Noah Tory’s heroics helped Saint Louis beat its toughest challenge during the ILH season.
Outscored 31-12 by No. 8 ‘Iolani in two regular-season meetings, the third-ranked Crusaders turned the tables Monday in an ILH baseball double-elimination tournament game on Tory’s go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 7-6 win at Goeas Field.
After the Crusaders fell behind 5-0 in the third inning, Saint Louis’ Hunter Peneueta smacked a three-run homer over the left-field fence to cut the deficit to 5-4 in the fourth.
Saint Louis trailed 6-4 with two outs in the sixth when Cole Kashimoto singled back up the box for his third hit of the day to drive in a run to make it 6-5.
Tory then gave Saint Louis its first lead of the game when he took a 1-0 pitch from ‘Iolani starter Zacary Tenn over the fence in right field for the lead.
“The whole game he was throwing me change-ups, but I just keep trying to think fastball, fastball,” Tory said. “He gave me a fastball high and inside and I took it.”
Saint Louis had to bring in reliever JT Nayvac in the seventh inning with sophomore starter Caleb Lomavita reaching the limit with 107 pitches over six innings.
‘Iolani had its first five batters reach base against Nayvac but didn’t score a run because the Raiders ran into two outs on the basepaths.
Saint Louis, which made four errors in the game, came up with two big defensive plays to seal the win.
‘Iolani’s Micah Yonamine, who hit a two-run homer in the third inning, singled to left to lead off but took a wide turn at first thinking potential extra bases.
He tried to get back to first, but the relay throw from freshman shortstop Nuu Contrades to Lomavita, who had moved to first, got Yonamine by a step.
‘Iolani’s Shane Sasaki and Aaron Ujimori followed with their third hits of the game to put runners on first and second, but Ujimori was caught off first by catcher Jonah Zembik, who fired behind the runner.
Lomavita chased Ujimori to second and Sasaki took off for third, where he was out easily.
Micah Miyahira, whose two-run double made it 5-0 ‘Iolani in the third, and pinch hitter Logan Luke drew walks to load the bases before Nayvac got a first-pitch pop-up to end it.
“At the end of the day, just be one run better,” said Saint Louis coach George Gusman, who still lamented the four errors. “We can’t keep putting ourselves in that situation. Runs are hard to come by, and these teams are good. We went to Vegas and had 14 (errors) for the (tournament). Some of those are simple plays that we’ve got to be able to make.”
Teams had 12 to 14 days off between the regular season and the postseason tournament that started Saturday.
The Crusaders used the break to play in a tournament in Las Vegas in which they went 1-3 but beat host Bishop Gorman, which reached the final.
The win over ‘Iolani (11-6) pushes the Crusaders (14-3) into a winner’s bracket bracket game tonight at Hans L’Orange Park against Kamehameha, which beat No. 1 seed Punahou on Tuesday.
The winner puts itself in position to need one win over its next two games to win the tourney and clinch a state-tournament berth.
