Kailua's Joey Cantillo throws a pitch to plate against Kalani in an OIA Division I East contest Wednesday afternoon at Kaimuki High. Greg Yamamoto | SL

View image 1 of 2

Surfriders' catcher Kalua Neves slams a pitch over the right field fence for a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning. Greg Yamamoto | SL

View image 2 of 2

---

Kailua's Joey Cantillo throws a pitch to plate against Kalani in an OIA Division I East contest Wednesday afternoon at Kaimuki High. Greg Yamamoto | SL

View image 1 of 2

Surfriders' catcher Kalua Neves slams a pitch over the right field fence for a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning. Greg Yamamoto | SL

View image 2 of 2

---

KAIMUKI — Both Kailua and Kalani came into Wednesday's game with identical records at 8-2 while tied for first place atop the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I East standings.

After a seven-inning affair at Kaimuki High School, it was the seventh-ranked Surfriders (9-2) who emerged with sole possession of first place in a 6-1 victory over the Falcons (8-3).

With just the regular season finale left for teams in the OIA East — except Castle who finishes 2-10 — the win gives the defending league champions the East's No. 1 seed in the D1 OIA Playoffs.

A Kailua-loss paired with a Kalani-win on Saturday would pit the two teams tied together again, but the top seed would still be given to the Surfriders since they own the head-to-head tiebreaker after sweeping the Falcons in their two regular season contests against each other.

Likewise, Kalani clinches the East's No. 2 seed in the OIA postseason since a potential tiebreaker with third-place Moanalua (7-4) would be given to the Falcons because of their head-to-head victories.

In the first matchup between the Surfriders and Falcons in early March, Kailua pitcher Joey Cantillo served up a dominant 18-strikeout shutout for a 5-0 victory.

The senior again got the start on the mound for Wednesday afternoon's game, this time retiring "only" 10 batters on three strikes while giving up six hits, one run and five walks in a complete game performance.

"I knew obviously I wasn't going to strikeout 18 people," Cantillo said, whose season total of 55 strikeouts unofficially leads the state. "Today wasn't about striking guys out. Getting ahead and getting quick outs is what was really important."

Cantillo struggled a little early on — giving up two walks and a two-strike single to start the game — but after Kalani leadoff batter Hunter Lau scored on a Micah Kawano groundball, the Surfriders' pitcher settled in. Eight Kalani batters reached base following the first inning, but none made it past second.

"I had multiple pitches today for the first time this year. I had my fast, curve and changeup," Cantillo said. "Everything was in place today where it needed to be and that's how I need to pitch every game."

On the other side, Edward Lee got the nod on the rubber for Kalani, but lasted only three innings to surrender just his second loss of the season — both to Kailua.

Defensively, the Falcons did not have a good day playing as the "home" team on the neutral field at Kaimuki. Six errors amounted to five of the Surfriders' six runs to be accounted for as unearned.

To start the game, back-to-back errors racked up two runners on base. Later in the frame, Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo hit a grounder up the middle for the second out at second base, but second baseman Kekoa Gabriel's errant throw to first for a double play attempt allowed a run to score.

Two innings later and with Cody Riturban on third base, Kurahashi-Choy Foo attempted a safety squeeze. Pitcher Lee fielded the bunt cleanly but made a wild throw home, allowing another run to score.

Kalani brought Kawano in to pitch midway through the top of the fourth inning, and with the bases loaded, he pegged Riturban for a free base and a run scored.

Kurahashi-Choy Foo later hit a slow bouncer just past the pitcher and beat the throw to reach first base safely, but Kalani's shortstop Lau threw the ball away, adding two more runs for the Surfriders.

In the top of the seventh, Kailua catcher Kalua Neves slammed a pitch over the right field fence to go up 6-1 for what would eventually be the final arithmetic.

Both teams will wrap up its regular season on Saturday before taking a first-round bye in next week's D1 OIA Playoffs.

"We can't choose who we play in the playoffs," Kailua coach Corey Ishigo said. "We just got to prep for making our team the best we can be.

"It's just been a process," he continued. "Other than Joey, it's pretty much the whole team that hasn't been starters before. We're just working on what we need to do for each individual and whatever we can do to help our team."