The first thing Zarek Kon will say to older brother Zack is, well, possibly nothing.
Zarek Kon hurled two scoreless innings of relief as Mid-Pacific’s sixth pitcher of the day, and Kodey Shojinaga delivered a bases-loaded, game-winning infield single as Mid-Pacific stunned No. 2 ‘Iolani 7-6 in 10 innings at Damon Field.
MPI posted its second win over ‘Iolani in a span of four days, dropping the previously unbeaten Raiders to second place in the tight Interscholastic League of Honolulu baseball standings. The Owls are now 6-4 in league play, while ‘Iolani is 8-2.
Zack Kon, an infielder who graduated from ‘Iolani last year, is now at Lewis and Clark College.
“He’ll probably call me tonight,” said Zarek, a sophomore. “My parents are up there visiting him.”
Better known as “ZB,” Kon posted his first win at the varsity level.
“I was just trying to throw strikes. (Pitching coach Craig Hayashi) said, ‘Keep it away, they’re a good hitting team,’ ” he said. “It feels different. Our team was very energetic today. That helped a lot.”
Veteran coach Dunn Muramaru used six pitchers. He had planned to use four or five.
“I don’t know about tipping points,” he said of the Owls’ two big wins. “We just play one game at a time.”
The Raiders trailed 6-1 before rallying with four runs in the sixth. Micah Yonamine then led off the seventh with a solo home run, his second in as many innings, to tie the game at 6.
Both teams missed out on scoring opportunities as extra innings sailed by.
In the top of the 10th, ‘Iolani’s Micah Miyahira singled, advanced to second base on a wild pitch and went to third on a fly ball by Yonamine. However, Kon retired Shane Sasaki on a groundout and got Jacob Hinderleider to fly out, ending the threat.
In the bottom of the 10th, ‘Iolani pitcher Zacary Tenn hit MPI’s leadoff man, pinch hitter Landon Hakkei. After a sacrifice bunt by Cade Yoshimura, Hakkei advanced to third base on a fly ball to right field by Bryson Ho.
Penn issued an intentional walk to MacKenzee Higuchi and hit Lee Matsuzaki to load the bases. Shojinaga then went after the first pitch from Tenn, sending a hard grounder into the six hole that was knocked down by ‘Iolani third baseman Blake Hiraki. The ball scooted away and Hakkei scored easily with the game-winning run.
“I was looking for a slider, something away and up,” said Shojinaga, who finished 3-for-6 with two RBIs. “He jammed me a little bit, but it worked.”
The Owls rapped out 15 hits and the Raiders had 14. Through four innings, however, it had the potential for a pitchers’ duel, as starters Aaron Ujimori of ‘Iolani and Jaydon Tomas of MPI were locked in a 1-all battle.
The home team broke out with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. Ho and Higuchi singled, then scored on a double by Matsuzaki. An errant throw home by shortstop Shaydon Kubo pushed Matsuzaki to third base, and Matsuzaki scored on a single by Shojinaga.
Cameron Ching, who finished 3-for-5, then belted a two-run shot over the center-field fence for a 6-1 Owls lead.
On cue, ‘Iolani’s bats came alive in the top of the sixth as four runs came in. Yonamine blasted his first homer of the day, Sasaki walked and, with two outs, Taner Aranaydo was hit by a pitch from new pitcher Payton Tanaka. Hiraki’s double brought in Sasaki.
Tate Shimao then grounded to shortstop, but Kennedy Hara’s throw to first was high and Shimao was safe, allowing Aranaydo to score. Kubo reached base on an infield single, scoring Hiraki from third, and bringing the Raiders within 6-5.
In the top of the seventh, MPI’s third pitcher, Cayden Okada, jumped ahead of Yonamine 0-2, then barely missed on his next three pitches. Yonamine then drove a fastball well over the left-field fence.
The Raiders won’t have time to dwell on the loss. They meet first-place Punahou on Thursday at Goeas Field.
“I think Mid-Pacific definitely did a great job. We can do better,” Yonamine said. “There’s nothing to hang our heads about. Lots of season left.”