Brien Ing | SL

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Kalani's Connor Zalewski pitched his second complete game of the season, allowing two runs on six hits to earn the victory. Brien Ing | SL

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KAHALA – Connor Zalewski got the backing Chase Asuncion did not and No. 10 Kalani stayed undefeated with a 5-2 win against Kaiser Wednesday at Kahala Community Park.

The right-handed Zalewski pitched a complete-game win to improve the Falcons to 5-0 in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division. The righty Asuncion saw physical and mental errors lead to three unearned runs against the Cougars (1-3) in the bottom of the fifth to snap a 2-all game.

"Sometimes, it's good to be lucky," Kalani coach Shannon Hirai said. "Our games have been close."

Zalewski scattered six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in seven innings. The only runs he allowed came in the top of the second when two batters reached on infield singled and eventually scored on Emmett Covello's two-run single to left.

Zalewski also helped himself at the plate with a first-inning RBI single after Reece Kakugawa's triple to right-center.

Asuncion gave up nine hits and two walks with one strikeout in six innings. Of the five runs he allowed, only two were earned.

The Falcons broke open the pitchers' duel in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Bronson Matsumoto singled to left for his third hit of the game. Payton Awaya singled to right and Kohl Suehiro reached on a hit-by-pitch to load the bases. Asuncion then got Noah Nakamura to pop out to short for the second out. But Kyle Sasano reached when second baseman Kainoa Craig bobbled a grounder to scored courtesy runner Kekoa Gabriel with the go-ahead run. With the bases still loaded, it appeared the Asuncion was going to escape with minimal damage, but a miscommunication among infielders watched Hunter Lau's pop up fall for a base hit between the mound and second base, allowing two runners to score to make it 5-2 before Jarryn Wee grounded out to second to end the inning.

"The game could've gone either way up until that point," Kaiser coach Ryan Umemoto said. "We had one unfortunate error that led to a mental lapse immediately after. That was the difference in the game."

Despite Kaiser falling to 1-3, Umemoto is confident of his players' resilience.

"The best motivation is self-motivation and they all have it," Umemoto said.

Meanwhile, Zalewski pitched his second complete game in three starts. He did pitch seven innings in the nine-inning win against Moanalua. Aside from the two-run second inning, he pitched out two other jams.

In the fifth, he allowed a single and hit a batter to put runners at first and second with one out. But he struck out the next batter and retired the next on a fielder's choice grounder to second.

In the sixth Zalewski allowed back-to-back singles to Lincoln Lima and Casey Takei, but got Kainoa Torres to ground to short for a double play and left fielder Sasano made a diving catch of Emmett Garcia's liner to prevent a run and end the inning.

"It was nice," Zalewski said of his defense. "In the preseason, we were struggling a little bit, but we've been working hard at practice, trying to get the routine plays done."

On the mound, Zalewski took different approaches as the game went along.

"He did a good job of keeping us off-balanced," Umemoto said. "He started off throwing most fastballs and then he changed it up by throwing mostly curveballs to start us off."

With a strong wind blowing from the outfield toward home, Zalewski said he wanted to force contact knowing it would be hard the hitters get any deep hits. He got 11 grounders for outs. Three of the six hits he allowed were infield squibbers.

"I was just trying to throw strikes," Zalewski said. "The wind was blowing in today, so I was letting them hit. Once they started hitting it a bit, I started mixing it up."

The Falcons took a 1-0 lead in the first Reece Kakugawa lined a triple to the right-center alley and scored on Zalewski's line single to left. Though Matsumoto followed with a single, Awaya grounded out to second to keep the game close.

Kaiser took the lead in the top of the second on Covello's two-run single, but Kalani tied it in the bottom of the frame on Kakugawa's RBI single.

"We knew we could compete with (the East teams)," Hirai said of his team's strong start. "We've had these close games and so far we've been able to pull it out. Hopefully that continues."