[ HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL ]
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Damien's Robert Cuizon held Maryknoll scoreless after a four-run first that featured four errors.
Damien weathers errors
to beat Maryknoll
Freshman left-handed pitcher Robert Cuizon didn't get down when four errors nearly ruined his day.
Instead, he felt strongly his Damien baseball teammates would come back after Maryknoll grabbed a four-run lead after a half inning.
And that's just what happened. The Monarchs erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back on the way to a 14-4 Interscholastic League of Honolulu victory yesterday at DeSa Field.
The game ended after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.
"We really swung the bats well today, all the way from 1 to 9 in the order," said Damien coach John Matias, whose team improved to 2-2. "We even had two guys come in and hit the ball hard. After we made those errors early, Robert kept us in the game by throwing strikes."
Cuizon finished with a four-hitter and didn't allow a hit in the second through fourth innings. The Monarchs didn't commit another error after the debacle in the opening frame.
"I knew they (the Damien hitters) would come through," Cuizon said. "When I came to the dugout after that bad inning, I told them that they just gotta believe, to suck it up and know that we can do it. It's never too late."
Kody Seminara started off the Spartans' first-inning rally with a base hit, and he eventually scored on Peter Kirst's sacrifice fly. Hiroshi Kuroda added an RBI single to go along with those four Damien errors for a 4-0 lead.
Seminara, who went 2-for-3 with a double at the plate, struggled on the mound. He gave up 11 of the Monarchs' runs and 10 of their 12 hits in three innings before giving way to reliever Reid Nakamura.
"I couldn't get my curveball working, and my fastball wasn't all there either," said Seminara, a senior who was a standout fullback on the soccer team in the winter. "We were kind of flat today, but I think we'll learn from our mistakes."
Matias was surprised the game ended so soon.
"He's (Kody) their best pitcher, and he usually throws strikes," Matias said. "Today, he was kind of wild, but it was still a great accomplishment for us to end it on the 10-run rule."
Kaimana Balanon's two-run double in the first inning keyed Damien's seven-run rally. Elijah Souza added a double, while Ranson DeCosta hit two RBI singles as 13 batters came to the plate.
The Monarchs continued to pound away for the duration. The lead increased to 11-4 on Nick Zieser's RBI base hit and Duncan Ebert's run-scoring double in the second and Sean Michael Stoltzman's two-run double in the third.
"I'm very disappointed," said Spartans coach Duane Eldredge, whose team dropped to 0-5. "Against Kamehameha or Mid-Pacific, losing by the 10-run rule is expected at times, but against a team the same caliber as us, it's definitely not expected."
At DeSa Field
Maryknoll (0-5) 400 00 -- 4 4 3 Damien (2-2) 722 21 -- 14 12 4 Kody Seminara, Reid Nakamura (4), and Hiroshi Kuroda. Robert Cuizon and Brandon Baguio. W--Cuizon. L--Seminara.
Leading hitters--Mryk: Seminara 2-3, 2b, Kuroda RBI, Peter Kirst RBI. Dam: Elijah Souza 1-2, 2b, RBI, 2 runs; Ranson DeCosta 2-3, 3 RBIs; Sean Stoltzman 1-2, 2b, 3 RBIs; Kaimana Balanon 2-4, 2b, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Nick Zieser 2-3, 2 RBIs, 3 runs; Duncan Ebert 1-2, 2b, RBI; Chris Stephenson 2-2, RBI.
OIA EAST
McKinley 1, Moanalua 0: Devin Okinaga pitched a three-hit shutout to outduel Andrew Blomberg as the Tigers handed the Menehunes their first loss of the season.Jarren Hirasaki and Kalen Kunyuki hit back-to-back doubles with one out in the third inning to score the lone run for the Tigers. Blomberg picked up the loss for Menehunes, but pitched a complete game, striking out six and walking two while giving up just three hits.
At Moanalua H.S. field
McKinley (1-2) 001 000 0 -- 1 3 3 Moanalua (3-1) 000 000 0 -- 0 3 1 Devin Okinaga and Andrew Mitani. Andrew Blomberg and Donovon Souza. W--Okinaga. L--Blomberg.
Leading hitters--McK: Kalen Kunyuki 1-3, 2b, RBI; Jarren Hirasaki 1-3, 2b. Moan: Adam Arakawa 1-3, 2b; John Estores 1-3, 2b.
OIA WEST
Radford at Leilehua, ppd.: The game between the Rams and Mules was rained out. No makeup date was announced.
