Six-run 4th rallies No. 3 Waiakea into Friday's semifinals

Waiakea third baseman Kedren Kinzie celebrates after scoring the Warriors' sixth run in the bottom of the fourth. He reached on an error with two outs that allowed the tying run to score. Michael Lasquero | SL

WAILUKU, Maui - No . 3 Waiakea sent 10 batters to the plate in a six-run fourth to rally past Kalani, 6-3, in a quarterfinal of the Wally Yonamine Foundation Division I state baseball tournament at Iron Maehara Stadium.

Joshua Ward's bases-clearing double highlighted the six-run inning and snapped a 3-all game to send the Warriors (9-0) to Friday's semifinals.

"I was very nervous," admitted Ward. "I haven't really been hitting the ball lately. I just tried to, in the cages, just stay on top of the ball. Coaches always told me to stay on top and I just stayed on top and drove it the other way."

The Falcons (13-4) took a 3-0 lead off Waiakea starting pitcher Dylan Honda, who labored through a tough second inning, when he walked three batters, including one with the bases loaded and gave up a two-run single to Christian Chinen.

The left-hander settled down after that and lasted to one out in the seventh when Taichi Fujinaga reached on an infield single.

Loren Iwata, another southpaw, walked the first batter he faced, but got Cole Amine to ground into a game-end double play for the save.

"That one inning, he had a tough inning, but he hung in there and he grinded through and we're happy with the outcome," Waiakea coach Chris Honda said of his son. "It wasn't his best outing, but he got through it."

Mason Hirata got Waiakea's scoring going with an RBI double, followed by an RBI single by Devin Garza to pull the Warriors to 3-2. After a walk to Kyson Wada, Kedren Kinzie reached on an error by third baseman Amine that allowed the tying run to score and set up Ward's three-run double.

"He clutched up with the bases loaded and that was a big hit for us," Chris Honda said. "Hat's off to Kalani. They're tough. Their pitchers neutralized our batting. We were fortunate when we loaded the bases, we got a hit at the right time."

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].