Kamehameha's Eric Sniffen throws a pitch to the plate against Iolani. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Iolani's Joshua Inouye comes into score a run for the Raiders. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Kamehameha's Codie Paiva turns a play from the third base foul line. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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HONOLULU – Mother Nature would not get the best of Kamehameha the second time around.

Kamehameha keyed on a three-run fifth inning to win its first game of the season over host Iolani, 6-5, Saturday afternoon. The Warriors improved to 1-0-1 in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, while the Raiders dropped to 1-2.

“Proud of the boys the way they held their composure towards the end, proud of how they flushed mistakes and bounced back in key situations. Hopefully we can build on this,” Kamehameha coach Billy Pieper said after the game. “Anytime you can come out of Iolani with a win, it’s good. The thing that I’m proud of is that these boys are starting to believe in the process. The boys need to see results to believe in the process. 

Not only was it the Warriors’ first win of the season, it was also Pieper’s first win of his coaching career. Pieper, a 1996 Kamehameha Schools graduate, replaced longtime Kamehameha coach Vern Ramie, who took over the program back in 1990.

“What we try to stress to them is (to) trust us, have faith in the coaches, have faith in each other and trust the process,” said Pieper. “Hopefully the results will turn out the way we want it. We can’t focus on wins and losses. We got to focus on achieving greatness and focus on being better than the game before.” 

The notch in the win column is definitely a sign that the Warriors are improving. In their ILH season-opener against Punahou, Kamehameha rallied from a 5-2 deficit to force extra innings before the game was called for darkness. 

“Although it was a tie and it’s not great, I think the fact that we came back created some momentum for us to come into this game feeling a little bit confident,” said Pieper.

That confidence was evident in the early stages of the game as the Warriors held a 2-0 lead in the middle of third inning. Iolani got a run in the bottom of the third to get on the scoreboard, but the Warriors came right back, getting a double play to end the inning. Kamehameha then pushed their lead to 3-1 after Matt Yokota drove Keenan Lum home at the top of the fourth. It was smooth sailing until the Raiders’ offense came alive.

The Raiders’ first at bat in the fourth inning was a telling sign for the problems that would arise for the Warriors. After a 1-2 count, Kamehameha pitcher Eric Sniffen ended up throwing three straight balls to walk Iolani’s Joshua Inouye. Iolani later then got the tying run on base after Kainoa Fong was hit by a pitch. Max Look then loaded the bases with a grounder up the middle. Iolani was able to bring all three players home to take a 4-3 lead heading into the top of the fifth.

Despite the momentum shift, Kamehameha was able to come right back with a three-run inning of their own, taking the lead for good, 6-4.

“It says that we really have fight and we never give up,” said Kamehameha’s Codie Paiva, on coming back. “That’s what our coach preaches in practice, just work hard and never lose confidence because you can always come back.

Paiva got the top of the fifth started with a single to the left side to get on base. He later scored after Iolani reliever Austin Jim On walked the Warriors’ Will Young, which tied the game at 4-all.  Following the game-tying run, the Raiders went with Reece Arakawa on the mound. However, Arakawa threw a wild pitch on the first batter he faced, allowing the runner at third to score and retake the lead. The top of the fifth ended on a double play, but not before James DeJesus brought Ryan Kaleiopu home to give Kamehameha a two-run lead. 

Iolani got a solo homer run out of Pikai Winchester to start the bottom of the seventh inning, but Paiva was able to come in relief and get the save, clinching Kamehameha’s first win of the season.

“For them to battle like that, it makes me smile to a degree because more than between the lines of gaming, it is trying to develop men, and that’s life man. You’re going to be up, you’re going to be down, but you go to keep battling. So happy to see them do that two games in a row,” Pieper said on their win. 

Like their ILH-opener against Punahou, the Warriors had to deal with the elements. Many games around the state were postponed due to the rainy weather, but the two teams were able to play after a 30-minute game delay. The game also was almost called short due to blackness. Fortunately the game ended a little after 6:30 and the Warriors were able to end the game on their own terms.

“I was happy to get (this game) in,” said Pieper. “It was important for us to get this game in; I’m glad that the whole Iolani staff made this happen.”

Kamehameha will play Mid-Pacific next while the Raiders take on Pac-Five. Both games are slated for Tuesday, Mar. 11.