HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
Sick Mules help Leilehua win and catch playoff fever
Darren Baccay and Desmond Ontai are the most recent Leilehua baseball players to catch the illness that's circulated around most of the team the past week.
But they seemed pretty healthy yesterday in a 6-3 win at Pearl City.
Ontai rapped out three hits and Baccay earned the win, striking out three batters in three innings of scoreless relief.
If the first five innings of the game were a staring contest, the Chargers blinked in the sixth.
While Baccay held Pearl City's batters down, Leilehua capitalized on three defensive errors and a passed ball in the top of the inning to score the three unearned runs that proved to be the difference.
"Not at all (feeling well)," said Baccay, who added a stolen base and two runs scored. "I got the cold, I had a fever (Friday). I just popped in some Advil" -- he grinned -- "and I was alright."
Leilehua (5-2) clinched an OIA West playoff berth with the win, and is now tied for fourth with Kapolei.
Pearl City (4-3) dropped its third game in a row after starting the season 4-0 in the OIA. It was coming off a 7-6, eight-inning heart-breaking loss to No. 3 Mililani on Wednesday and 5-3 defeat at the hands of Aiea the game prior.
"We've been playing well for the last couple of weeks," Chargers coach Mel Seki said after a long pause. "The unexpected kind of things happen. Fly balls we normally catch, throws we normally make. That's high school ball."
Part of high school ball involves stepping up for your teammates no matter how bad you feel -- and nobody appreciated it more than Leilehua coach Mike Kim.
"My heart's racin'," he said. "At one point it was half the team (sick), but now it's just them (two). Desmond, he's clutch. He only knows one way, he goes hard all the time."
Kim even had Ontai start at first base for the first time, instead of his usual third.
Ontai, a sophomore, was understandably short on words afterward.
"I don't really usually hit like that," he said. He finished 3-for-4.
It was Ontai's RBI double that scored Baccay to knot things up at two in the fifth. Jayson Cabalce drove in Ehukai Woolley in the next at-bat, but Pearl City answered with a run from Ryne Acosta in the bottom of the frame to tie things at three.
Once Austin Higa scored on a passed ball to let Leilehua take the lead for good in the next inning, the Chargers' concentration seemed to take a hit. Catching and throwing errors followed, and by the time Jordan Casarez came in and struck out the last two batters in the inning, the three-run damage was done.
Chargers senior Chad Quillopo hit a solo shot into the brush well over the left-field wall to tie things up at one in the second.
At Pearl City H.S. field
Leilehua (5-2) |
010 |
023 |
0 |
-- |
6 |
11 |
1
|
Pearl City (4-3) |
010 |
110 |
0 |
-- |
3 |
8 |
5 |
Brett Nakasone, Darren Baccay (5) and Ehukai Woolley. Bryson Nakamura, Scott Muraoka (5), Jordan Casarez (6) and Carlton Tanabe. W--Baccay. L--Muraoka.
Leading hitters--Lei: Baccay 2 runs; Woolley 2-3; Desmond Ontai 3-4, 2b; Austin Higa 2-4. PC: Nakamura 2b; Chad Quillopo solo HR.
Campbell 14, Nanakuli 2
Matt Miller smacked a double and Alvin Respecio scored two runs to lead the Sabers over the Golden
Hawks.
At Nanakuli H.S. field
Campbell (4-3) |
|
543 |
20 |
-- |
14 |
6 |
0
|
Nanakuli (0-8) |
|
000 |
02 |
-- |
2 |
6 |
6 |
Kevin Newcomb, Blayne Dikito (4) and Cameron Howser. Isiah Tanaka and Lalo Respicio. W--Newcomb. L--Tanaka.
Leading hitters--Camp: Matt Miller 2-3, 2b; Alvin Respecio 2-2, 2 runs. Nan: William Eli-Kido 2-3, 3b, run; Louie Teo 1-2, 2b, run.
