. The Surfriders had a runner on base in all but one inning, and they had a runner in scoring position in the first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings — scoring only in the second and fifth.
Kailua took a 2-0 lead in the second. Keiki Kanahele-Santos drove the first run with a single and Noah Ah Yat scored on the same play when the throw from center took a hop before caroming off the relay man and into foul territory.
The Warriors put a run on the board in the bottom of the second when Kailua starter Stone Parker balked with runners at second and third.
Waiakea took the lead in the third when Taylor Mondina tripled and then scored on Caleb Freitas-Fields’ ground-rule double. Pinch hitter Anthony Benevides’ sacrifice fly made it 3-2.
The Surfriders tied the game in the fifth on Andres’ wild pitch with the bases loaded.
| At Les Murakami Stadium |
| Kailua |
020 |
010 |
0 |
— |
3 |
4 |
0 |
| Waiakea |
012 |
000 |
1 |
— |
4 |
6 |
2 |
Two outs when winning run scored.
Stone Parker, Isaiah Kaeo-Cash (3) and Dalton Kalama. Makoa Andres, Calvin Uemura (6) and Devin Iwahashi. W–Uemura. L–Kaeo-Cash.
Leading hitters–Kailua: Kalei Kealoha-Machado 1-2, RBI. Waiakea: Taylor Mondina 1-3, triple, RBI, run; Caleb Freitas-Fields 2-3, double, 2 runs, RBI; Ryder Oshiro 1-3, triple, RBI; Andres 2-3, double.
