OIA Baseball
Hirayama's pitching gem helps propel Mililani over Kaiser


  



Tue, Apr 25, 2023 @ [ 3:00 pm ]


FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Mililani 1 000101371
Kaiser 0 0 00000011

W: Kai Hirayama    L: Kanoa Morisaki

KAIS: Kanoa Morisaki 1-3 / 6.3 IP 2 ER
MIL: Malosi Mataafa-Alferos 3-4 2 runs rbi; Kai Hirayama 7.0 IP 0 ER 4 K


The Trojans are streaking.

Kai Hirayama threw a complete game, one-hit shuout and Malosi Mataafa-Alferos added a 3 for 4 day at the plate, as Mililani extended its winning streak to four games with a 3-0 win on the road over East second-seed Kaiser in the OIA Division I quarterfinals.

"I think we're stepping it up and playing more as a team," said Hirayama of the win.

It was about as efficient a day on the mound as one could hope for, as Hirayama needed just 84 pitches to record 21 outs. He walked none and struck out four.

"Everything was kind of working," said Hirayama. "Fastball, changeup mostly, slider here and there."

The only hit in the game for the Cougars was off the bat of Kanoa Morisaki, the starting pitcher opposite Hirayama, who had quite an outing at the mound himself, allowing just three runs in 6 1/3 innings of work. He was nearly as efficient as well, with just 85 pitches thrown with seven hits allowed, one strikeout and zero walks.

Of those seven hits, three of them came off the bat of Malosi Mataafa-Alferos, as did two of the three runs plated. He also drove in the other run scored for good measure.

"I felt good (hitting the ball) but Kai shut em down offensively," said Mataafa-Alferos. "He got the energy started and it went from there."

The win over the Cougars assures the Trojans of a berth into next week's HHSAA Division I state tournament as well as a spot in the league semifinals, where they will face off against a familiar foe in the Sabers, who needed late game heroics to edge Pearl City, 6-5.

Campbell, the top seed in the West, has beaten Mililani in both meetings this season, the latest a 5-2 defeat back on April 5.

The two teams will play on Thursday, April 27, one day later than teams that did not taste victory in the quarterfinals, as the fifth place semis are set to resume play on Wednesday.

"It feels super good (to win). And one day of rest, one extra day of rest," Hirayama added.





Show your support

Every contribution, no matter the size, will help ScoringLive continue its mission to provide the best and most comprehensive coverage of high school sports in the state of Hawaii and beyond.

Please consider making a contribution today.

ADVERTISEMENT


IMAGE GALLERY



MORE STORIES

Lacar's versatility paying off for Bulldogs; Wildcats ride Lebrun-Ward to clinch state berth

The senior libero-turned-setter played a pivotal role to lead Waialua to its first OIA D2 title, while...

Kamehameha sweeps Campbell in tourney opener; Hilo next

In the final game of the opening round, Warriors got 15 kills and seven aces from Kainoa Wade in straight...

Kamehameha wallops Maryknoll to claim second straight league crown

Warriors racked up 12 hits and drew 10 walks in a mercy-rule shortened victory over the Spartans.

Roosevelt takes down to Maui in four sets to reach D1 quarters

Jonathan Yadao registered a match-high 19 kills for the Rough Riders, who reached the quarterfinal round...

Osbun leads Warriors to second straight ILH baseball championship

The junior right-hander allowed one hit over five innings and helped his own cause with an RBI-single...

No. 2 Maryknoll denies No. 4 Punahou to punch ticket to states

The Spartans avenged a nine inning loss to the Buffanblu two days ago and return to the state tournament...