KS-Hawaii opens with its closer to beat Kailua

Kamehameha-Hawaii went to its closer early in its biggest tournament.

Kaika Nobriga pitched 62⁄3 innings and the Warriors beat Kailua 5-2 in the first round of the Wally Yonamine Foundation State Baseball Championships at Hans L’Orange Park on Wednesday.

Nobriga, the team’s primary reliever who was making just his second start of the season, worked into the seventh inning and struck out nine batters. He got a loss against Waiakea in his only other start this year.

“We just flipped it around a little bit to give us a chance to win,” Kamehameha-Hawaii coach Andy Correa said. “We know how good Kailua is and we knew he had it in him.We were saving him for a game like this.”

The Warriors got to Kailua starting pitcher Spencer Tavares in the second inning, following a leadoff walk by Nobriga with a single by Kamau Passi and a ringing double to right field by Eli Mercado. They loaded the bases on another walk and a hit by pitch. Brock Ayudan then singled to right field to plate two more runs with one of his three hits in the game. It gave Kamehameha-Hawaii a 5-0 advantage and knocked Tavares out of the box.

Nobriga kept Kailua silent, holding the Surfriders hitless until Masao Minami’s harmless infield single in the fourth.

Kailua finally caught up to Nobriga in the sixth inning, with Kalama Correa smashing a double off the fence in left field to plate a run and Minami following with a single to make it 5-2. Nobriga clutched up and struck out Janson Kamau on his 100th pitch. He came back out for the seventh inning and made it to 111 pitches until Kamau Passi took the ball and earned a save.

Passi gave up a double to Sage Tokoro to put runners on second and third but forced Devon Ishigo to pop harmlessly into short left to end the contest.

Kamehameha moves on to play OIA champion Mililani today at Hans L’Orange.

“We hit the fastball when we needed to,” Correa said. “All of these pitchers are good, it was fortunate timing to bunch the hits together because other than that we didn’t do much.”

Hilo 8, King Kekaulike 6

Cole Hatayama came through with a double with two outs in the eighth inning and the Vikings outlasted Na Ali‘i in Wednesday’s first game of the Wally Yonamine Foundation State Baseball Championships at Hans L’Orange Park.

“He’s our leader,” Hilo coach Baba Lancaster said. “I told him from the beginning of the season, ‘Wherever you take us this year, that’s where we are going to go.’ “

Hatayama, a senior catcher, pulled a 2-1 pitch to the 337-foot sign in the right field corner, scoring Logan Schlueter and Braden Ota to break the deadlock. Tyson Santiago followed with a triple to right field to add an insurance run, one of his four hits.

Hilo pitcher Liam Villanueva fell into trouble in the bottom of the frame, allowing a run but stranding runners on first and second when he induced Maika Junick to hit a foul pop near first base that Santiago handled.