Kaiser improves playoff seeding with win over No. 7 Kailua to close out regular season

Brian Bautista | SL

Micah Muramoto drove in four runs to help Kaiser come away with a 16-6 win over No. 7 Kailua in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday night.

A small crowd at Patsy T. Mink/Central Oahu Regional Park saw the Cougars (7-5) snap a three-game losing streak to lock up the fourth seed out of the Eastern Division in next week's Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I tournament.

The Surfriders (10-2) saw their 10-game win streak come to an end, but had already locked up the East No. 1 seed prior to the game.

Kaiser's 16 runs were its most in a single game this season. It posted four runs in the first inning to erase an early deficit and finished off the game in mercy-rule fashion with a six-run bottom of the sixth inning.

Muramoto doubled and walked twice, while leadoff batter Noah Sham (2 for 3, double, walk, two RBI, three runs scored) and Jesse Shinagawa (2 for 3, three RBI, two runs scored) each paired hits. Caleb Hamasaki also drove in a pair of runs in the win.

Colby Okamura allowed four runs, two of them earned, on six hits in four innings of work to get the win for the Cougars. He walked four Surfriders and struck out one.

Kailua used four pitchers in the loss. Starter Racen Gauthe-Santos was the losing pitcher after he gave up six runs, five earned, on three hits with two strikeouts and three walks in two innings of work.

Janson Kamau (2 for 3) was the lone Surfrider to pair hits. Ryce Aoki doubled and drove in two runs in defeat.

Kailua will have a first-round bye in the 12-team OIA tournament and will host the winner of Tuesday's first round game between East fifth seed Kalani and West fourth seed Nanakuli in Wednesday's quarterfinal round.

Kaiser will play host to West fifth seed Pearl City Tuesday.

The teams split the regular season series. Kailua recorded a 10-7 win over Kaiser on March 27.