OIA Baseball
Menes blast Knights, 14-0


  



Mon, Mar 6, 2017 @ [ 3:00 pm ]


FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Castle 0 0000024
Moanalua 1 1 120X14121

W: Tyler Nakata    L: Keoki Gaspar-Takahashi

MOA: Ryne Oshiro 3-3 2 runs 4 rbi dbl; Tyler Nakata 3.0 IP 0 ER
CAST: Hunter Paredes 1-2 dbl; Brylan Kaneshiro 1.3 IP 0 ER


SALT LAKE — Moanalua busted out the bats Monday afternoon at the expense of visiting Castle.

Ryne Oshiro batted 3 for 3 and drove in four runs as Na Menehune trounced the Knights, 14-0, in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I East game that was called in the fifth inning due to the mercy rule.

Moanalua (2-1) rebounded from a one-run loss at Kaiser Saturday by rapping out 12 hits as pitchers Tyler Nakata and Austyn Kometani combined on the shut out.

The loss snapped a two-game win streak for Castle (2-2), which was coming off a back-and-forth upset of Kailua Saturday.

"We just got lucky, I guess. We put the ball in play. We haven't swung the bat like that in a while, so it was good to have that," Moanalua coach Scott Yamada said.

Seven different Menes registered a hit. Oshiro, who had a bases-clearing double that was part of a 12-run third inning, set the tone from the top of the batting order. He led off the bottom of the first with a single to left field and eventually scored when Cody Isa reached on an error.

"I was just trying to get on base and let everyone else behind me do their job, too," said Oshiro, a senior shortstop. "My job is just to get on base and I did kind of all right with that today."

Oshiro's two-out RBI single to left plated Rylan Miguel in the second inning to give Moanalua a 2-0 lead.

Nakata allowed the leadoff hitter to get on base to start the top of the third before getting Baron Arquero to line out to left for the first out of the inning. He then got Blake Hadama to ground into an inning-ending double play when Oshiro fielded the ball at shortstop, flipped it to second baseman Isa, who threw to Randy Tabura at first to end the Knights' scoring threat.

"I think that was the first double play we turned actually this season, so it was good," Oshiro said. "It helps with Cody and Randy on the back end."

Then the flood gates opened.

Moanalua sent 16 batters to the plate in the bottom of the third inning, when they posted nine hits and were aided by two of Castle's four errors.

Tabura and Isa each belted RBI triples before Nainoa Chun reached on an infield single to plate Isa.

Castle starter Keoki Gaspar-Takahashi hit Kaz Tachino with a 2-0 pitch, which allowed Skylar Yamamoto to score the fourth run of the inning. It was the last batter Gaspar-Takahashi faced before being replaced by Aidan Christiansen.

Christiansen worked the count full to Oshiro before surrendering the three-run double to deep left-centerfield on a fastball over the plate.

"I was just trying to get something small in the air to score the guy from third. I got kind of lucky and it went into the gap," Oshiro said.

Moanalua went on to add four more runs in the inning, including Andrew Oasay's two-run double.

"Guys were getting on and just getting big hits here and there," Yamada said. "Stringing base hits together, that's what we've been trying to tell them we need."

Isa, Chun and Nakata each paired hits for Na Menehune, which saw seven different players drive in a run.

Despite the lopsided score, Castle coach Rocky Fraticelli wasn't disparaged by the result.

"It's not that we didn't show up; they banged the ball — big difference," Fraticelli said. "They whacked the ball. We tried to keep it as close as possible."

Oshiro said his teammates were eager to put the heartache of Saturday's loss to the Cougars behind them.

"We came out here to bounce back from that Kaiser game. Our coaches were saying not to take (Castle) cheap and, of course, they beat Kailua — who's on top every year — so we came in thinking that we just have to hit, we have to put pressure on to their defense and make them work," Oshiro said. "It was a great team win."

Nakata tossed three innings of two-hit ball to get the win. He struck out one and did not walk a batter. Kometani pitched the final two innings and had a strikeout.

Gaspar-Takahashi, who was making his first outing on the mound this season, was charged with the loss after allowing nine runs — seven of them earned — on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.

Christiansen surrendered five runs — two earned — on five hits in a third of an inning and Brylan Kaneshiro threw 1 1/3 innings in his relief.

Both teams next play Wednesday. Moanalua will host first-place Kalani (3-0) and Castle will visit Kaiser (1-3). Both games start at 3 p.m.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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