Brien Ing | SL

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Moanalua's Randy Tabura stretched to make the out first just ahead of Roosevelt's Zack Harano, completing a key double play in the fifth inning. Brien Ing | SL

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MAKIKI – It was bottoms up for Moanalua Wednesday in its 6-3 win against host Roosevelt.

The bottom four batters of the order drove in five of Na Menehune's six runs to back the combined pitching efforts of left-handed starter Randy Tabura and right-handed relief pitcher Skyler Yamamoto.

The win improved Moanalua to 5-1 – its fifth consecutive victory since losing the season opener to first-place Kalani (6-0) in the Oahu Interscholastic Association East.  The two will meet 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Hans L'Orange Park.

Roosevelt fell to 3-3 to share third place with Kailua (3-3).

"We are progressing in the right direction," Moanalua coach Scott Yamada said. "We just have to keep on improving and be hungry."

Tabura blanked the Rough Riders the first three innings, allowing only two hits. But in the fourth and with a 5-0 lead, he labored, sandwiching a single to Hiram Kaikaina with walks to Jared Tamashiro and Kaleo Cazinha to load the bases with no out. After striking out Zack Harano, catcher Kekaulike Kalua's attempted pick-off throw to first was wild, allowing Tamashiro to score and Kaikaina to take third. A wild pitch moved Tanimura to second, as Kaikaina held third. After Cameron Oshiro's ground out to short scored Kaikaina and sent Cazinha to third, Blaise Leong doubled to left to pull Roosevelt to 5-3 before Koby Brown flied out to center to end the inning.

Moanalua insured its lead with a run in the top of the fifth and Yamamoto pitched the final three scoreless innings to earn the save. He escaped an eventful fifth with a double play. Yamamoto got Kaikaina swining at a curveball in the dirt that got away from catcher Kalua, allowing the batter to reach safely on the wild pitch.Cazinha singled to right that sent Kaikaina to second. Yamamoto threw a first-pitch fastball to Harano, who hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Jarred Soriano, who started the around-the-horn double play, as Kaikaina took third. Yamamoto then struck out Oshiro to end the threat.

"That was a key double play right there," Yamada said.

Yamamoto basically threw strikes and let his defense work. Besides striking out four, four other outs were on grounders and the other came on a pop to shortstop.

"I was hitting (spots) with my fastball," Yamamoto said. "The coaches wanted me to just let the (batters) hit (the ball in play). Roosevelt put the balls in play. Our defense just made the plays."

Moanalua cashed in on early errors by the Rough Riders in staking Tabura to a 5-0 lead against Roosevelt starting pitcher Matt Schewe, who went 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs, three earned, eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

With one out in the first, Tyler Trim reached on a throwing error by the shortstop and took second on Tabura's single to right-center. Trim stole third on a called third strike to Kalua. Courtesy runner Tyler Nakata stole second before Ryne Oshiro walked to load the bases. Soriano walked to force home the first run and Mark Kitano-Maguire beat out a single to third to score the second run before Kaz Tachino struck out but not before Moanalua took a 2-0 lead.

Na Menehune added a run in the second when Cody Isa reached on a single, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball before Dilan Casupang walked. Casupang stole second before Trim was hit by a pitch to load the bases to set up Tabura's sacrifice fly to center. Kalua then flied out to center, but Casupang was caught trying to advance to third for the inning-ending double play.

Moanalua cushioned its lead in the third against Schewe. Oshiro led off with a double to center and scored on Soriano's single. Soriano took second on the play on the center fielder's fielding error. After advancing to third when Kitano-Maguire grounded out to short, Soriano scored on Tachino's sacrifice fly to right before Isa flied out to center to end the inning.

Three of Roosevelt's four errors accounted for three unearned runs against Schewe.

"We usually play really good defense," Roosevelt first-year coach A.D. Mols said. "We go on pitching, defense, timely hitting. That's how we try to teach hit. Today was kind of uncharacteristic (of us). We had a couple of errors that hurt us those couple innings and then we just couldn't let that leadoff hitter on to get us going."

Only twice the Rough Riders got the leadoff batter on base. On one of those occasions, Roosevelt scored. On the other, the double play stalled the rally.

It has been kind of a strange start for the Rough Riders. All of their wins have come away from Stevenson Middle School field.