Zachary Tenn fired a four-hit shutout as ‘Iolani blanked Kamehameha 6-0 on Tuesday afternoon at sunny Ala Wai Community Park.
The Raiders improved to 3-1 in the gauntlet of Interscholastic League of Honolulu baseball, while Kamehameha dropped to 3-2.
“Our game plan today was to start them off with fastballs early and work the off-speeds in later,” said Tenn, a junior right-hander. “The fastball felt good in the ’pen.”
With a mere seven regular-season games before a single-elimination playoff tournament, securing a first-round bye is crucial. The top two teams in regular-season play will earn those coveted spots.
“Zach set the tone early. He threw strikes and we played defense. Getting ahead on first-pitch strikes is huge. Getting the first out of the inning is huge. The pace of the game, Zach did well,” Raiders coach Kurt Miyahira said. “I was happy with the lower half of our lineup. Our top three guys went 1-for-11 and it’s big for our guys to know we can win in that circumstance. They’ll have their time. I’m happy with a great team win today.”
Tenn struck out four and walked just one. Kamehameha’s best opportunity to score was in the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded and one out. Tenn answered by shutting the door, buoyed by his flawless defense.
Kamehameha committed two errors, both in the first inning.
“It’s baseball. We’ve got to get better in all phases,” Warriors coach Daryl Kitagawa said.
‘Iolani struck the first blow with three runs in the top of the first frame. Jadon Arakaki beat out a grounder for an infield single, then was halfway past first base as he stole second base on a pickoff throw, which sailed by the first baseman for an error. With Arakaki at third base, Kody Watanabe walked and Colby Ching hit a grounder to second. The forceout throw to the shortstop, Elijah Ickes, glanced off his glove as Arakaki scored from third base.
“We need to take better care of the ball. It’s a tailor-made double-play ball and we could’ve been out of that inning down 1-0,” Kitagawa said.
With Miyazawa at the plate, starting pitcher Kaena Kiakona uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Watanabe to score from third base.
Miyazawa then lined a single to center, scoring Ching for a 3-0 ‘Iolani lead.
The Raiders tacked on a single run in the second inning. Jonah Velasco led off with a double to left and moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Brock Makishima. Arakaki followed with a grounder to second to bring Velasco home for a 4-0 lead.
The Warriors didn’t get any consistency at the plate, though they had one baserunner in the first, third and fourth innings. In the fourth, Aukai Kea doubled to right-center with two outs, but was stranded.
In the bottom of the fifth, Tyler Keanini reached base on an infield error and Kobe Iwai hustled for an infield single with one out. After Tenn walked Ickes, the bases were loaded.
Tenn then retired Beau Sylvester on an infield popup and Tui Ickes on a fly ball to end the threat.
“That’s the meat of the order, the 2 and 3 coming up. It’s been our struggle, runners in scoring position,” Kitagawa said. “We work on it all the time.”
After pitching three scoreless innings, Kiakona ran into trouble in the top of the sixth as ‘Iolani scored twice. With one out, Miyazawa and Brayden Hiraki sent singles to right field. Makani Tanaka then hit a hard ground ball up the middle that took a bad hop before it reached Ickes and diverted to center field. That allowed Miyazawa to race home from second base.
After Velasco singled to right, scoring Hiraki, the Raiders had a six-run cushion.
‘Iolani and Saint Louis square off on Saturday, 9 a.m., at Hans L’Orange Park. Also on Saturday, Kamehameha will host Maryknoll at Ala Wai (9 a.m.), Damien will visit Mid-Pacific (9 a.m.) and Pac-Five will meet Punahou at Hans L’Orange (1 p.m.).
At Ala Wai
‘Iolani (3-1) 310 002 0 — 6 7 1
Kamehameha (3-2) 000 000 0 — 0 4 2
Zachary Tenn and Brock Makishima. Kaena Kiakona, Kodie Ecks Hanawahine (7) and Beau Sylvester. W—Tenn. L—Kiakona.
Leading hitters—‘Iolani: Jadon Arakaki 1-4, RBI, run, SB; Joshua Miyazawa 2-3, RBI, run; Brayden Hiraki 2-3, run; Makani Tanaka 1-2, RBI, walk; Jonah Velasco 2-3, double, RBI, run. Kamehameha: Tui Ickes 1-3; Aukai Kea 1-3, double; Aydan Lobetos 1-3; Kobe Iwai 1-3.
