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Friday, May 19, 2000
Top seeds advance
State baseball notebook By Dave Reardon
to state baseball
semifinals
Star-BulletinWAILUKU -- The names are no surprise. But the way some of them got there is.
Kamehameha (17-4) plays Kailua (11-2) at 5 p.m. and Molokai (17-1) meets Iolani (16-5) at 7:30 tonight in the semifinals of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association/Wally Yonamine Foundation State Baseball Championship at Iron Maehara Stadium.
They are the four highest-ranked teams in the state. The top two -- Kamehameha and defending champion, top-seeded, No. 1 Molokai -- both had anxious moments yesterday before advancing.
Warriors' coach Vern Ramie gambled by keeping his ace pitcher, Kahi Kaanoi, in a relief role against scrappy Leilehua. The Mules scratched for a last-inning run off Kaanoi's consistent 95-mph fastballs, but Kamehameha hung on to win, 5-4.
The Warriors started sophomore Shannon Kahale, just up from the junior varsity. He pitched 4 1/3 effective innings.
Kaanoi, who pitched only two innings yesterday, is available to start today. So is Hubert Pruett, another of this season's better pitchers in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.
"I'm not sure what I expect," Kailua coach Corey Ishigo said. "We'll just try to be ready."
The Surfriders were certainly prepared for Castle's Knights, whom they beat, 4-0, yesterday. It was a rematch of Kailua's 5-1 victory over Castle in the Oahu Interscholastic Association East regular season, with the same pitching matchup of David Horswill and Paul Collins.
"One thing we knew is that it would be a pitchers duel," said Knights' coach Joe Tom Jr. "(Horswill's) a bulldog. We had to hit to win, but we didn't get the job done."
Iolani was aggressive and efficient in completing its task, dispatching No. 4 seed Waiakea, 11-6. The Raiders advance to meet the team that knocked them out of last year's tournament.
"We've been dreaming about it all year, about getting Molokai in our sights," said Iolani's Blaine Umeda, who helped make it reality with four hits yesterday.
For a couple innings of the Molokai-Kapaa game, the rematch looked in doubt. The Farmers -- darlings of most of the 1,800 fans overflowing the stadium -- jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, only to see the upstart Warriors blast right back to a 6-3 lead after two.
But the Farmers used a five-run fifth inning -- curiously fueled by four bunt singles -- to regain control.
So a day that began with three bands of Warriors in contention ended with only one still in the hunt. And barely.
MOLOKAI 14, KAPAA 7: Ikaika Faraon missed nearly the entire season rehabbing from an anterior cruciate ligament tear sustained Feb. 4 while playing basketball for the Farmers. Last night, he allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings of relief.
Faraon credited Molokai's athletic trainer Jeff Smith.
"He really pushed me when I wanted to give up," Faraon said.
Kapaa's Micah Furtado, who also sparkled in the field at second base, drove in three runs with a triple and single as the Warriors took their short-lived lead.
"They beat us going against their game," Kapaa coach Shannon Masada said. "We heard they were free swingers. Then they started bunting and we couldn't make the plays. That killed us."
Molokai's Kelii Alcon and Kapaa's Allen Mundon highlighted the seven-run first inning by each hitting homers over the left field fence.
Molokai 303 251 0 - 14 16 2 Kapaa 420 000 1 - 7 13 2 Ikaika Lester, Ikaika Faraon (2) and Apana Nakayama. Justin Matsukawa, Kaleo Lopez (3), Royce Rapozo (5), Kalani Miyashiro (5) and Robert Merkel. W-Faraon. L-Lopez.
Leading hitters-Molokai: Kelii Alcon 3-4, 2b, HR; Keahi Rawlins 3-4, 2 RBIs; Apana Nakayama 2-3; Johnny Dodoit 3-4, 3 RBIs; Ikaika Faraon 1-2 3 RBIs. Kapaa: Micah Furtado 2-3, 3 RBIs; Allen Mundon 3-4, HR, 2 RBIs; Robert Merkel 2-3, RBI.
KAILUA 4, CASTLE 0: Horswill allowed just three singles, and had two of his own. He scored a run and drove one in.
"It was the same thing as the regular-season game," Horswill said. "I just came at them hard with all I've got. I let my defense work."
Braddah Choy Foo helped out with steady and spectacular play at shortstop for Kailua.
Castle 000 000 0 - 0 3 2 Kailua 001 102 x - 4 7 0 Paul Collins and Russell Kimura. David Horswill and Lopaka Burgess. W-Horswill. L-Collins.
Leading hitters-Kailua: Kawika Kekaula 2-3; David Horswill 2-3, RBI.
IOLANI 11, WAIAKEA 5: Umeda went 4-for-4 with four RBIs, and is 6-for-6 in the tournament. He knocked in two of the Raiders' four unearned first-inning runs with a double.
"The entire team is playing well," Umeda said. "The whole thing is about states and getting up for the occasion."
The Warriors battled back with three runs in the second and sixth innings, but the Raiders' 13-hit attack combined with Waiakea mistakes was too much to overcome.
