ScoringLive photo illustration

Purchase image 1 of 1

Blayne Contrades

Saint Louis baseball  •   #6  INF/P  Senior

In the case of Nuu Contrades, the apple did not fall far from the tree. 

That goes for his older brother, Kalei, as well. This, according to Saint Louis baseball coach George Gusman.

"I knew this family since 2010 and I knew Nuu since he was seven or eight years old," Gusman said of Contrades, a senior middle infielder and pitcher and fourth-year varsity player for the Crusaders.

Aside from being pretty good ball players, Gusman pointed out that the Contrades' brothers are also a couple of really good guys – a credit to their parents, Cory and Coby.

"The reason why Kalei and Nuu are good players and good people – and I firmly believe this – it's because they have good parents and when you're in this thing for as long as I am, good kids don't just happen; it happens because they have good parents," Gusman said.

It also happens with some hard work, which Nuu Contrades has put in a lot of over the years. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound right-hander committed to PAC-12 baseball powerhouse Arizona State back in September; He is expected to compete at shortstop and second base.

"I think, like most kids that have success, he's hard working. Physically he's so much bigger and stronger as he's getting into adulthood," Gusman said. "He's very athletic. He can run, he can hit for average and power and he can throw the ball, so he's got the five tools and probably the only thing that he doesn't have is being over six-feet (tall); He might be close."

Contrades put a number of those tools on display in a pair of wins for Saint Louis to open the Interscholastic League of Honolulu baseball season.

Against Iolani Thursday afternoon, Contrades batted leadoff and played second base. The Crusaders held a 3-0 lead but Iolani tied it with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. After he failed to reach base in his first three plate appearances, Contrades drove in one of two Saint Louis runs in the top of the sixth with his RBI-sacrifice fly.

"It was interesting because he's a guy that expects every time he goes up to the plate that he's gonna get a hit and the game of baseball is sometimes humbling, but you know, we try to acknowledge that if you're gonna fail, or if you're not gonna get a hit, then line out or get a sac fly and all of those things are important and he understands that," Gusman said.

In the bottom half of the sixth, Iolani plated a run to get within 5-4, however, Contrades moved from second base to the mound with two outs in the inning and got out of the jam. He retired the side in the bottom of the seventh as well, to log a four-out save with two strikeouts and one hit allowed on a tidy 15 pitches.

There was only one thing on the mind of Contrades after the final out: his availability for the following day's game against Punahou.

"Oh gosh, sometimes he's driving me crazy because it's like, ‘When can I pitch?,' " Gusman said. "After the Iolani game the first thing he asked me is how many pitches did he throw – because he wanted to be eligible to pitch the next day. I told him, ‘You had fifteen,' and he said, ‘Alright, I'm pitching tomorrow.'  I'm like, ‘We'll see,' but that's the kind of person and player he is."

Contrades manifested his second pitching appearance in as many days, but didn't wait for the late innings to make an impact against the Buffanblu at Ala Wai Field Friday afternoon. He led off the game with a double to the gap in left field and came around to score on a double by Sean Yamaguchi for one of two Saint Louis runs in the top of the first inning.

"We talked (after Thursday's Iolani game) about some things, about pressing a little bit, being a little impatient, so for him to come back Friday and lead off the game with a double and come around to score was big in getting us some early runs," Gusman said.

Contrades struck out in his second at-bat, but drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the Crusader half of the fifth. He advanced to second on a Xander Sielken walk and scored on a Makamae DuPont single two batters later, which gave his team a 5-0 lead.

But the Buffanblu answered with six runs on six hits in the bottom of the fifth to pull ahead. Saint Louis went down in order in the top of the sixth and then ran into some trouble in the bottom of the frame. Sielken walked the first Punahou batter, then allowed a single to the next before he was lifted for Contrades, who got all three outs and stranded two baserunners to get out of the jam.

Contrades led off for the Crusaders in the top of the seventh and wasted little time getting aboard. He roped a double down the left field line and eventually scored the tying run on Aiva Arquette's two-out single to center.

Arquette scored the go-ahead run one batter later, on a DuPont double to right to put Saint Louis back ahead, 7-6.

After the leadoff man got aboard on a single (more like an error, Gusman argued) in the bottom of the seventh, Contrades struck out the next three batters --- the third, fourth and fifth hitters in the Buffanblu lineup – to end the game.

"It should have been a 1-2-3 inning, but he ended up coming back and striking out the side and all those guys are really dangerous hitters for Punahou so that's a really big accomplishment," Gusman said.

