Ka‘u High’s Pomai Kajiwara-Ke was not essentially the probably candidate to play walk-off baseball hero, his coach stated. But one swing of the bat can change rather a lot for a participant and workforce.
This isn’t your pre-pandemic BIIF Division II baseball playoff race. Not with Pahoa primed to seize a berth and never with the Trojans now additionally in rivalry after storming again to beat Hawaii Prep 7-6 on Saturday at Wong Stadium. Kajiwara-Ke capped a four-run rally with a two-out single that introduced dwelling Ocean Nihipali-Sesson with the profitable run.
Ka‘u coach Rolland Alcoran used one phrase to explain the underside of the seventh: “Pandemonium.”
It produced his workforce’s first win, got here earlier than an excited cheering part and got here after he gave Kajiwara-Ke slightly pep discuss.
“Pomai’s been struggling all year and not confident,” Alcoran stated. “That final inning, I advised him to only be assured, get the bat on the ball. Good issues occur while you hit it, and, positive sufficient, he hit it.
“This was our championship, to get out of the cellar, and they bought in. They were down (five), but they weren’t giving up.”
But he’s additionally hopeful Kajiwara-Ke’s newfound confidence can turn into contagious. The Trojans had been dealt with of their first two video games this season by Pahoa (1-2) and Honokaa (4-1), however they could have a brand new search for their remaining contests: at Kamehameha (2-0) on Monday and towards Konawaena (2-2) on April 16.
“Our players, they are kind of unsure of themselves,” Alcoran stated. “They have the talent, they are used to playing sports, this is just new to them. This game right here, we’re going to have a different outlook.”
The mindset can also be totally different with the Daggers, who’re fielding a workforce for the primary time since a winless 2017 marketing campaign after Gavien DeMello helped resurrect this system.
“I knew I was going to have a team. I knew I was going to have at least 10 to 12 players,” DeMello stated. “It actually surprised me, 16 came out. It was really nice to see.”
Pahoa’s 10-0 win towards Ka’u on March 5 was its first victory since 2015, and one other one Monday at Hawaii Prep (0-3) would go a great distance towards gaining a spot within the semifinals.
“My goal from the start was making the playoffs,” DeMello stated. “Big game for us (Monday).”
In their final sport March 29, Pahoa battled again to tie Konawaena earlier than falling 6-5.
DeMello has had himself a full college 12 months. He additionally was an assistant on the Daggers’ soccer workforce and coached the basketball workforce.
“I need a vacation after this,” he stated with fun.
When he comes again, certainly one of his objectives is to develop the baseball program. Pahoa has 5 membership gamers: Tripp Kahsen, Donivan Lynch, Brayden Conda-Tolle, Angus Johnston and Shane Sale-Silva. All however Sale-Silva performed underneath DeMello with the Waiakea Uka Tigers.
“The good thing is I only have four upperclassmen,” he stated. “My goal, down the line, is for a lot of the guys that go to (play at) Hilo and Waiakea and stuff, who live on this side, is for them to come back after seeing that we have a good program.”
Because of its location, Ka‘u has it even more durable to make baseball ends meet. The Trojans revived their program in 2019, profitable a sport, earlier than the pandemic shut down play the following season.
Alcoran calls it an “all-hands-on-deck effort” to subject a workforce.
“These kids, they show up every day, they work hard,” he stated. “Some of them never played baseball. I had a handful of them that kind of showed up this year. Worked hard and it paid off for them.”
Others, akin to senior Jonah Beck, got here up with Ka’u’s youth baseball program.
In the underside of the seventh Saturday at Wong, Beck drew a stroll to place runners first and second after Keenan Toriano coaxed a stroll to open the body. The key at-bat of the inning, the coach stated, was when the following batter, Jocyiah Mukini, hit a ball to 3rd that was misplayed for an error, permitting Toriano to attain.
Nihipali-Sesson’s hit made it 6-5 and Cyrus Eder’s grounder scored the tying run, setting the stage for Kajiwara-Ke, who was in a position to impress some youthful followers.
“What was so awesome was we had our feeder programs, our Mustangs and our Pony, and they were playing down at the other field,” Alcoran stated. “They got done, and they got to come and watch the last three innings. They were excited and cheering. It was great.”
Toriano got here on within the fifth to restrict Ka Makani and was the profitable pitcher.
Trailing 6-1, the Trojans chipped away at their deficit within the sixth, scoring two runs.
Ka Makani misplaced regardless of outhitting Ka‘u 7-3. Hudson Mangold, Alex Goodman and Krystof Kalina collected two hits apiece for HPA.
Hilo 13, Keaau 0: Xaige Lancaster hit a three-run, inside-the-park homer Saturday at Wong Stadium, and the Vikings used 4 pitchers and acquired each place participant an at-bat towards the winless Cougars.
Eli Yamanaka, Jayden Geraci, Braycen Furuli and Dylan Villanueva pitched for Hilo (3-1).