[ HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL ]
Balatico carries Mililani
The Trojans' pitcher is solid
for five innings and hits four
doubles in an OIA playoff
win over Moanalua
For the second year in a row, Moanalua faced Mililani pitcher Christopher Balatico with its season on the line. And just as it was last year, Balatico proved too much for the Menehunes to overcome.
Balatico helped Mililani eliminate Moanalua from the Oahu Interscholastic Association baseball playoffs for the second straight season by powering the Trojans to an 8-3 opening-round victory yesterday at the Menehunes' field.
Exactly one year ago today, Balatico tossed a complete game and drove in the winning run as Mililani ended Moanalua's season with a 3-2 win. Yesterday, the senior slammed four doubles, drove in six runs and pitched five solid innings to earn another win over the Menehunes and keep the Trojans' season alive.
"We came in knowing if we lose there's no more for us," Balatico said. "I didn't even think about my stats or whatever. I just wanted to hit the ball hard, hit hard line drives."
Mililani (7-4) advances to today's quarterfinals and will face OIA West champion Aiea (10-0) at 4 p.m. at Aiea Recreation Center. The Trojans will look to avenge a 3-2 regular-season loss to Aiea on April 19.
The winners of today's games move on to the semifinal round and earn berths in next week's state tournament on Maui. The losers fall into the fifth-place bracket.
"It's a big game in front of us, but we try to tell the kids to take each game the same," Mililani coach Cary Kihara said. "That way when you get to the big games you're used to putting that pressure on yourself."
Mililani kept its season alive with a 13-hit attack at the plate. Balatico gave the Trojans the early lead with an RBI double in the top of the first inning and drove in two more runs with a ground-rule double to right field in the third.
After another double in the fourth, he came up with two out and the bases loaded in the fifth. He broke the game open by dropping in a looper down the left-field line to plate all three runners.
Mililani leadoff hitter Chaz Miyashiro went 3-for-4, as did Clinton Blackman.
"Our game plan was to get on top early and we wanted to be aggressive and swing the bat," Kihara said. "They did that and they hit the ball well today. That's probably the best I've seen our team hit so far."
On the mound, Balatico survived a shaky first inning and settled down to limit Moanalua to one hit over the next four innings.
"In the beginning I was rushing everything, my adrenaline was pumping. Then I calmed down and just threw strikes," Balatico said.
Kihara decided to save Balatico's arm by sending in Blackman and Dane Mizusawa to pitch the final two innings.
Moanalua ends its season at 7-4. Catcher Brett Tanigawa, one of three Moanalua seniors, ended his high-school career by going 2-for-2 with an RBI.
"This team is very young and they made a few mistakes here and there which cost them," Moanalua coach Scott Yamada said. "But give credit to Balatico, he swung the bat and pitched a pretty good game."
At Moanalua H.S. field
Christopher Balatico, Clinton Blackman (6), Dane Mizusawa (7) and Ian Koki. Andrew Blomberg, Ryan Wallsinger (4), Chance Daskauskas (5), Trevor Bell (7) and Brett Tanigawa. W--Balatico. L--Blomberg.
Mililani (7-4) 104 030 0 -- 8 13 2 Moanalua (7-4) 100 101 0 -- 3 4 4
Leading hitters --Mililani: Chaz Miyashiro 3-4, 2b; Balatico 4-5, 4 2bs, 6 RBIs; Blackman 3-4. Moanalua: Tanigawa 2-2, RBI.
Kalaheo 4, Campbell 2, 9 inn.: Ranson Kaanoi singled in the go-ahead run with one out in the ninth and the Mustangs added an insurance run on an errant pickoff attempt to end the Sabers' season.
Kalaheo took a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh on an error and Aren Viveiros' two-out RBI single.
Campbell tied it in the bottom of the inning on a two-out hit by Victor Cachuela.
Sunny Harbottle allowed two runs in seven innings and Kurt Okumura pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the win.
At Campbell H.S. Field
Sunny Harbottle, Kurt Okumura (8) and Jake Myking; Tristan Bailey, Brandon Tanigawa (9), James Bannister (9) and Ian Pantorilla. W--Okumura. L--Bailey.
Kalaheo 000 000 202 -- 4 4 0 Campbell 001 000 100 -- 2 6 3 Leading hitters--Kalh: Aren Viveiros, 2-4. Cam: Victor Cachuela, 2-3, 2b; Jonah Canionero, 2b.
Kalani 4, Kapolei 3: Davin Muramoto hit a bases-loaded double down the third-base line to drive in two runs as the Falcons rallied past the Hurricanes.
Kalani loaded the bases on an error, a walk and an infield hit on which the third baseman missed the tag.
The Falcons started the comeback by scoring twice in the sixth.
At Kahala Field
Colin Dumlao and Drake Kula; Randy Kitagawa, Chassis Moody (5), Ty Sarchet (6) and Reid Pamatigan. W -- Sarchet. L -- Dumlao.
Kapolei 001 020 0 -- 3 3 1 Kalani 000 002 2 -- 4 9 2 Leading hitters -- Kaln: Davin Muramoto 2-4, 2b; Sarchet 2-3; Shannon Chung 2-4.
Pearl City 4, Kahuku 3, 8 inn.: Chad Itokazu scored the winning run from third when Rex Yamaguchi got caught in a rundown between first and second base.
Itokazu led off the eighth inning with a hit, was sacrificed to second and reached third on Nolan Kugiya's fly ball to right.
Kyle Juliano saved the game momentarily for Kahuku with a spectacular diving catch in the outfield to end the bottom of the seventh.
At Pearl City H.S.
Mel Silva and Alex Ponciano; Tony Ganigan and Corey Giammalvo. W -- Ganigan. L -- Silva.
Kahuku 200 100 00 -- 3 5 0 Pearl City 110 000 11 -- 4 7 0 Leading hitters -- Kah: Silva 2b, RBI; Kaipo Souza 2b, RBI.
Junior varsity
Kalani 5, Campbell 3
Mililani 4, Moanalua 2
Waiane 7, Kaiser 0
BIIF
Waiakea 3, Hilo 2: Myles Ioane threw a three-hitter as the Warriors won the Big Island Interscholastic Federation championship.Both teams had already qualified for the state touranment.
Ioane struck out 13 batters and walked one.
At Waiakea H.S.
Jeremy Kaaukai, Matt Haasenritter (6) and Keola Holt-Mizuguchi; Myles Ioane and Avery Kagawa. W -- Ioane. L -- Kaaukai.
Hilo (9-3) 002 000 0 -- 2 3 1 Waiakea (12-0) 210 000 x -- 3 10 2 Leading hitters -- Waik: Owen Otsuka 2-3, RBI; Ioane 2-2, 2b; Cheynne Hirota 2-3, RBI.