Contrades stranded the tying run on third base and the winning run on second when he fanned the final Buffanblu batter to help the Crusaders (2-0) escape with their second one-run win in as many days.

"He can play anywhere," Gusman said of Contrades. "Some of the MLB (scouts) have asked if he can catch, he's that intriguing to them, but I mean for us he's highly competitive but not so competitive that he loses sight of stuff. He's a huge part of our team and we'll need him if we're gonna be successful."

Contrades is one of three captains for Saint Louis, along with fellow seniors Arquette, who is signed with the University of Washington, and Sielken, a UH-Manoa signee.

"He cares about his teammates, he's obviously self-driven and he's one of many on our team that I don't really have to be there when they're in the weight room, or conditioning, or strength training, so he'll lead guys and he'll lead by example and he's highly skilled at what he does," Gusman said.

It's not limited to the baseball diamond that Contrades excels, he is also a leader in the classroom.

"He's a great student," Gusman said. "He's got (Advanced Placement) classes and he's almost a 4.0 (GPA) student, if not a 4.0; We have a number of those guys."

Again, Gusman reiterated, the discipline Contrades displays with his schoolwork is a direct reflection of his upbringing.

"It's been a wonderful ride with both Kalei, Nuu and the entire Contrades family, so those things mean a lot to me," Gusman said. "I've alluded to the family that it's gonna be quite different not having a Contrades again next year."

But Gusman, Contrades and the Crusaders still have much of the season ahead of them. They will take on fellow-unbeaten Kamehameha (2-0), 6 p.m. Tuesday at Hans L'Orange Park in Waipahu, before playing host to Maryknoll (2-0), 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Goeas Field in Hawaii Kai.

Saint Louis will close out the week against Damien (0-3), 9 a.m. Saturday at Goeas Park.

BASEBALL

Dacoda Agoto, Pearl City — Drove in three runs, walked once and scored twice in a win over Kapolei

Keahi Ah Sui, Nanakuli — Batted 2 for 4 with two doubles, two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over McKinley

Anthony Ahu-Fisher, PAC-5 — Batted 2 for 4 with three RBI and a run scored in a loss to Maryknoll 

Luke Aona, Waianae — Batted 2 for 2 with a double, walk, three RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored in a win over McKinley

J. Birch, Honokaa — Batted 3 for 4 with two doubles, four RBI and two runs scored and struck out 13, walked one and threw a five-inning no-hitter in a win over Kau

Colby Casinas, Moanalua — Batted 3 for 3 with a double and an RBI in a win over Castle

Joeziah Clifton, Waianae — Batted 3 for 3 with a home run, triple, walk, three RBI, a stolen base and four runs scored in a win over McKinley 

Liwai Correa, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk, two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Konawaena

Gino Coyle, Waialua — Batted 3 for 4 with a triple, three RBI and a stolen base in a win over Radford

Connor Dempsey, Moanalua — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk, two RBI, one stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Castle

Brandon Deth, Damien — Allowed two earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts and one walk in five innings pitched and walked three times and scored a run in a loss to Maryknoll

Makamae DuPont, Saint Louis — Batted 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI in a win over Punahou

Isaiah Enriquez, Nanakuli — Batted 2 for 4 with a triple, two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over McKinley

K. Erdmann, Waimea — Tripled, walked once and drove in four runs in a win over Kapaa

Chayce Gomes, Waianae — Batted 3 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Waianae

J. Gonsalves, Nanakuli — Batted 2 for 4 with a double and three RBI in a win over Kaimuki

Dylan Hansen, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 3 with a double, walk and two RBI in a win over Konawaena

Logan Honma, Pearl City — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kapolei

Elijah Ickes, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, sacrifice fly, walk, three RBI and a run scored in a win over Mid-Pacific

Amugan Iehsi, Kaimuki — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, walk, four RBI and a run scored in a loss to Nanakuli 

Nai Iwaki, Kailua — Batted 4 for 4 with four doubles, two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a loss to Roosevelt 

Kila Kaniho, Punahou — Batted 3 for 3 with a run scored in a loss to Saint Louis

Aukai Kea, Kamehameha — Homered, drove in three runs, stole two bases and two runs scored in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Ty Komoda, Kaiser — Allowed two earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts and three walks in five innings pitched in a loss to Moanalua

Shayde Kuhns, Kailua — Batted 3 for 3 with a walk, two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in a win over Farrington