Waianae 11, Waialua 5
Ben McQuown homered and drove in four runs and Ryan Manuel added four hits as the Seariders knocked off the Bulldogs.
Reggie Carillo hit a two-run triple for Waialua.
At Waialua H.S. field
Waianae (6-1) |
520 |
022 |
0 |
-- |
11 |
16 |
2
|
Waialua (1-6) |
000 |
103 |
1 |
-- |
5 |
6 |
2 |
Aina Kalaola-Meyer, Dean Tabangcura (3), Matt Vossen (5), Ryan Manuel (7) and Nalu Haohio, R.J. Tacgere-Bailey (7). Bryce Whittaker, Keliikoa Vierra (6) and Lokahi Herrod. W--Tabangcura. L--Whittaker.
Leading hitters--Wain: Manuel 4-5, 3b; Ben McQuown 2-2, HR, 4 RBIs; Kalaola-Meyer 3b, RBI; Vossen 3-4, 2b, 2 RBIs; Haohio 2-3, RBI. Wail: Kevin Ronbawa 2-3; Shyne Peiler 2-3, 2b, RBI; Reggie Carillo 3b, 2 RBIs.
OIA EAST
Castle 20, Farrington 1
Four Castle pitchers combined on a no-hitter and Kaliko Cayetano-Tamashiro drove in four runs as the Knights remained in first place with the victory.
Kris Kahanu started the game for Castle and gave up one run in two innings. He also doubled twice and drove in three runs.
At Joey DeSa Field
Castle (6-0-1) |
|
276 |
50 |
-- |
20 |
17 |
1
|
Farrington (0-7) |
|
010 |
00 |
-- |
1 |
0 |
5 |
Kris Kahanu, Trevor Okumura (3), Kainoa Tom (4), Joshua Serrano (5) and Coby Agres, Devin Tanaka (4). Allan Lumansoc, Bryson Segundo (3) and Josh Wallace. W--Okumura. L--Lumansoc.
Leading hitters--Cast: Sean Lomont 2b; Agres 2b; Serano 3-4, 2b, 2 RBIs; Kahanu 3-5, 2 2bs, 3 RBIs; Kaua Olds 2b, RBI; Kaliko Cayetano-Tamashiro 2-4, 3b, 4 RBIs.
Kalaheo 6, McKinley 5
Steven Vega drove in Alika Kaanapu for the game-winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Mustangs edged the Tigers.
Kyle Okumura picked up the win for Kalaheo and also added two hits. Jonathan Ho had three hits and drove in two runs for McKinley.
At Kailua District Park
McKinley (1-5) |
200 |
001 |
2 |
-- |
5 |
6 |
3
|
Kalaheo (2-6) |
130 |
010 |
1 |
-- |
6 |
7 |
2 |
Roger Kramer, Mike Estes (3) and Kelsen Ganeku. Talon Wemple, Richard Preza-Haynes (1), Kyle Okumura (7) and Steven Vega. W--Okumura. L--Estes.
Leading hitters--McK: Chaz Leong 2 runs; Randy Tuley 2b; Jonathan Ho 3-4, 3b, 2 RBIs. Kalh: Okumura 2-4, 2b; Donovan Correa 2-4, 2 runs; Kord Walls 2-3.
Roosevelt 14, Kahuku 0
Three Rough Riders pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout and Keoni Manago had three extra-base hits and drove in two runs to lead Roosevelt.
At Hauula Playground
Roosevelt (6-0-1) |
|
353 |
03 |
-- |
14 |
12 |
2
|
Kahuku (2-6) |
|
000 |
00 |
-- |
0 |
3 |
4 |
Keoni Manago, Christian Awaya (4), Nick Wong (5) and Tyler Nitahara. Steven Van Ness, Tima Tapusoa (3) and Ikaika Sasaoka. W--Manago. L--Van Ness.
Leading hitters--Roos: Manago 3-4, 2b, 2 3bs, 2 RBIs; Justin Otaguro 2-2, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Nitahara 2-4, 2 RBIs.