Aiea hands Leilehua
its first loss

Pitching and defense proved to be the difference yesterday as Aiea received a strong outing from ace Lance Powell and put forth an errorless performance in the field. The result was an 8-5 victory over Leilehua at Fred Wright Park, dropping the Mules from the unbeaten ranks.

Senior right-hander Powell worked six innings, withstanding a five-run Leilehua rally in the fourth to earn the Oahu Interscholastic Association West victory. Powell cruised through the first three frames, allowing one hit while facing only one batter over the minimum during that span.

Aiea benefited from a two-out infield error in the top of the first to score the game's first run. Na Alii returned to bunch four hits in the second, scoring five runs off Mule starter Joshua Pastor. Derek Grace and Shane Koga sparked the rally with back-to-back two-run singles. Leilehua junior reliever Andrew Ontai started the third inning and worked the remainder of the game, allowing a pair of unearned runs in the third on another infield miscue. The 2004 All-State second-teamer finished with six strikeouts in five innings.

"Our defense has to play better," Leilehua coach Kevin Tosaka said. "If we played better we could've eliminated some of those extra outs and it might have been a different game."

Powell ran into trouble in the fourth. The Mules used four hits and two walks to plate five runs. After Pastor led off with a single to right, Powell lost his rhythm and issued free passes to Bryant Moniz and John Olley to load the bases.

Leilehua catcher Gavin Uyeda was next and promptly drilled a single to right to drive in his team's first run of the game. Casey Yamaguchi followed with a single to shallow left that scored Moniz and Olley, before Melvin Ferreira's sacrifice fly to center brought in Leilehua courtesy runner Mason Edra.

Kelsey Yoshikami capped the rally by beating out an infield single to register another Leilehua run to make it 8-5. The Mules rallied for five runs in an inning the previous day to beat previously undefeated Pearl City.

"The walks killed me," Powell said. "That was the biggest thing. Our defense helped me out a lot. They (the Mules) put the ball in play and found the right spots in that inning. That's the way the game goes."

Powell returned to the mound undeterred in the fifth, retiring the Mules in order to keep the momentum on Na Alii's side. Powell held Leilehua scoreless in the sixth before giving way to reliever Cody Aquino, who worked the seventh to earn the save.

"I tell our players that the key to their season is going to be controlling the things we can control," Aiea coach Ryan Kato said. "Pitching and defense will be the key. If we can make those routine plays and our pitchers keep throwing strikes, then I like our chances."

The win helps Aiea keep pace with Mililani atop the West Division at 5-0, as they ready for a run that will have them face contenders Campbell (4-1), Pearl City (4-1), Waianae (3-1), and Mililani over the next two weeks.

At Fred Wright Park

Aiea (5-0)	152	000	0	--	8	9	0
Leilehua (4-1)	000	500	0	--	5	5	3

Lance Powell, Cody Aquino (6) and Brian Morihara. Joshua Pastor, Andrew Ontai (3) and Gavin Uyeda. W--Powell. L--Pastor.
Leading hitters--Aiea: Mark Alejo, 3-3, 3b, 2 RBIs; Shane Koga, 2-3, 2b, 2 RBIs; Kurt Nishi, 2-4, 2b, 2 RBIs. Lei: Uyeda, 2-3, RBI; Casey Yamaguchi, 1-3, 2 RBIs.

No. 3 Mililani 10, Radford 0

Chaz Miyashiro pitched a three-hit, six-inning shutout to keep the Trojans undefeated with a win over the Rams. He posted six strikeouts as the Trojans picked up their fifth win of the season.

Miyashiro matched the entire Ram offense in hits, going 3-for-4 in the game.

At Radford H.S.

Mililani (5-0)	231	202	--	10		12	2
Radford (0-6)	000	000	--	0		3	4

Chaz Miyashiro and Kamaka Crabbe. Sean Irish, Kyle Blair (4) and Kyle Howell. W--Miyashiro. L--Irish.
Leading hitters--Mil: Miyashiro, 3-4; Crabbe, 2-3, 2 2bs; Kelsey Nakata, 1-4, 2b.

OIA EAST
No. 6 Kaiser 7, Kalani 6

The Cougars got a a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Falcons their first loss of the season.

Ridge Carpenter scored nearly half of the Cougars' runs, driving in three runs.

At Kaiser Field

Kalani (4-1)	200	031	0	--	6	10	3
Kaiser (4-1)	123	000	1	--	7	5	0

Reid Matsumura, Seamus Kumashiro (3), Micah Takahashi (3) and Preston Pires. Reyn Kimura, Trent Hamada (5), Toby Inouye (6) and Ho'o Obed. W--Inouye. L--Takahashi.
Leading hitters--Kaln: Trevor Teraoka, 2-4, 2b; Pires, 2-3, HR; Marcus Fujita, 2-4; Matsumura, 2-4, RBI; Ridge Carpenter, 2b, 3 RBIs. Kais: Colby Ho, 1-2, HR; Nanea Baird, 1-2, 2b; Neale Asato, 1-2, 2b, RBI.

Castle 7, Kalaheo 0

Shane Duidasco pitched a four-hit shutout to lead the Knights to a win over the Mustangs.

The Knights opened up their three-run lead in the sixth inning by scoring four more runs.

At Castle H.S.

Kalaheo (1-4)	000	000	0	--	0	4	3
Castle (3-3)	001	024	x	--	7	6	0

Brandon Uehara, Sean Brown (6) and Doug Cox. Shane Duidasco and David Mohika, Dallas Olsen (7). W--Duidasco. L--Uehara.
Leading hitters--Kalh: Uehara, 2b, Sean Tamba, 2b. Cas: Scott Argue, 3-3, RBI; Jordan Nakayama, 2b, RBI; Corey Paredes, 3b.

Junior varsity
Moanalua 20, Kaimuki 1