Ezra Lee, PAC-5 — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Damien 

Aydan Lobetos, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk and four runs scored in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Cy Mezin, Waialua — Allowed two unearned runs on two hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in six innings pitched and batted 1 for 2 with a walk and two runs scored in a win over Radford

Z Miyashiro, Moanalua — Batted 1 for 4 and drove in three runs in a win over Kaiser

Mark Moreno, Pearl City — Batted 3 for 4 with a walk, RBI and run scored in a win over Kapolei 

Ethan Murakoshi, Mililani — Batted 2 for 3 with two RBI in a win over Aiea 

Tanner Pangan, PAC-5 — Batted 1 for 2 with a walk, three RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Damien

Randyn Rios, Mililani — Allowed one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 5 2/3 innings pitched in a win over Aiea 

Elijah Rivera, Castle — Batted 3 for 4 with two RBI in a win over Roosevelt

Dawson Sagawa, Moanalua — Batted 3 for 3 in a win over Kaiser

M. Shigematsu, Waimea — Allowed one unearned run on two hits with nine strikeouts and one walk in a complete-game win over Kapaa

Kaiya Shigematsu, Kauai — Struck out 12, walked three and allowed two earned runs on two hits in six innings pitched in a win over Island School

Koen Smith, Moanalua — Alowed two earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and no walks over 5 2/3 innings pitched in a win over Kaiser

Brayden Suehisa, Mililani — Batted 3 for 3 with a double, RBI and a run scored in a win over Aiea 

Beau Sylvester, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles, two walks, three RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Sione Taufa, Kaimuki — Allowed four runs on six hits with 12 strikeouts and three walks in six innings pitched and also tripled, walked, drove in two runs and scored once in a win over Kahuku

Zacary Tenn, Iolani — Allowed two unearned runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk over six innings pitched in a loss to Kamehameha

Phoenix Torres, Waipahu — Struck out 12 and walked three in a complete-game two-hitter and batted 1 for 3 with an RBI, two walks and two stolen bases in a win over Radford

Justin Tsukada, Punahou — Batted 3 for 4 with three RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in a win over Damien

Dylan Weddle, Kalani — Struck out eight, walked none and allowed three hits over six scoreless innings pitched in a win over Farrington 

Max Wexler, Kauai — Struck out 10, walked one and allowed one hit in a five-inning shutout of Island School 

Joey Wilson, Punahou — Batted 1 for 4 with a double and three RBI in a loss to Saint Louis 

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Keegan Au Yuen, Punahou — Had 23 assists and two kills in a win over Hawaii Baptist 

Jerry Becker, Christian Liberty — Had 19 kills in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Lawson DeLeon, Christian Liberty — Had 37 assists in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Riley Haine, Punahou — Had 13 kills, one ace and an assist in a win over Hawaii Baptist 

Po'okela Iokepa-Park, Nanakuli — Had 25 assists, seven digs, five kills and an ace in a win over Leilehua

Kailen Kamakeeaina, Pahoa — Had 16 digs, seven kills, three aces and one block assist in a win over Kanu

Tevita Levaka, Konawaena — Had 19 kills, four aces and a block assist in a win over Kohala and had 16 kills, one block assist and an ace in a win over Kanu 

Casey Lyons, Iolani — Had 15 kills and three block assists in a loss to Kamehameha 

Ajya Miller, Kamehameha — Had 45 assists, one kill and a block assist in a win over Iolani 

Kanoaikekai Monlux, Kamehameha — Had 14 kills in a win over Iolani 

Shaun Nakao, Iolani — Had 16 kills and a block assist in a loss to Kamehameha 

Uasi Tokelau, Pahoa — Had 22 assists, six kills, five aces and four digs in a win over Kanu 

Keane Tolentino, Kanu — Had 11 assists, 10 digs and two kills in a loss to Pahoa 

SOFTBALL

Kaelyn Banquel, Waimea — Batted 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBI in a win over Kauai 

Austin Kinney, Punahou II — Batted 4 for 5 with a home run, double, two RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kamehameha II 

Alia Lazaro, Waimea — Batted 3 for 4 with a double, five RBI, two runs scored and four runs scored in a win over Kauai 

Nia Pablo, Waimea — Batted 2 for 3 with two triples, four RBI and two runs scored in a win over Kauai 

Sianni Sakai, Waimea — Batted 3 for 3 with two home runs, two walks, fie RBI and four runs scored in a win over Kauai and batted 2 for 2 with a home run, double, two walks, four RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kauai 

Ryleah Torres, Waimea — Batted 4 for 4 with three RBI and three runs scored in a win over Kauai