OIA Baseball
Governors ride momentum to first league crown since 2018 with win over Hurricanes


Kalani Takase | ScoringLive
April 27, 2025, 12:50am

  

Sat, Apr 26, 2025 @ [ 3:00 pm ]

Farrington

8

Kapolei

5

FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Farrington 0 403001821
Kapolei 0 2 021005111

W: Kyle Hayase-Fong    L: Halona Felix    SV: Thomas Nakashima

KAP: Jeizen Twining 1-3 2 runs trp; Kajih Rego 2.3 IP 0 ER 2 K
FARR: Kyle Hayase-Fong 1-3 2 runs 3 rbi HR; Thomas Nakashima 3.0 IP 0 ER 2 K




WAIPAHU — The Farrington baseball team rode a wave of momentum to an OIA championship Saturday night. 

Kyle Hayase-Fong hit a three-run home run and Paul Hioki Jr. delivered a bases-clearing double to lead Farrington in an 8-5 win over Kapolei in the league Division II title game at Hans L'Orange Park. 

The Governors (9-2-1) captured the second OIA crown in program history, the last one also coming in the D2 ranks back in 2018. As the No. 4 seed in the six-team tournament, they posted their second upset in as many days. 

Just one day prior, Farrington went to Waianae and came away with a 2-1 win over the top-seeded Seariders. The result was a reversal of the regular-season meeting between the teams back on Apr. 2, when Waianae posted a 3-2 win over Farrington at Lanakila District Park. 

"It helped us a lot because we went in there giving it our all and the win really shifted our momentum because during the season we took a tough loss to them, but (Friday) we just played our hardest and it came out in our favor," said Hioki, who tossed a three-hit complete game against the Seasiders. 

The lone run Hioki gave up Friday came in the bottom of the first inning. It wasn't until the top of the sixth that the Governors pulled ahead with a pair of runs. 

First-year Farrington coach Dylan Takara agreed with Hioki's assessment of the momentum generated from Friday's result. 

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, it really shows that we can hang with any team. I mean, I feel like we're kind of counted out a lot of times, but we kind of showed that we can hang with everyone," Takara said. 

Takara's squad parlayed that momentum into some early offense Saturday. 

After a scoreless opening frame, the Govs pushed four runs across in the top of the second inning. They loaded the bases via three walks before Thomas Nakashima drew another base-on-balls to score Hayase-Fong for the game's first run. One batter later, Hioki pumped an 0-1 fastball from Kapolei starter Halona Felix to the gap in left center, which allowed all three baserunners to score. 

"Fastball, middle-in, about the letters of my chest high," Hioki recalled. "I saw that pitch and I pulled the trigger and made contact with the ball — just the ball felt really good off the bat."

Two innings later it was Hayase-Fong's turn to drive in some runs. Nakashima drew a walk to open the top of the fourth and three batters after that, Everest Rodriguez was beaned to put two runners aboard. Hayase-Fong then worked the count full before he belted an inside fastball over the fence in left field. 

"I saw it and I just swung and it just went out. I didn't think it was out off the bat because I don't really have that much juice in my bat," Hayase-Fong laughed. 

To his point, it was Hayase-Fong's first dinger of the year and just the his second extra-base hit this spring. That didn't stop him from putting a charge into the offering from ‘Canes reliever Kajih Rego. 

"He worked twice as hard as everybody on this field —on the field and off the field," Hioki said. "He hasn't been hitting in season, he had a hard time coming but he showed out when it mattered and that's all that matters."

Hioki's double and Hayase-Fong's homer were the Govs' only two hits Saturday. Most of their baserunners came via walks — 15 of them, in fact. 

Farrington parlayed six of those free passes into runs, including an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Shayden Kane drew a two-out walk and scored on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Nakashima, who alone finished with five walks on the day. 

"Our approach is ‘any way on,' so we really focus on that, trying to figure out any way on, put our runners on scoring position, hope for that one big hit that can drive in some runs and I mean, Kyle pulled through with that," Takara said. 

Brennan Daquioag walked three times and Keanu Aga and Kane each drew two walks. Seven different Farrington plays reached base via free pass. 

"All the work we put in during season and at practices, all the live at-bats — it all just helped us out," Hioki said. 

Brock Pamatigan led Kapolei offensively with a 3-for-4 day at the plate and Keaka Alana batted 2 for 4. Five different ‘Canes drove in a run in the loss. 

Felix was charged with the loss after he allowed four runs in 2 2/3 innings pitched. He walked eight batters and struck out four. 

Hayase-Fong threw four innings to get the win and Nakashima tossed three scoreless innings of relief to register his save on the year. 

Farrington extended its winning streak to five games. 

Takara was an assistant under former coach Eric Tokunaga the past two seasons before he took over the reins this spring. 

"Ive been with them for long enough where I really grew close to all of them and to finally see all that time we put in come into fruition and be successful, especially at this level, I mean, I'm proud of them — I'm so proud of them," Takara said. 

Hioki is one of the 11 seniors on the squad this year for the Govs. 

"It just means everything to us. (All the) blood, sweat and tears, countless hours of practice, even work at home — it just paid off at the end," Hioki said. 

Kapolei, which had won its last three games entering Saturday, was seeking its second OIA title and first since 2016. 

It was the second meeting between the teams this season. The Hurricanes won the previous matchup back on March 12 at Lanakila Park by a score of 4-1. 

Both teams, along with Waianae — which defeated Radford to claim third place on Saturday — will represent the OIA in the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA D2 State Championships, May 8-10 at Les Murakami Stadium. 


Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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