Kelan Yoshioka dashes towards home in a attempt to avoid a tag from Moanalua's Nicholas Enrico. Yoshioka was 3-of-4 at the plate including a triple with 1 run and an RBI for Kaiser. Sylvia Lee | SL

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040914_SL-BASE-KAIS_MOA5X0A4718M10K11.jpg - Sylvia Lee | SL

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WAIPAHU – Kelan Yoshioka’s triple in the top of the second inning was the edge Kaiser needed to control Moanalua, 4-3, Wednesday afternoon at Hans L’Orange Field.

With the win the Cougars extend their win streak to three, improving to 5-4 in Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East play. Moanalua dropped their second game in three days, falling to 6-3 on the year.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time,” said Kaiser coach Mark Rasmussen. “We know we have to punch out the second run if we want a chance at the one or the two (seed). We’re just working on it one game at time.”

A crowd of under a 100 saw both teams score three runs in the first inning, only to go scoreless in the final five innings. Yoshioka’s triple to drive in Royce Narahara in the top of the inning proved to be the difference in a defensive struggle. The senior catcher led the team offensively, going 3 for 4 to spearhead an eight-hit performance from the Cougars. 

“We’ve been really practicing on our hitting,” commented Yoshioka. “We just have to be able to get it when there is runners on so we can score more runs, but it’s coming together.” 

Yoshioka’s performance also redeemed him in the contest; having thrown a bad pass to second that allowed the game tying run to come home safely in the bottom of the first.

“I felt like I needed to help my team out,” remarked Yoshioka. “(The team) made some pretty clutch plays in the end. They really helped me out because I made (an) error in the first inning that gave up (a) run.” 

Also coming up big for the Cougars was sophomore pitcher Kamalu Simeona who fanned six to pick up his first win of the season. After giving up three runs in the first inning, Simeona turned it up to stymie the Moanalua batters the rest of the way.

“Kamalu did a great job throwing strikes, that’s the main thing. He kept us in the game by throwing strikes,” said Rasmussen. “I guess it takes him a while to get going. After that first inning on, he looked like the Kamalu that we know, I just think he had to get into the game.  (Only) a sophomore, (just) a great job.”

Kaiser’s offense was on point early on, scoring their first three runs within their first four batters. After faking a bunt with two runners on base, three-hole hitter Aaron Oda knocked one into sharp right field to bring home Yoshioka and Michael Austin for an early 2-0 lead. Curt Clivio grounded out one batter later to drive in Oda for the Cougars’ final score of the first inning.

Na Menehune’s method for offense in the bottom of the first was much different than the Cougars. A couple of walks and one bean loaded the bases to put Simeona in a sticky situation. Simeona’s early woes came back to bite him as all three that he put on base came in to score.

“If you go back and look at all of our games, that first inning kills us, it’s like in every (game), we give up runs in the first innings,” Rasmussen said on giving up scores in the first inning.

After Yoshioka’s triple in the second inning, the rest of the game turned into an offensive drought. It wasn’t entertaining but the Cougars played sound defense the rest of the way to pick up the win, 5-4.

“They have a lot of heart,” Yoshioka said on his team’s performance. “Our defense is really good. We’ve been practicing every day. We focus a lot on our defense so we can help out our pitcher and make it easy for (them).”

Kaiser takes on Kalani (6-4) on Saturday while Moanalua faces off with Kalaheo (0-10).