Leilehua's Ricky Van Gelder connects with a pitch for a base hit against Waipahu. Brien Ing | SL

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Leilehua's Mikah Takashige and Jared Academia celebrate after a come-from-behind victory against Waipahu. Brien Ing | SL

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Leilehua's Jonah Paas heads to third base against Waipahu. Brien Ing | SL

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Leilehua pitcher Jared Academia pitched the final two innings against Waipahu to pick up the victory. Brien Ing | SL

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Waipahu's Dylan Sugimoto connects for a base hit against Leilehua. Brien Ing | SL

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Leilehua's Ricky Van Gelder gets set to cross across home plate for a run against Waipahu. Brien Ing | SL

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WAHIAWA — Down to its final four outs Friday, Leilehua scored four runs to rally past Waipahu, 6-5, in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West game at Howard K. Oda Field.

The Mules (5-6), who avenged a shutout loss against the Marauders (6-6) in the season opener, won their third straight one-run game.

"We're finally starting to play better ball and we're not making the type of mistakes that we were earlier in the season," Leilehua coach Lane Watanuki said. "When we were losing we were doing the small things, but I think they learned from those games."

With the win Leilehua secured its spot in the 12-team OIA Red Tournament regardless of the result of Tuesday's regular-season finale against division-leading Campbell.

"It's a big win for us knowing that we're going to the playoffs," said Mules first baseman Jonah Paas, whose RBI triple tied it in the bottom of the sixth. "We never thought we were out of it, but we knew we had to make something happen soon."

Waipahu starting pitcher Justin "Anu" Keaka was coasting along with a 5-2 lead, but Leilehua sent eight batters to the plate in the sixth and did all of its damage with two outs.

Keaka retired the first two batters in the inning on 11 pitches, however, Nainoa Pargoso, the Mules' No. 9 hitter, drew a four-pitch walk and took two bases on a Ricky Van Gelder double to left. Trey Yukumoto then hit a ground ball that went under the glove of the second baseman and allowed both Paragoso and Van Gelder to score.

That pulled the Mules to within a run of the Marauders before Paas drilled a ball to deep left that plated Yukumoto from first and tied it at 5.

"I didn't want to do too much with it, just hit it hard somewhere and it happened," said Paas. "With every person that got on, it felt like we were building momentum."

Leilehua took the lead one batter later when Mikah Takashige hit a ground-ball single to left that scored Paas.

"I think they do it on purpose to give me more gray hairs," Watanuki joked. "I give them credit though, they kept their heads in there and made it happen today."

The Mules took the early lead when Van Gelder led off the bottom of the first with a double and came home on an RBI-sacrifice fly by Takashige. Van Gelder finished 3 for 3 with two doubles. He also scored three times.

"Ricky was struggling earlier this year, so we flip-flopped him with Nainoa (Paragoso) in the ninth spot," Watanuki said. "He's been doing a job for us and hitting lately."

The Marauders took the lead with three runs in the top of the third. Tyler Enos' two-run triple plated Dylan Sugimoto from third and Kobie Russell from first. Sugimoto batted 4 for 4 with a triple and a double. Enos came home on a squeeze that was executed to perfection by Shiloh Baniaga. They added a run in the fourth inning when Christopher Payne scored on a double by Sugimoto.

Waipahu's 4-1 lead held until Van Gelder scored on a Jordan Kameda double to left. Leilehua gave a run back in the top of the sixth when Russell singled home Oakland Scanlan, who batted 3 for 3.

Jared Academia, who pitched the final two innings in relief of starter Wayne Abear,  was the winning pitcher. Abear allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings.

Keaka took the loss for Waipahu. He surrendered six runs on eight hits, but just two of the runs were earned.

Waipahu won the first time the teams by a score of 2-0. The Marauders, who currently sit in third place in the Red West, have lost four of their last five games.

Leilehua, which is 1/2 a game behind Waipahu in fourth, completes the regular season Tuesday against Campbell at 3:30 p.m. at Oda Field.