JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Waianae catcher RJ Tacgere-Bailey stopped Aiea's Brennan Alejo at the plate in the third inning yesterday.
|
|
Waianae continues mastery over Aiea
Waianae pitcher Ben McQuown and Aiea coach Ryan Kato had a similar assessment of the Seariders' 11-3 victory over Na Alii yesterday at Aiea Recreation Center.
When the Seariders are swinging away, they're a very tough team to beat.
McQuown pitched six strong innings and helped his own cause on the mound with a three-run homer in the first frame as his team rolled to its second straight win in Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West Division play.
Waianae improved to 4-4 in smacking 11 hits, while No. 9 Aiea dropped to 5-3.
"I feel like our team is in midseason form right now, everybody's getting together like a family," said McQuown, a senior and also a quarterback for the Seariders football team. "We had a couple miscues early in the season, and we just kept battling back. Finally one win streak, back to .500 and we can beat anybody in this West, that's how I feel."
It's hard to argue when the opposing coach is straightforward in summing up the effectiveness of Waianae's batting order. Kato's team fell to the Seariders for the third time in as many meetings this season. Count the coach among those who tip their caps toward the Leeward Coast.
Waianae turned two double plays late in the game to quell Na Alii rallies.
"I don't even know their record, but they are about as good as any team we've played," Kato said. "They're better -- they beat us every time we played them."
Aiea's staff ace, Randy Castillo, would have started, but missed the game with the flu. But his coach thought he wouldn't have improved the fortunes of Na Alii.
"He has the full package. He keeps hitters off balance, that's what we miss about him not being in the lineup, but that's no excuse. The way Waianae hit today, they'd have hit anybody," Kato said.
The top half of the visitors' order was brutally effective. Shortstop Ryan Manuel scored four times, while catcher RJ Tacgere-Bailey went 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs. McQuown, hitting third, drove in four runs and Quintin Tiapula plated two more runners batting cleanup.
After Na Alii scored twice in the bottom of the first to pull within 4-2, the Seariders outscored them 7-1 the rest of the way, capped off by Leroy Hensley's two-run double in the sixth.
Waianae coach Kekoa Kaluhiokalani doesn't think his team has Aiea figured out this year -- they just keep playing on good days for the Seariders.
"You hit the ball, and it kind of goes your way," he said. "I don't think we have their number at all -- they've had our number for many years."
Kaluhiokalani called McQuown "one of the best hitters ever in our program." The pitcher, in turn, credited Tacgere-Bailey with making the right calls in helping him scatter seven hits.
Aiea made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh by loading the bases with one out on Tiapula, McQuown's reliever, but Keenan Naeole was thrown out at home plate and Tiapula got out of the inning unscathed.
At Aiea Recreation Center
Waianae (4-4) |
420 |
203 |
0 |
-- |
11 |
11 |
0
|
Aiea (5-3) |
201 |
000 |
0 |
-- |
3 |
9 |
2 |
Ben McQuown, Quintin Tiapula (7) and RJ Tacgere-Bailey. Cedric Kojima, Kevin Shibata (1), Travis Nishida (2), Jaran Iwane (6) and Carson Tsuruda. W--McQuown. L--Kojima.
Leading hitters--Waianae: Ryan Manuel 2-4, 2b, 4 runs; Tacgere-Bailey 3-3, 3b, 2 RBIs; McQuown 2-4, HR, 4 RBIs; Tiapula 2 RBIs; Aina Kalaola-Meyer 2b; Leroy Hensley 2-4, 2 2b, 3 RBIs; Dillon Cadirao 2 runs. Aiea: Ricky Itagaki 2b; Brennan Alejo 2-4, 2 2b; Keenan Naeole 2-3, 2b.
OIA Red East
No. 4 Kailua 14, Castle 4, 5 inn.
Jordan Limahai went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs to lead the Surfriders past the Knights.
At Kailua H.S.
Castle (6-3) |
|
001 |
03 |
-- |
4 |
6 |
4
|
Kailua (6-2) |
|
701 |
51 |
-- |
14 |
9 |
3 |
Josh Serrano, Micah Koki (1), Seamus Yoneshige(4). Jared Tamanaha and Keenan Tanaka, Aaron Tai (5). W--Tamanaha. L--Serrano.
Leading hitters--Castle: Marcus Ofoia-Stevens RBI; Serrano, RBI. Kailua: Kale Sumner, 2-2, 2b, run, RBI; Tanaka 2-3, 2 runs, RBI; Jordan Limahai, 2-3, 2 2bs.
Kaiser 12, Roosevelt 2
The Cougars were led by catcher Bryce Marcouiller, who hit a grand slam in the sixth and drove in five runs to beat the Rough Riders.
