Kalani creeps past Kailua in pivotal OIA East baseball meeting

The Kalani baseball team went from cruise control to survival mode Saturday against Kailua in a battle of the top teams in the OIA East.

In the end, Taichi Fujinaga recorded a strikeout with the bases loaded to preserve Kalani’s 7-5 victory over Kailua at Kahala Field.

The Falcons improved to 8-2, while the Surfriders fell to 7-3 and had their five-game winning streak snapped.

“We got a confidence boost. I think it will carry on to the next couple games that we have,” said Kalani’s Dylan Weddle, who pitched 61⁄3 innings.

The Falcons took a 6-0 lead through four innings behind Weddle and timely hitting.

The Surfriders scored an unearned run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Kaelan Kauahi, which brought in Makaio Roman.

In the sixth, Weddle hit Makai Miyamoto with a pitch with the bases loaded to force in Nai Iwaki and make it 6-2. Weddle, a senior right-hander, left the bases loaded by getting a strikeout and flyout.

Kalani got the run back in the bottom half of the inning on Jase Fujikawa’s sacrifice fly, which scored Kolin Fukuki.

Weddle struck out the first batter of the seventh, but a walk, a throwing error by the third baseman and a hit by pitch loaded the bases and ended his day.

“Weddle threw a great game today,” said Kailua coach Corey Ishigo. “He kept us off-balance, he threw a lot of off-speed pitches for strikes. We just didn’t make adjustments until it was too late.”

Fujinaga entered and allowed a sacrifice fly by Shayde Kuhns, an RBI single by Orion Medeiros and a bases-loaded hit by pitch by Roman to make it 7-5. Fujinaga struck out Romeo Ortiz looking on a 1-2 pitch to record the save.

“Taichi has been one of our guys who’s been very, very dependable,” said Kalani coach Reyn Nagamine. “He’s always a guy that throws strikes, he knows how to pitch, he knows how to handle pressure situations.”

Weddle was charged with five runs — one earned — on two hits with two walks, four hit batsmen and six strikeouts. Fujinaga hit two more batters in his 2/3 innings of work.

“I did lose a little focus and I was just babying the ball, which I shouldn’t have,” Weddle said. “I should have just thrown it like I know I could.”

Kalani scored in the first on a bases-loaded walk by Jase Fujikawa and tacked on three in the second on Christian Chinen’s run-scoring single on a slash play, Fukuki’s sacrifice fly and Logan Ouchi’s RBI single.

Chinen and Fukuki both finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

“I felt good with my game plan,” said Chinen, a senior center fielder. “My first hit was the slash (square to bunt, then swing). We practice that in practice and it worked good today.”

The Falcons went up 6-0 in the fourth when Cade Amine scored on a wild pitch and Kadin Hanta singled in Fukuki. They benefited from three wild pitches in the inning.

Kalani finished with eight hits — all singles — and drew three walks and three hit-by-pitches. The Falcons also stole two bases, laid down two sacrifice bunts, and executed a hit-and-run and Chinen’s slash hit.

“That just goes to show what kind of team we are,” Nagamine said. “We like to be the aggressor, we like to attack, we like to put pressure on the defense. The boys did a great job of that today.”

The only downer for Kalani was committing five errors, including two in the seventh.

“I know my defense can work, but when those errors come, I know they were a little nervous, a little shaken up. But I just got to do my job on the mound and fight back,” Weddle said.

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OIA

Kalani 7, Kailua 5

W—Dylan Weddle. L—Jayden Hunt. Sv—Taichi Fujinaga.

Leading hitters—Kail: Nai Iwaki 2 runs.

Kaln: Christian Chinen 2-3, 2 runs, RBI; Kolin Fukuki 2-3, 2 runs, RBI; Jase Fujikawa 2 RBI; Taichi Fujinaga 2-3, run.

Campbell 9, Aiea 6

W—Jerry Etrada. L—Hunter Mindoro. Sv—Hunter Lindsey.

Leading hitters—Aiea: Raine Yoshida 2-3, run; Stazz Asing 2-4, run, RBI; Reigen Komagata 2-4, run, 3 RBI; Bostan Ujimori 2-4. Camp: Dallas Alapai 2-3, 3 runs, 4 RBI; Kamanui Saito 1-3, 2 runs, RBI.

Moanalua 8, Roosevelt 5

W—Koen Smith. L—Nathaniel Kurano. Sv— Kaiden Sonoda-Fukumoto.

Leading hitters—Roos: Nakoa Aiu 2-4, run, RBI; Tokijiro Wada-Goode 2-5, RBI; Brett Kondo 2 RBI. Moa: Kaiden Sonoda-Fukumoto 2-4, run, RBI; Taven Hathaway 2 runs; Connor Dempsey 4-4, run, 4 RBI; Koen Smith 2-3, run, RBI; Z Miyashiro 2-4, RBI; Dawson Sugawa 3-3, run, RBI; Jake Ferreira run, 2 RBI.

Leilehua 12, Kapolei 11

W—Tanner Tammarine. L—Bryson Hilacion.

Leading hitters—Leil: Jesiah Chock 3-3, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Landen Sanford 2-5, RBI; Kalei Alana 2-5, run, RBI; Ezra Kanakaole 2-3, run, 2 RBI; Colt Fujii 2-3, run, RBI. Kap: Loren Owan 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Zarin Poopaa 5-5, 2 runs, 4 RBI; Bryden Takayama 2 runs; Bryce Anzai 2-4, run, RBI; Ryden Sasaki 2 runs.

Also:

Kaimuki 13, Kalaheo 4

Kahuku 21, McKinley 1

Kaiser 9, Farrington 1

MIL

Baldwin 9, Lahainaluna 0

W—Davin Lewis. L—Lyrik Kahula.

Leading hitters—Bald: Makane Honokaupu run, 2 RBI; Christian Domino run, 2 RBI; Isiah Kekahuna 2-3, 2 runs, RBI; Anu Chaves 2-2, run, 2 RBI; Zack Ota 2-2, 2 runs, RBI; Kuhio Alot 3-3, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Caleb Miyake-Matsubayashi 2-2, run.

Kamehameha-Maui 10, Maui 8

W—Chris Mata. L—Jyan Kahahane.

Leading hitters—Maui: Nicholas Nashiwa 2-4, RBI; Haiden Sanchez 3-4, run, RBI; Kymani Corpuz 3-3, run, 3 RBI; Jonah Richardson 2 RBI. KSM: Teiva Kauhaa-Po 3-4, 2 runs, RBI.

Molokai 10, Hana 3

W—Hoolei Arce. L—Loea Helekahi-Matsuda.

Leading hitters—Hana: Hoaka Nakooka 2-3. Molo: Saven Kaahanui 3 runs; Solomon Kikukawa-Teriong 2-3, RBI.