The “Braedyn & Braiden Show” was on full display for the Waianae baseball team Saturday.
Braedyn Chong struck out 12 batters over six innings and batted 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Braiden Ayala hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the fourth as Waianae beat host Radford 8-3 in a battle of unbeaten Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II teams.
The Seariders improved to 5-0 and the Rams fell to 4-1 as the teams reached the midway point of the regular season.
“We’re trying to teach the kids to always do the right thing, to get better as the games go by,” said Waianae coach Bernard Beaver. “The regular season is preparing for the playoffs.”
Chong, a junior left-hander, labored over the first three innings, allowing three runs, four walks, four hits and three hit batsmen.
“Every game I always start off slow and I just have to get my rhythm,” he said.
Chong allowed two runs in the first on a bases-loaded walk to Cole Courtney and RBI single by Shane Vogt.
Chong’s two-run double tied it in the third, but Radford went ahead 3-2 in the bottom half on a bases-loaded walk to Jack Dillon.
Things could have been worse for the Seariders, as the Rams stranded eight runners over the first three innings.
“We need to get a hit here and there, but that’s kind of not our style,” said Radford coach Jacob Sur. “We’re not going to have a team that gets a lot of hits.”
The big blow for Waianae was Ayala’s inside-the-park home run to right field in the fourth, which put his team up 5-3.
“I was just looking for a hit and trying to pull the ball to the right side,” said Ayala, a junior. “He threw me a curve on the inside and I just had to sit on it and hit the ball.”
Chong seemed to be a different pitcher after getting the lead. He was perfect over the next three innings, striking out seven batters.
“That hit by Braiden really gave me momentum and gave me confidence on the mound, too,” said Chong, who threw 69 pitches over the first three innings and 39 over the next three. “My curve was getting them. They were swinging too early or just watching it fly by.”
The Seariders added a run in the fifth on a throwing error and two more in the seventh on a passed ball and run-scoring groundout by Konan Keliikoa.
Macaiah Borling finished up for Waianae with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, which included a strikeout.
Dillon, the Radford starter, walked just one batter in a complete-game performance. The Rams committed four errors and four of the runs allowed by Dillon were unearned. Radford outfielders also misjudged a couple of flyballs, which led to hits.
“We just didn’t make the plays we normally make — a lot of errors,” Sur said. “I think we gave them a bunch of their runs. That’s the way it goes. If you can’t make routine plays that’s what’s going to happen.”
At Radford
>> Waianae (5-0) 002 310 2 — 8 11 0
>> Radford (4-1) 201 000 0 — 3 4 4
Braedyn Chong, Macaiah Borling (7) and Earl “EJ” Keamo-Young. Jack Dillon and Cole Courtney. W—Chong. L—Dillon.
Leading hitters— Waianae: Braiden Ayala 2-4, 2b, HR, 2 runs, 3 RBIs; Matthew Orian 3b; Chong 3-4, 2b, 3b, 2 RBIs; Rudyjay Keopuhiwa 2-4.
