Hawaii Kai – Kamehameha (8-5) held off Saint Louis (7-6) in a one-game playoff, 7-5, to secure second place in Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division 1 play Wednesday afternoon at Goeas field.

The win was the second in as many days for the Warriors, who defeated top-ranked Mid-Pacific, 7-3 on Tuesday to pull even with the Crusaders and force the extra game.

Kamehameha opened up the scoring in the top of the first when the second batter in the lineup, Kahoea Akau, walked and later scored from third with the bases loaded on a Chance Arakaki fielder's choice. The senior Arakaki finished 1-3 with a RBI and a run scored.

Makoa Mau got the ball for the Warriors to start the game, and the 5-foot-11 junior lefty didn't disappoint as he pitched four shutout innings in his first appearance of the year.

"All year the coaches told us to always be ready to take the ball and to do whatever it takes to get the win," said Mau. "I'm thankful that our team pulled together today and we worked to get this win." Mau finished 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 Ks and got the win

"He pitched a lot of strikes," Akau said about Mau. "He got out of some jams. That's all we can ask for. He did his job."

The senior Akau leadoff the top of the third when he was hit-by-pitch. Next batter, fellow senior Kekai Rios sacrifice bunted Akau to second.

"Rios, as big of a hitter as he is he saw the opportunity to put a bunt down," said Warrior head coach Tommy Perkins. "I gave him the option. That's great leadership and selflessness for the team."

Rio's sacrifice-bunt turned out to be a pivotal one, as Akau came home on the next at-bat when Codie Paiva hit a RBI-single to left. The 6-foot-5 Paiva then stole second and later scored on a RBI-single by senior Brandon Henderson to make it 3-0. Henderson finished 2-for-3 with a RBI.

The top of the fourth for the Crusaders was a nightmare disguised as a daydream as the Crusaders got two quick outs and looked for a third, but an error by the second baseman kept the inning alive. The top of the order came up to bat and a Matthew Yakota single made it 1st and 2nd with Akau coming to plate. On a 2-1 pitch Akau raked one out to deep right centerfield and both runners scored on the dropped ball in the outfield.

"I was just trying to battle for my team," said Akau about the at-bat. "We all pick each other up and I knew if one guy doesn't do the job then the next guy is ready. So I was just trying to get it out there." Akau scored on the next at-bat when Rios hit an RBI-double to left field. Akau finished 0-2, but scored three times off a walk and a HBP.

The Warriors added one more run in the top of the sixth when Arakaki singled and later scored on a bases loaded McNicoll RBI-ground out making the score 7-0 headed to the bottom of the fifth.

The bottom of the fifth was when the Crusader bats finally made an appearance with a single to lead off the inning by Pono Anderson and two batters later Mana Manago hit a RBI-double to right centerfield to put Saint Louis on the board.

Two more batters later junior Taylor Meilleur knocked in Manago with a RBI-single. The hit also ended the day for Mau as coach Perkins decided Mau was near the end of his tank.

"I think it was a little bit of both Saint Louis figuring him out and Mau getting tired," said Perkins. "Saint Louis is a good team. He hadn't thrown that much so I was considering taking him before he went back out on the mound, but I wanted to see what he could do."

With a new pitcher Travis Tanaka had a fielder's choice and a Ryder Kuhns walk to load the bases for Brandon Uchima. The junior Uchima cranked a ball into the left centerfield gap. The ball tailed away from the centerfielder and bounced in and out of the glove. Three runners scored on the error and brought the Crusaders to within two runs.

The long fifth inning allowed the shadows to creep over the field, and in the bottom of the sixth with two outs, the game was called due to darkness.

With the win, Kamehameha claimed the all-important second spot in the ILH D1 standings, as well as a three-game winning streak heading into the ILH playoffs. The loss snapped Saint Louis' five-game winning streak dating back to the beginning of the month.

"I know one thing we need to work on is taking third pitch strikes. That was a killer," said Perkins. "We need to get back to some of our basics. Focusing in on our basics, focusing in on our mental toughness, our concentration and looking for the things we need to do."

The Warriors and Crusaders will clash again Saturday in the first round of the ILH playoffs, time to be determined.