Chase for the Championship
Waiakea, Iolani, Baldwin lifted to D1 semis


Stacy Kaneshiro | ScoringLive
May 9, 2018, 6:32pm

 


No. 3 Waiakea 6, No. 8 Campbell 2

David Nakamura pitched 6 1/3 strong innings and Kalai Rosario drove in three runs to lead third-seeded Waiakea over Campbell, 6-2, Wednesday in the first quarterfinal of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Division I Baseball State Tournament at Les Murakami Stadium.

The Warriors (16-0), third in the Hawaiian Electric/ScoringLive Power Rankings, denied the Sabers (14-3) from advancing to their sixth consecutve semifinals.

Nakamura (6-0) allowed two runs, one earned, four hits and three walks with three strikeouts before giving way to Devin Midel, who retired the last two batters on five pitches to earn the save for Waiakea, which reached the title game last year but fell to Maui.

"Campbell's a great team," Waiakea coach Rory Inouye said. "We knew that coming into today. Our goal was to put pressure and hope for the hits and we got lucky."

Nakamura allowed runners to reach in all but the fourth and sixth innings. But he induced an inning-ending double play in the second after a runner reached on an error and minimized further damage when he allowed single runs in the third and fifth innings. The run in the third was unearned.

"He's the ace of this staff, keeping guys off-balanced," Inouye said of the left-handed Nakamura. "He did a great job again today and Midel did a great job to close the door."

Nakamura wanted to finish, but he was nearing the 110-pitch limit in an outing. He left with one out in the seventh after walking consective batters and reached 105 pitches. Midel got back-to-back force out grounders to end the game.

"At the end, I think I was starting to overthrow a little bit," Nakamura said. "I may have been a little fatigued, but I wanted that game. It goes beyond my fielders with their gloves, the bats, even our bullpen. I know that if I run into trouble, they'll be right there to help me out."

The sophomore leftfielder Rosario provided half the offense to stake Nakamura to an early lead. Rosario had an RBI infield single in the first and two-run triple in the third.

"We knew we had David on the mound, so it's going to be a battle," Rosario said. "He's going to pitch a good game so we just had to put runs on the board and that's what we did."

Nakamura also helped insure his lead with a two-run double in a three-run sixth. It came later in the inning after an RBI double by Safea Villaruz-Mauai.

It was an uncharacteristically rough outing for Campbell starting pitcher Jamin Kalaola (3-1). He lasted three-plus innings and was charged with three runs, six hits and a season-high three walks with one strikeout. He was followed by four relievers. Campbell pitching allowed a season-high six runs.

Cade Kalehuawehe went 2 for 3 and drove in twos runs on a triple as a part of an early 6-0 Bears' lead. Leighland Tagawa | SL

No. 1 Baldwin 8, No. 7 Punahou 7

Top-seeded Baldwin nearly squandered a 6-0 lead and held off Punahou, 8-7, to advance to Thursday's 7 p.m. semfinal against Iolani.

Kaipo Haole, the beneficiary of the Bears' 10-hit attack, picked up the win for the Bears (14-1) despite being charged with seven runs, 11 hits and a walk with one strikeout in five innings. Roy Meinen pitched the final two innings for the save.

Cade Kalehuawehe, Nainoa Keahi and Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa each drove in two runs for the Bears.

The Bears sent nine batters to the plate in a five-run first and added a run in the second to take a 6-0 lead. Hoopii-Tuionetoa's two-run double capped the big inning.

But Punahou (14-7) sent nine batters to the plate in a six-run fourth to tie the game at 6 that was highlighted by Jake Tsukada's three-run triple.

But the Bears regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth on Keahi's two-run single to make it 8-6.

The Buffanblu got a run in the top of the sixth Tsukada's bases-loaded single that deflected off of Meinen.

Punahou threatened in the top of the seventh when Kirk Terada-Herzer doubled with two out and Asa Kurasaki walked. But Ola Aina flied out to center to end the game.


Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].




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