Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 1 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 2 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 3 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 4 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 5 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 6 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 7 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 8 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 9 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 10 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 11 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 12 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 13 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 14 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 15 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 16 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 17 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 18 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 19 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 20 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 21 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 22 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 23 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 24 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 25 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 26 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 27 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 28 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 29 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 30 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 31 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 32 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 33 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 34 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 35 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 36 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 37 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 38 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 39 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 40 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 41 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 42 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 43 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 44 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 45 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 46 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 47 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 48 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 49 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 50 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 51 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 52 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 53 of 55

Brian Bautista | SL

Purchase image 54 of 55

WAIPIO — By his own admission, Spencer Rego was not at his best Thursday. 

And yet, he was superb.

Rego, a junior right-handed pitcher, threw a three-hit complete game with seven strikeouts to lead No. 1 Saint Louis to a 2-0 win over No. 2 Kamehameha in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu baseball game at Patsy T. Mink/Central Oahu Regional Park. 

The Crusaders recorded their sixth consecutive victory to improve to 8-1-1 and remain in sole possession of first place in the ILH Division I standings. 

Rego was the centerpiece to the shutout — the second in three days for Saint Louis, which was coming off of a 2-0 win over No. 10 Iolani Tuesday. He scattered three walks and kept the Warriors' bats at bay; They were held scoreless for the first time this season and held to a season low in hits. 

"Spencer threw a hell of a game today; He did great," said Saint Louis sophomore centerfielder Tanner Chun, who batted 2 for 3 with an RBI. "He didn't have his best stuff today, but he had heart and that persevered and got him the (complete game) today."

Rego allowed six Kamehameha batters to reach base through his first four innings of work, but none the rest of the way. He retired the final 10 batters he faced, half of them on strikeouts. 

Three of Rego's seven total punch-outs were called third strikes.

"He showed heart and the defense was great behind him," Chun added. "If we can stick to this plan and keep doing what we're doing, we'll be very good."

Although Rego was very good himself Thursday, he noted that he had to work though some early issues. 

"Yeah, in the beginning I felt like I was using more arm," said Rego, who credited an assistant coach for helping to rectify the problem. "He told me to use more legs."

Rego also benefitted from error-free defense behind him and a couple of baserunners caught stealing by catcher Ezekiel Ribuca, who twice nailed leadoff runner Elijah Ickes attempting to take second. 

"Those were big plays," Rego said. 

"What can I say, we made all the routine plays and that's all you can ask in a tight game like this," Saint Louis coach George Gusman said. 

Ryson Waalani's RBI-single to right field plated Ryder Okimoto to give the Crusaders a 1-0 lead with one out in the top of the second inning. The score held until the top of the sixth, when they added an insurance run on Chun's two-out single back up the middle to score Aiva Arquette from second base. 

"I just saw fastball outside — something I could drive up the middle or (opposite field) — and I just put a good barrel on it and it went through the infield," Chun said. 

Chun used his glove to make an impact in the bottom half of the inning. After Rego got pinch hitter Kama Yamashiro to strike out on three pitches for the first out, he induced Beau Sylvester into hitting a deep fly ball toward the gap in left-center. Chun, however, chased it down and made a running catch just in front of the warning track. 

"I just saw it off the bat hard hit, so I just immediately went back, Ryson (Waalani, leftfielder) helped me out with the fence and I just make sure I caught it very well, eyes on the ball the whole way," Chun said. 

Rego was most appreciative of Chun's heroics.

"His catch in the outfield was amazing," said Rego, who went on to get clean-up batter Aukai Kea to strike out looking for the third out of the frame. 

Rego's pitch count sat at 96 after six innings, but he was determined to see the game through to the end. 

"When I was warming up before the (seventh) inning, I felt that and my adrenaline was rushing so even more so I felt like I had it in me," he said. 

Gusman said that he had two relievers in the bullpen ready to go, but the need never arose as Rego retired the side in order — and in just 10 pitches. He got designated hitter Miecah Andres to pop-up on the infield for the first out, before he froze Aydan Lobetos with his slider for the second out and got Dane Palimoo to strike out swinging on a foul tip — on yet another slider. 

"My slider was working. It was breaking a lot though so I had to adjust and aim a little bit more inside and it worked for me in the end," said Rego, who improved to 2-0 on the year with a 2.20 earned run average. 

It was Rego's second straight outing that he went the distance. 

"They were swinging away and I had to work against that and I didn't really have my best stuff, but I worked through it and my boys had my back," Rego said. 

Although Rego had yet to face Kamehameha this season prior to Thursday, the memory of his team's 6-5 defeat at the Warriors' hands in mid-March was still fresh in his mind. 

"My team, we worked hard this weekend; we wanted Kamehameha, we wanted our revenge and we worked hard for it. Defense had my back making plays, I just went out there and did my best; I gave it my all," Rego said. 

Gusman dismissed Rego's notion of any kind of a revenge factor against the Warriors, but he certainly was hoping to get an improved performance from his bunch this time around. 

"I don't know about the revenge thing, I think we just wanted to play better. We felt like we didn't play as good as we could that first time around," Gusman said. 

Still, Gusman could not refute Rego's stellar outing against the Warriors' talented lineup of sluggers. 

"As far as Spencer is concerned, he didn't have his best — believe it or not — and he's still able to just bulldog this thing through; it's pretty incredible," Gusman said. "He's usually (throwing) a lot more strikes, he's got a little bit more velocity, so it's pretty darn good that he's able to do that against that team in the middle of the season."

Rego finished with 106 pitches, the most he's thrown in a game in his career, he said. 

"My arm is fine, (but) my glutes and legs are tired," said Rego, who noted the importance of conditioning in his ability to close out the contest on the mound. 

"I think for me, it was conditioning — just getting stronger, my legs lasting those hundred pitches and staying consistent — that was a big thing for me," he added. 

Gusman agreed. 

"He's been in the weight room since we started in August and all of that without doubt helped him get through this game today," he said. 

Ickes singled and drew a walk and Lobetos (0 for 1, two walks) was the only other Warrior to get on base twice for Kamehameha, which fell to 6-3 on the year with its third loss in four games. 

Kaena Kiakona gave up two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in six innings of work, before he gave way to reliever Kodie Ecks Hanawahinre, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning in the loss. 

Kamehameha fell to 6-3 with the loss and behind No. 5 Maryknoll (7-2-1) into third place in the ILH D1 standings. 

The Warriors have dropped three of their last four games since a 5-0 start to the season. 

Both teams next play Saturday. Kamehameha will take on Damien (1-9) at 9 a.m. at Ala Wai Community Park, while Saint Louis will face Maryknoll at 3 p.m. at Mike Goeas Field.