Simeona's 2-hitter lifts Kaiser over Aiea, 5-2

Emmett Covello provided Kaiser with a two-run, inside-the-park home run in a 5-2 win over Aiea in the opening round of the OIA Division I playoffs. CJ Caraang | SL

WAIPAHU – Kamalu Simeona survived a shaky seventh inning and Kaiser beat Aiea, 5-2, Wednesday in the first round of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I tournament.

The Cougars (6-7) will play East top seed Kalani (10-2) in a 3 p.m. quarterfinal at Kahala field. The loss eliminated Na Alii (6-8) from the tourney.

Emmett Covello's two-run, inside-the-park home run to center supported the two-hitter by Simeona, who walked three batters in the home seventh before Ty Matsunami grounded into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded. The game was played at Waipahu because high-seeded Aiea's home field has been under renovations this season.

With Simeona laboring in the seventh, Kaiser coach Ryan Umemoto said it was his right-hander's game to win or lose.

"At the point where we had the bases loaded, it was do or die already," Umemoto said. "We knew. He had to throw strikes, take care of the rest."

Simeona's pitches were beginning to sail high in the seventh, one of the signs of fatigue.

"My legs," Simeona said of what muscles were beginning to tire. "(My pitches were) all over, everywhere. Just a little tired, but should be good tomorrow"

Simeona simply had command of all his pitches to upset Na Alii's timing.

"He was changing his speeds well," Aiea coach Ryan Kato said. "He was pretty firm with his fastball and he could get his breaking ball over for strikes. He threw it when he was behind (in the count), when he was ahead. Kept us off-balanced."

After a first-inning error plated Aiea's only run of the game, Simeona retired the next 11 batters in a row and 16 of the next 17 through six innings. But after starting Logan Ho 0-2 to start the seventh, Simeona threw four straight balls and walked Jayvin Alcantra on five pitches before Bronson Nekomoto fouled out to left. But Jake Nakamoto drew a walk to load the bases for pinch hitter Casey Kitashima, whose line single to right scored Ho and reloaded the bases. Matsunami, representing the tying run at the plate, pulled a grounder to third baseman Lincoln Lima, who stepped on third and fired to first for the double play to end the game.

Aiea losing pitcher Jarred Uyeda also pitched a complete game, but was tagged for five runs, two earned, six hits and two walks.

The Cougars wasted little time backing Simeona. With one out, Simeona hit a weak grounder to first, but first baseman Ho bobbled the ball to allow the pitcher to reach safely. Simeona stole second and went to third when Kainoa Torres grounded out to shortstop. The left-handed hitting Covello raked the left-handed Uyeda's pitch to deep center for his inside-the-park homer to put Kaiser ahead, 2-0, before Emmett Garcia popped out to short.

Aiea responded in the bottom of the first. Masaki Nobuhara led off with a single to right and an out later, stole second before Uyeda struck out. Ho then reached on third baseman Lima's fielding error that allowed Nobuhara to score from second before Alcantra flied to right to end the inning.

The Cougars got one of the runs back in the second inning. Lima led off with a single, took second on Jace Kaito's sacrifice, went to third when Jace Okamoto grounded out to second and scored when Keoni Pangan beat out a high-chop single to second. Uyeda, though, picked off Pangan to end the inning.

Meanwhile, Simeona kept mowing down Na Alii, as the Cougars cushioned their lead with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings on a Lima sacrifice fly and when Simeona reached on an error, respectively, to increased the lead to 5-1.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].