Kailua's Royce Komesu throws a pitch to the plate against Waipahu. Johnny Wilson | Special to SL

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Waipahu's Tyler Enos drove in a run against Kailua. Johnny Wilson | Special to SL

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Kailua's Noah Ah Yat scoops up a grounder against Waipahu. Johnny Wilson | Special to SL

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KAILUA – Kailua took advantage of six Waipahu errors en route to a 14-4 mercy rule win and in doing so, picked up its 10th win of the season Thursday afternoon.

After having to go eight innings Wednesday against Kalani in the first round of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Division baseball playoffs, the Marauders had to take on Red East top seed, Kailua.

"The bye is big, we get to see who we play and they (Waipahu) had to throw their best guy yesterday," Kailua coach Corey Ishigo said. "This win gives us a state berth, but we got a lot more baseball ahead of us."

Waipahu starting pitcher Jordan Ballesteros lasted only an inning as he and the Marauders struggled with the pesky Surfriders' base runners.

A throwing error, a hit batter, and a base on balls was not the way Waipahu wanted to start the game.

With runners on second and third, Kailua designated hitter Noah Auld opened the scoring with an RBI single to center. Auld finished 2 for 2 with an RBI and a stolen base. Courtesy runner Noah Ah Yat scored the second run on a throwing error home by the shortstop.

Awa Byers singled to left to bring in another run and made the game 3-0. The Surfers added another run on a fielder's choice to put up a four spot in the first inning.

Kailua starter Royce Komesu cruised through the first two innings before he ran into trouble in the third.

Waipahu's Shilo Baniaga singled to open the inning then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Dylan Sugimoto followed with a single to left to put runners on first and third. A fielder's choice on the next batter scored Baniaga for the first run. A few batters later, another fielder's choice scored Sugimoto to cut the lead to 4-2.

The Surfers answered right back in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a two-RBI double by Byers, who advanced to third on a throwing error.

Waipahu relief pitcher Jaron Sugimoto found the same troubles as Ballesteros as the next batter, left fielder Pilipo Kupahu, laid down a fantastic bunt for the squeeze play to bring in Byers.

Another errant throw allowed Kupahu to round first and take second base. Kupahu then tried to steal third and a miscue by the third baseman allowed the ball to go into left field, scoring Kupahu to make it 8-2.

Komesu struggled and let the Marauders cut the deficit in half again in the top of the fourth. The right hander beaned the first batter, designated hitter Greyson Fuentes, and then walked a batter to put Oakland Scanlan on first and Fuentes on second.

A pass ball and a wild pitch scored Fuentes. After another walk, the first-and-third situation brought another base-stealing situation and the only error of the day for Kailua scored Scanlan on an errant throw from the shortstop home.

For every Marauder push the Surfriders always had an answer.

A six-pitch top of the fifth gave the Surfers momentum into the bottom of the inning. 

"A couple innings I couldn't find the zone, but luckily my team backed me up and I think that's the biggest part of our team being 'one' together," Komesu said who finished with five innings pitched, three hits allowed and two strike outs.

Kailua scored six runs in the last frame aided by pinch hits by Brandon Lono and Wade Lono, who had a two-RBI double and a RBI single respectively. With a runner on third, the final run of the game came with two outs and a ground ball to the shortstop was misplayed to allow the Surfriders to advance.

"Our class is young and I think we can pull through any situation," said Byers who finished 2 for 2, with a double and three RBIs. "Anybody can come in off the bench, work hard and make that one at-bat count."

With the win the Kailua will take on Mililani Friday in semifinal action at Hans L'Orange.

"They're a good team, they're well coached," Ishigo said. "They busted us up in the preseason we played them a couple times. We know we have some work ahead of us."