Kaiser beats rival Kalani

The Kaiser Cougars, struggling through OIA East play, finally took something personal on Friday.

They went after No. 5-ranked Kalani, their neighboring rival, in more ways than one, and the battle cry worked. Kaiser held on for a 5-4 win over Kalani for a much-needed momentum boost as the regular season nears a close.

Kalani dropped to 9-2, but remains in first place in the division. Kaiser improved to 4-6, reaching Falcons ace Connor Zalewski for five runs, three earned, in 52⁄3 innings.

Right-hander Kamalu Simeona was at his best, firing a four-hitter while striking out nine for the complete-game win.

“We just had to win,” said Simeona, who realized his slider was not working right during pregame warmups.

With catcher Emmett Covello calling pitches, Simeona stuck with his fastball, curve and change-up, striking out seven in the first four innings. The challenge of going against Zalewski, one of the top prospects in the state, was undeniable.

“I had more adrenaline than usual today,” Simeona said. “This is a confidence boost for our whole team.”

Simeona was his own best friend, delivering a crucial run-scoring triple in the bottom of the sixth that gave the home team a 5-3 lead. That proved to be an insurance run the Cougars needed.

Kalani rallied in the top of the seventh, benefiting from two Kaiser infield errors. Reece Kakugawa’s two-out single to left brought Kohl Suehiro home, cutting the lead to one run. Simeona then got his counterpart, Zalewski, to pop out to second, ending the game.

It was an exceedingly feisty effort by the Cougars. Three Cougars were tossed from the game, including center fielder Keoni Pangan and two coaches. One of them was head coach Ryan Umemoto. All the ejections had to do with unsportsmanlike comments coming out of Kaiser’s dugout, directed at Kalani players or chief umpire Ken Nagasawa.

Kalani coach Shannon Hirai did not appreciate Kaiser’s apparent lack of control and sportsmanship.

“It’s hard for us to ask teenaged kids to control their tempers,” said Hirai, who watched carefully as his team filed out of the facility after the game. “Being singled out like that, there’s only so much they can take. The first time we played them (on Mar. 16), it was the same thing.”