ILH Baseball
No. 3 Mid-Pacific rides Doi to 2-1 win over No. 4 Kamehameha


  



Fri, Mar 27, 2015 @ [ 4:30 pm ]


FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Mid-Pacific 0 000020250
Kamehameha 1 0 00000170

W: Grant Doi    L: Ladd Ah Choy

KSK: Kahoea Akau 1-3 trp; Ladd Ah Choy 5.0 IP 2 ER 2 K
MPI: Chase Wago 2-3 rbi; Grant Doi 7.0 IP 1 ER 5 K


MANOA — Grant Doi turned in his best pitching performance of the season Friday afternoon to lead Mid-Pacific to a 2-1 win over Kamehameha in a key Interscholastic League of Honolulu game.

A crowd of about 100 fans at Les Murakami Stadium saw Doi toss a complete game, allowing just one run on seven hits to help the third-ranked Owls (6-1) claim sole possession of first place in the ILH D1 standings. It was their fifth consecutive win since their only loss of the season, which came at the hands of Kamehameha just two weeks ago.

The fourth-ranked Warriors (5-2) saw their three-game winning streak snapped in the loss.

"He was good, man. He was real good today," Mid-Pacific coach Dunn Muramaru said of Doi, a right-handed senior.

Doi pitched from behind for most of the game after surrendering a first-inning run on a Kekai Rios double that scored Matt Yokota. He did not allow a runner past second base the rest of the way and retired five of the final six batters he faced.

"After that (first-inning run) I kind of just relaxed and hit my spots, but they were hitting the ball good so I was just trying to get out of it with my defense making plays," Doi said.

Doi recorded five strikeouts against just two walks.

"After that first inning when he was kind of shaky, he just settled down and he just pitched a great game," Muramaru said.

Mid-Pacific struck in the top of the sixth inning, when leadoff hitter Jacob Maekawa reached on an infield single and Alexander Oley was hit by a Ladd Ah Choy pitch. Noah Shackles put down a bunt in the direction of Warriors' first baseman Brandon Henderson, who opted to go for the force out on the lead runner, Maekawa, at third. However, Henderson's throw was dropped by shortstop Kody Cacal, who was covering the bag on the play, which left the bases loaded with no outs.

"We needed to get an out somewhere and preferably it was there, so that's where we wanted to go and I think we had him, (but) we just dropped the ball," Kamehameha coach Tom Perkins said.

Muramaru said the ball bounced in the Owls' favor on that play.

"We got a little bit lucky on that, he should have been out at third," Muramaru said.

Tyler Yamaguchi then hit a ground ball that scored the tying run in Maekawa from third and Chase Wago followed with another RBI ground ball that allowed Oley to cross the plate for the go-ahead run.

Doi allowed a one-out single by pinch hitter Revan Wong in the bottom of the seventh, but got Micah McNicoll to pop out and struck out Kahoea Akau for the final two outs.

Akau lined a 2-2 pitch from Doi down the left field line that would have put runners on the corners with two outs, but the ball was ruled foul by the home plate umpire. He struck out two pitches later to end the game.

"Every game is tough here in this league," Muramaru said. "We're not blowing out anybody, so everything is one run, one run, one run, so hopefully we can keep it going with. I mean, one hit here, one hit there and the game is switched around, so I'm just happy we won tonight."

Ah Choy, who was charged with both runs and allowed five hits in five innings of work, took the loss. Codie Paiva pitched two perfect innings in relief for Kamehameha, which entered the game averaging nearly 10 runs per game and had won each of its last three games by 10 or more runs.

"We knew their numbers, but we weren't really concerned," Doi said. "We just had to let them hit and trust in my defense behind me."

Maekawa and Wago each batted 2 for 3 for the Owls, who play Iolani at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Murakami Stadium.

Cacal batted 2 for 3 with a double and Yokota walked twice for the Warriors, who will play eighth-ranked Saint Louis in the 2 p.m. game preceding the Mid-Pacific—Iolani game.

The teams will meet for a third time when Kamehameha visits Mid-Pacific on April 14 in the final regular-season game for both teams.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




Show your support

Every contribution, no matter the size, will help ScoringLive continue its mission to provide the best and most comprehensive coverage of high school sports in the state of Hawaii and beyond.

Please consider making a contribution today.

ADVERTISEMENT


IMAGE GALLERY



MORE STORIES

Kapaa takes down Kauai for second straight league win

Bob Manintin pitched six strong innings as the Warriors snapped the Red Raiders' seven-game winning streak.

Waianae holds off Castle; Mililani next

Teizsha Kaopuiki hit two home runs to power the Seariders in the opening round of the OIA Division I...

Surfriders erase early deficit, pull away from Falcons

Ninth-ranked Kailua scored 10 unanswered runs behind six scoreless innings of relief from DJ Kauahi to...

Pearl City ends Kaiser's season with playoff road victory

The Chargers rapped out nine runs on 14 hits, capped by Jayson Au Hoy's three-run home run in the top...

Shinagawa's catch spurred Cougars in OIA East finale; Painter continues producing for unbeaten Bears

The Kaiser junior centerfielder made a pivotal highlight-reel grab against Kailua Saturday, while the...

Campbell scores 11 runs in opening frame in rout of Leilehua

Ismael Diaz delivered a pair of two-RBI doubles as part of a 29-minute top of the first inning for the...