Kamehameha's Hunter Breault and Kailua's Joey Cantillo have been drawing pro scouts at their preseason games this season. Leighland Tagawa | Special to SL

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Leighland Tagawa | Special to SL

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KAILUA – It is not often high-school pro prospects get to face each other, but it happened on an overcast Thursday afternoon at Kailua High's diamond.

Kailua left-hander Joey Cantillo, an All-Hawaii selection as last season, faced Kamehameha right-hander Hunter Breault in a preseason game. About 10 pro scouts showed up for the event, about half of what showed up last week.

Both hard-throwing pitchers have signed National Letters of Intent in November, Cantillo with Kentucky and Breault with Oregon (along with yet another prospect, Campbell right-handed pitcher Markus Ramos).

Kailua won the game, 12-4, yet neither starter figured in the decision.

Cantillo tossed three scoreless innings, allowing two singles while striking out six against no walks. He threw 53 pitches, seven swinging strikes and 10 fouls, nine of them late (fouled to the opposite batting side or fouled back).

Kailua coach Corey Ishigo said his pitchers have ceiling at 60 pitches at this juncture of the season.

"Even during the season, we're going to be at a pitch count under the 110," Ishigo said referring to the HHSAA pitch count-rest guidelines. "He was fine with the 53 today. We have to keep working to build his stamina to where he can get to 100.  In fact, we wouldn't even go to 110. The pitch count we usually go to is 105."

Breault also pitched three innings and struck out six, but allowed four runs (all earned), three hits and five walks. He threw 69 pitches, eight swinging strikes and 13 fouls (all late or fouled back).

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According to one of the scouts on hand, Breault's fastball was between 88 to 92 mph; Cantillo's was between 85-88.

Although Kailua staked Cantillo to a 4-0 lead, the Warriors tied the game in the top of the fourth. The rest of the action occurred against the pitchers who followed them.

Cantillo said all of his pitches were working well.

"I mixed in my off-speeds pretty well, my fastball was OK," Cantillo said. "It wasn't the same feeling it always was, but it was OK."

Breault said he labored with command of his breaking pitches.

"I was able to go out and battle and my defense made some plays when I got the ball on the ground," Breault said. "Nothing was working for me today as far as my pitching. The only thing I was able to command was my fastballs."

He faced seven batters in the first, allowing a run, but he struck out the side in the second, facing the 8, 9 and 1 batters. Back-to-back infield singles and two walks allowed Kailua to add three runs.

"I started grooving it up a little bit, feeling a little bit better, but eventually I wasn't able to command the off-speed pitches, so everything kind of fell apart from there."

Despite the attention and possible distraction of radar guns pointed at their each pitch, both pitchers say they are able to focus on their pitching.

"The Punahou game (last week) there were 15, 20 scouts," Cantillo said. "Today a little less, so it's good, but our focus is winning games. We're really confident at this point, but we have to keep working."

Added Breault: "It doesn't bother me. I'm not nervous or anything. It's just another day when I'm able to pitch and play baseball with my best friends."

This season, baseball teams must follow pitch-count guidelines. While it is up to each league, the OIA and ILH will be following the HHSAA's guidelines, which are the same at the National Federation's. (Most states are following the Federation's guidelines.) The HHSAA guidelines appeared on Jan. 31 in ScoringLive.com.

"I love it," Ishigo said of guidelines. "We've been following our own pitch count (limits) for about six years now. I'm happy it's being enforced, finally, and it will be fun for everybody else, too, to use some strategy to use pitching a little differently this year."

Kamehameha coach Tommy Perkins also welcomes the rule.

"I think it's important we take care of the kids," Perkins said. "I'm for it."

Home teams will be responsible for tracking pitches with collaboration with the visiting team each inning. Reports will then be filed after each game to the league's baseball coordinator and the ILH office, Perkins said.