Walk-off single rallies Kaiser past Kalani in OIA East opener

Rayden Aoki | SL

It might not have been Freaky Friday, but Kaiser's 2-1 win over Kalani was certainly somewhat unexpected, at least in the way things played out.

What many thought would be a Kaiser team dependent on its bats, never really saw them get going, instead relying on the pitching of Colby Taniguchi to put themselves in a position to get the eventual game winning two RBI single by Mana Shigehara-Pang with one out in the seventh.

Taniguchi went the distance, needing just 84 pitches to do so. He allowed four hits and just one earned run, walked two and struck out two. His efficiency kept the game close enough to allow for the last gasp heroics put on by the Cougars' offense, who only managed four hits in the contest, one of them a second inning double by Taniguchi himself.

Kalani got on the board in the top of the fifth, as Brandon Yu got on base via a leadoff single then eventually scored on a wild pitch. The bases remained dangerously full of Falcons' runners even after the run scored, but a clutch double play ended the threat.

Hayzen Inouye (1 for 3, double) and Jackson Wood (1 for 2, run) were the other Cougars who registered a hit, while Yu was 2 for 3 to leead the way for Kalani.