Two teams have taken two very different paths to the Division II state baseball final tonight at Les Murakami Stadium.
Kauai survived its second consecutive extra-innings game with a 2-1 win in 10 over defending state champion and top seed Kamehameha-Hawaii on Friday.
The Red Raiders (12-3) will face ILH champion Damien (17-5), which rolled to a 14-3 victory over Hawaii Prep in the second D-II semifinal.
The Monarchs will play in their first state final, while the Red Raiders last appeared in the title game in 2011, when they defeated Pac-Five 11-2.
Kauai 2, Kamehameha-Hawaii 1
Kauai junior Christian Manera and sophomore Ricky Rego combined to hold the Warriors (17-3) to four hits and an unearned run.
The Red Raiders scored the winning run in the top of the 10th inning on an errant throw to second base with two outs.
Catcher Skyler Sadora hit a grounder to second, forcing KS-Hawaii second baseman Kalai Klask-Hoopii to his left. Klask-Hoopii fielded the ball cleanly but elected to get the lead runner at second instead of going to first.
The throw was low and led shortstop Jaisten Cabatbat directly into the sliding legs of Sam Nakata, causing a nasty collision. Cabatbat wasn’t able to field the ball, allowing the go-ahead run to score from third.
Cabatbat and Nakata stayed down on the field for a minute or two before shaking it off and staying in the game.
Rego hit two batters to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the bottom of the 10th inning before getting a fly ball to right to end it.
Rego did not allow a hit in 31⁄3 innings of relief with one strikeout and four walks. Manera gave up four hits and one unearned run in 62⁄3 innings with no walks and three strikeouts. He had to be pulled with two outs in the seventh inning after reaching his maximum pitch count. Manera threw 81 pitches after throwing 29 in a 4-3, eight-inning win over Molokai on Thursday.
“I was really bummed to come out,” Manera said. “With all the confidence we had we felt like we were going to move on to tomorrow and I really wanted to pitch in that game but Coach needed me today.”
“(We’re) young and still trying to learn how to win, but we played good,” added Kauai coach Hank Ibia. “Now we’ve got to finish.”
Damien 14, Hawaii Prep 3, 5 inn.
Left fielder Akila Arecchi went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and Kaimana Cameron was 3-for-3 with four RBIs for the Monarchs, who have won 10 straight games after starting the year 7-5.
Cameron is batting 1.000 (5-for-5) in the state tournament with four RBIs and four runs scored.
Damien has rolled over its first two opponents, beating Farrington 11-6 in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
“Everybody is staying hot right now and everybody is coming in clutch for hitting,” Cameron said. “Our pitchers are throwing strikes like they have to and everyone is performing well right now.”
Kaycee Natividad threw 31⁄3 scoreless innings of relief without giving up a hit to earn the win. Starter Grayson Bueno gave up three runs on two hits in 12⁄3 innings before leaving the game with an undisclosed injury.
Damien’s offense had his back scoring in all five innings.
Hawaii Prep (10-11) failed to record an out in the bottom of the fifth inning as all five Monarchs reached base. A walk, single and hit batter loaded the bases for Paul Mezurashi, who then walked in a run. After a wild pitch made it a 12-3 game, pinch hitter Chayne Wayton hit a two-run double to end it due to the 10-run mercy rule.
Mezurashi was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI and Kayson Kajiwara singled and scored twice.
HHSAA DIVISION II BASEBALL
Damien 14, Hawaii Prep 3, 5 inn.
At Les Murakami Stadium
>> HPA (10-11) 030 00 — 3 2 2
>> Damien (17-5) 251 24 — 14 14 1
Finn Richmond, Sheldon Aribal (3), Michael Hughes (5) and Braden Kojima, Todd Hill (2). Grayson Bueno, Kaycee Natividad (2) and Kana Schuman W—Natvidad. L—Richmond.
Leading hitters—DMS: Akila Arecchi 3-4, 3 runs, RBI; Kaimana Cameron 3-3, run, 4 RBIs; Shiloh Kaeo 2-2, 2 RBIs, run; Paul Mezurashi 2-2, RBI, 2 runs; Chayne Wayton 1-1, 2b, 2 RBIs.
Kauai 2, KS-Hawaii 1, 10 inn.
At Les Murakami Stadium
>> Kauai (12-3) 010 000 000 1 — 2 6 1
>> KSH (17-3) 010 000 000 0 — 1 4 3
Christian Manera, Ricky Rego (7) and Skyler Sadora. Justyce Ishii, Zakaia Michaels (4), Kyran Kai (9) and Dallas Duarte. W—Rego. L—Ishii.
Leading hitters—Kauai: Sam Nakata 2-4, Manera 1-4, 2b, RBI. KSH: Ahuna Bulla 2-3.
5th place semifinals
>> Molokai 3, Radford 1
>> Farrington 7, Waianae 4, 6 innings