At Stevenson Middle School
Kaiser (6-2) |
000 |
036 |
3 |
-- |
12 |
16 |
1
|
Roosevelt (3-5) |
001 |
010 |
0 |
-- |
2 |
8 |
1 |
Shotaru Saito, Zachary Wong (5) and Bryce Marcouiller. Tyler Nitahara, William Kamau (6), Rylan Ikehara (6), TJ Bae (7) and Eric Ching, Nitahara (6). W--Saito. L-- Nitahara.
Leading hitters--Kaiser: Dustin Della-Penia 4-5, 3 runs; Marcouiller 3-4, 5 RBIs; Pono Meyer 3-4, 2b; Wong 3-4, 3b. Roosevelt: Sean Matsumoto 2-3, 2b, 2 runs; TJ Bae 2-3.
Moanalua 14, McKinley 0
Na Menehune breezed past the Tigers with a huge first inning led by Jordan Monico's grand slam.
At McKinley H.S.
Moanalua (4-4) |
(10)13 |
000 |
-- |
14 |
14 |
0
|
McKinley (0-7) |
000 |
000 |
-- |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Regan Lum, Dae Shik Kim (4), Patrick Sugiyama (5) and Chris Liu-Saquid, Jordan Paulachak (3), James Higa (5). Kelson Ganeku, Kurtis Kometani (1), Cody Reyes (4) and Reyes, Geneku (1). W-- Lum. L--Ganeku.
Leading hitters--Moanalua: Jordan Monico 2-2, 2b, HR; Liu-Saquid 2-2, 2b, 3b; Kensen Miyaki 2b; Paulachak 3b; Ross Matsumoto 2b; Frank Wilhelm 3b.
OIA Red West
Kapolei 2, Mililani 0
Kalani Omoto tossed a shutout, striking out eight, as the Hurricanes narrowly beat the Trojans.
At Mililani H.S.
Kapolei (3-5) |
000 |
020 |
0 |
-- |
2 |
1 |
0
|
Mililani (2-6) |
000 |
000 |
0 |
-- |
0 |
3 |
4 |
Kalani Omoto and Brandon Damas. Ray Sugihara and Joey Aquino, Travis Inouye (6).
W--Omoto. L--Sugihara.
Leading hitters--None.
Campbell 7, Leilehua 4
The Sabers rallied for three runs with two outs in the bottom of the third to beat the Mules.
At Campbell H.S.
Leilehua (3-5) |
000 |
102 |
1 |
-- |
4 |
9 |
3
|
Campbell (4-3) |
104 |
002 |
x |
-- |
7 |
8 |
0 |
Brett Nakasone, Wayne Pacheco (6), Darren Baccay (6) and Jayson Cabalce. Charles Kaalekahi, Keanu Kapana (7) and Cameron Howser. W--Kaalekahi. L--Nakasone.
Leading hitters--Leilehua: Baccay 2-4, 2b, 2 runs; Desmond Ontai 3-4, 2b, 3b, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Nakasone 2-3, RBI. Campbell: Christian Marquez 2 runs, RBI; Kapana 2-3, 2b, RBI.
OIA White
Waipahu 17, Farrington 3, 5 inn.
The Marauders strarted the game off with eight runs in their half of the first inning and never looked back.
At Waipahu H.S.
Farrington (2-4) |
|
100 |
20 |
-- |
3 |
4 |
4
|
Waipahu (7-0-1) |
|
820 |
7x |
-- |
17 |
11 |
3 |
John Kim, Allan Lumansoc (1) and Wayne Segundo. Eric Hudson and Iggy MacKenzie, Aldrin Padilla (3). W-- Hudson. L-- Kim.
Leading hitters--Farrington: Bryson Ganotife-Solomon 2-2; Kim 2b. Waipahu: Triton Gante 2-4, 2b, 2 RBIs; Hudson 2-2, 2b, 3b, RBI; Gavin Sakamoto, 2-2, 3 RBIs.
Kaimuki 12, Waialua 11
The Kaimuki bats came alive late. The Bulldogs scored five runs in the fifth inning and six in the sixth inning to beat Waialua.
At Waialua H.S.
Kaimuki (3-3) |
100 |
056 |
0 |
-- |
12 |
11 |
5
|
Waialua (1-6) |
320 |
101 |
4 |
-- |
11 |
12 |
1 |
Eddie Char, Ian Delizo (3) and Delizo, Char (3). Kai Kala Carvalho, Anthony Esteban (5), Bryce Whittaker (6) and Christian Whittaker. W--Delizo. L--Esteban.
Leading hitters--Kaimuki: Delizo 3-5, 2b, 3 runs, 3 RBIs; Char 2-5, 3b, 2 runs, 3 RBIs; David Taliauli 2-4, 2b, 2 RBIs; Tevin Nishiyama 2 runs; Sonny Martinez 2 runs. Waialua: AJ Hernandez 2-4, 3 runs; Whitaker, 3-4, HR, 2 RBIs; Carvalho 2-5; Shayne Peiler 2b; Khristian Mina 3b, 2 runs; Jacob Holland 2 runs.