Hanano’s HR powers Kailua to OIA baseball win over Kaiser

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BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Kailua freshman Mikey Hanano watched the flight of the ball as it soared over the fence for a walk-off home run in the seventh inning of the Surfriders’ 2-1 win at Kaiser on Wednesday.

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It’s not too often you’ll see a freshman come through with a pinch-hit, walk-off home run, but Kailua’s Mikey Hanano did just that on Wednesday.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Hanano took a one-out first pitch from Kaiser’s Pono Lyman and drilled it over the right-field fence to push the ninth-ranked Surfriders to a 2-1 OIA East baseball victory over the Cougars.

“I looked for a first-pitch fastball and I got one where I could handle,” Hanano said. “I tried to hit a single up the middle and it just flew.”

With the win, Kailua (5-1) climbed into sole possession of first place in the OIA East. The Surfriders are one game ahead of Kaiser (4-2).

Prior to the game-winning shot on the Cougars’ campus, Lyman was locked in a tight pitcher’s duel with Bryson Ewaliko, who struck out 13 in a masterful winning performance. Due to a switch in scheduled sites from Kailua to Kaiser, the Surfriders were the “home” team and batted last.

A half-inning after the Cougars took a 1-0 edge in the top of the third on Brock Perreira’s RBI single, Kailua slugger Jalen Ah Yat hit a two-out, solo smash to right-center to make it 1-all.

“It was a great game, a good baseball game, a pitcher’s duel,” Kaiser coach Kila Kaaihue said. “Our boys fought hard, their boys fought hard. One swing, two swings more or less, did it for them. Our guys hit pretty good and hung in and battled pretty well. Bryson thew a great game. Our guy threw a great game.”

Ewaliko’s slider proved most effective. He struck out the last six batters he faced to finish with a four-hitter.

“I believe in the next guys up,” Ewaliko said. “They come in clutch with pinch hits. He’s (Hanano) been working really hard on his hitting and he made it happen. We will be working to keep getting better every day. Coach (Corey Ishigo) says to get 1 percent better every day.”

Though he struck out only five, Lyman was nearly as effective as Ewaliko, ending with a four-hitter.

“Pono pitched a great game, unbelievable today,” Ishigo said about the Surfriders’ opponent. “We just got lucky at the end.”

Brock Perreira, the Kaiser catcher who had two of his team’s four hits, said, “Pono made a good pitch. The Kailua batter made a better hit. They’re a good team. We’re a good team. It was a good battle today, a nice and tight game. I liked it.”