A tie doesn’t usually happen in baseball, but it left Billy Pieper optimistic and Kenny Harrison a bit frustrated.

Pieper’s Kamehameha squad rallied from a three-run deficit to force extra innings, and the Warriors wound up with a 5-all tie against Punahou. The game was called after eight innings due to darkness at Patsy Mink Central Oahu Regional Park on Tuesday.

"We made mistakes and bounced back. To me, that’s what we’ve been stressing these last four weeks, building character, trying to bounce back from adversity," said Pieper, in his first season as head coach. "Hat’s off to Kenny. He games up his boys every time. To have my first game against him is kind of bittersweet because he’s a good friend of mine and I respect him a great deal, but I know what kind of caliber game they bring."

It was the Interscholastic League of Honolulu opener for each team.

"It’s a game to forget," Harrison, the Punahou coach, said. "We had our opportunities, up 5-2. We just couldn’t close it. We gave three runs away on a balk, a double play and a missed coverage. I think there are some positives in there, as well. We battled. We hit the ball. Just gotta tighten up the shoestrings a little more."

Kamehameha got strong performances at the plate by third baseman/pitcher Codie Paiva (4-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and run scored) and catcher Ethan Rosehill (3-for-4, run, RBI). Paiva also hurled the last two innings for the Warriors, allowing no runs and two hits with two strikeouts and no walks.

Beau Branton went 4-for-5 to spark Punahou.

The Warriors started off well, scoring single runs in the first and second off Punahou starter Bo Coolen. Warriors leadoff man Matthew Yakota walked and scored on a double to center by Paiva. In the second, Rosehill smacked a triple to the gap in right-center and scored on a fielder’s choice grounder.

Coolen settled in (five innings, two earned runs) and the Buffanblu rallied with four runs off Kamehameha lefty Chase Miyasato in the bottom of the third. K.J. Harrison delivered the big blow, a two-run double to left that scored Branton and Aaron Fong.

Punahou tacked on another run in the fourth, but Kamehameha got an unearned run in the sixth on an infield error and a balk, cutting the score to 5-3.

The Warriors tied the game in the seventh. Yakota’s tailing line drive to deep right glanced off the glove of Robert Straton for a double, and Yakota scored on a single by Makana Arakaki. An infield single by Rosehill brought courtesy runner Kahoea Akau home to tie the game.

Chase Miyashiro, Ladd Ah Choy (4), Codie Paiva (7) and Ethan Rosehill. Bo Coolen, Jacob Kam (6), Cole Kanazawa (7) and K.J. Harrison.

Leading hitters—Kamehameha: Paiva 4-4, two 2Bs, RBI, run; Rosehill 3-4, RBI, run; Kody Cacal 2-2, two BB. Punahou: Beau Branton 4-5, run; Kanazawa 2-3, RBI.