"You have to be good enough to take advantage of the breaks," Waiakea coach Tommy Correa said. "And they were good enough to do that."
Waiakea 020 003 0 - 5 10 3 Iolani 411 401 x - 11 13 2 Shannon Otani, Bruce Nagata (4) and Chad Watanabe. Ethan Wayne, Travis McGaughy (6) and Travis Mitsuda. W-Wayne. L-Otani.
Leading hitters-Waiakea: Dustin Yamamoto 3-4, 2 RBIs; Ryan Hanohano 2-4, 2 2b, 2 RBIs; Thomas Mahaulu 2-3. Iolani: Jason Teruya 3-4; Bradley Takamori 1-4 3 RBIs; Tyler Kimura 2-2; Blaine Umeda 4-4, 2 2b, 4 RBIs.
KAMEHAMEHA 5, LEILEHUA 4: Ramie said he agonized over his decision to start Kahale (made at 1 a.m. yesterday), because he knew Kaanoi wanted the ball.
"Kahi had his two cents. He wanted to start," Ramie said. "But we have a lot of confidence in Shannon after the way he pitched (in practice) last week. We sent him down to JV after preseason, but he had a good year, so we brought him up when they were done."
Tyler Perkins paced Kamehameha's offense with three hits (including two doubles) and a walk.
Kaanoi entered the game to start the sixth inning, and retired the Mules in order on eight pitches in that inning.
In the seventh he hit two batters and another reached on an error as Leilehua loaded the bases.
Matt Cabalce scored on Mark Soriano's single up the middle. Jay Baptista tried to make it from second, but center fielder Joshua Martin gunned him down for the second out. BJ Clifton then hit a bouncer up the middle which shortstop Bronson Sardinha handled, nipping Clifton by a step at first to end it.
Kamehameha 101 200 1 - 5 7 3 Leilehua 001 020 1 - 4 6 4 Shannon Kahale, Dallas De Fries (5), Kahi Kaanoi (6) and Kai Yamashita. Brandon Taylor and Jay Baptista. W-Kahale. L-Taylor. Sv-Kaanoi.
Leading hitters-Kamehameha: Tyler Perkins 3-3, 2 2b; Kai Yamashita 2b, RBI. Leilehua: Brandon Taylor 2b; John Dolac 2b.
MILILANI 5, CAMPBELL 2: Corey Fukuda pitched a complete game six hitter to lead the Trojans. The game was called in the seventh due to the two hour time limit.
Mililani 201 020 - 5 9 1 Campbell 000 002 - 2 6 3 Corey Fukaya and Bryce Watanabe. Chad Bailey, Janson Mata (4) and Michael Cabral. W-Fukaya. L-Bailey.
Leading hitters-Mililani: Gavin Ng 2-2, 3 runs; Keola Casamina 2-3, 3b; Bryce Watanabe 2-3. Campbell: Sabino Aguinaldo solo HR.
WAILUKU -- Molokai coach Ken Nakayama said he hasn't had a chance to talk with former Farmer Keith Luuloa, who made his major league debut with the Anaheim Angels as a pinch-runner Wednesday. STATE BASEBALL NOTEBOOK
Luuloa an inspiration
to FarmersBut the 1992 Molokai graduate has made inspirational and direct impacts on this year's Farmers' team, Nakayama said.
"Our kids really look up to him, especially now," Nakayama said. "He was back during Christmastime and worked with the kids on their hitting."
Shortstop Kelii Alcon said Luuloa taught him about the proper attitude to take into a game.
"The best thing I learned from him was to play relaxed and loose," Alcon said. "If you do that, good things happen."
Victorino at Vero Beach
Mike Victorino, the unofficial host of Iron Maehara Stadium this week, is also a proud dad. His son, Shane, a 1999 St. Anthony graduate, is playing his first year of pro baseball this spring.Shane Victorino, a 5-10, 165-pound second baseman-outfielder, is with the Dodgers' organization, at extended spring training at Vero Beach, Fla.
"They're teaching him to bat left-handed to better use his speed," Mike Victorino said of the 1999 state track champion in the 100, 200 and 400 meter races.
Kaanoi plans to go pro
Kamehameha pitcher Kahi Kaanoi said he plans on turning down a scholarship offer from Arizona State University and will turn professional after graduation.
Bullpen banter
Runners have been picked off 10 times in the tournament's first nine games. ... Waiakea players and coaches wear yellow ribbons on their caps in tribute to deceased Hilo player Sheldon Kamohai. ... The four schools still alive for the championship have won the past four tournaments (Molokai, 1999; Iolani, 1996-98), five of the past six (Castle, 1994) and eight of the past 14 (Kamehameha, 1987-88; Iolani 1986). ... Kelii Alcon of Molokai, who homered in the first inning of last night's 14-7 victory over Kapaa, also hit a grand slam in the 6-2 championship victory over Mid-Pacific last year at Rainbow Stadium. ... Kamehameha beat Kailua, 11-4, in a 1992 semifinal. ... Molokai beat Iolani, 6-3, in a quarterfinal last year.
By Dave Reardon
