Kalani posts mercy rule win over Moanalua


Greg Yamamoto | SL

A close contest early on turned into a runaway win for Kalani, who posted a season opening 13-3 win over Moanalua in a midday game at Kahala Field.

The game marked the first played by either team since March 14, 2020, and one of nine Oahu Interscholastic Association baseball games on the opening week's docket.

"It felt great that we could come out here for our senior year and even though all this stuff was happening we're just trying to make the most out of it and have a great season," said starting pitcher Darian Kamibayashi.

After the Falcons spotted the visiting Na Menehune a 2-0 lead in the first on back-to-back RBI singles by Colby Casinas and Landon Kimura, Kaden Stremick led off the home half with a triple to center field and came home to score on an error three batters later. Another Moanalua miscue in the inning brought home Brandon Ting to tie the game, and Davis Sato singled up the gut to give Kalani a 3-2 lead, one it would not relinquish.

Kamibayashi shook off a rough opening inning and settled in nicely through the final three innings of work on the day, allowing three runs on four hits in just 63 pitches. He walked one and struck out five, including punching out the side in the third.

"My boys were hitting good today, and once we took that lead it made me feel more relaxed and then I could locate my pitches better and overall do better on the mound," said Kamibayashi. "It calmed me down, it settled everything down and we just went from there."

Sato padded the Falcons' lead further in the third, lacing a double to to right to score Ting, and Jace Tsutomi's liner to left was mishandled allowing Sato to score from second to make the count 5-2.

Kalani put the game all but out of reach in the fourth, plating eight runs in the inning, capped off by a shot by Spencer Kim lofted well over the head of the left fielder, resulting in an inside the park home run.

"We were looking fastball," said Lee of the at-bat. "I was sitting fastball the whole time just wanted to piece one off. It definitely felt good, I felt like I squared that one off a little bit."

Stremick invoked the mercy rule on a hard ground ball into left that scored Christian Chinen before Kim filed out to left to end the inning.

Spotted a 10 run lead, Noa Uchida closed out the contest for Kalani, needing just 15 pitches to invoke two routine outs and a strike out of the final batter to end it.

Moanalua starter Taven Hathaway went 3 1/3 innings in defeat, allowing three earned runs on three hits, striking out four and walking two.