WAILUKU Maui— Leave it to Molokai Farmers’ Ikaika Faraon when it comes to big-time state tournament pitching. Making only his third appearance of the season, Faraon tossed 5-2/3 innings allowing only one run and six hits to elminate Kapa`a 14-7
WAILUKU Maui— Leave it to Molokai Farmers’ Ikaika Faraon when it comes to
big-time state tournament pitching.
Making only his third appearance of
the season, Faraon tossed 5-2/3 innings allowing only one run and six hits to
elminate Kapa`a 14-7 in the final quarterfinal game of the evening.
The 3
hour and 5 minute game seemed like a nuclear war at first but turned into an
attrition game.
The first inning alone, which took 28 minutes to complete,
was unexpected by an estimated crowd of 1,500 at Iron Maehara Stadium.
In
the Molokai first, Kelii Alcon, the second hitter of the game belted a 3-2
pitch over the left field wall. The 380-foot homer sent the partisan crowd into
a frenzy. A run-scoring single by Johnny Dodoit and an RBI double by Willie
Reyes gave the Farmers a comanding 3-0 lead.
Kapa`a never flinched as in
the bottom of the frame, Ikaika Pezario led off with a single and scored on a
triple by Micah Furtado. A single by Kaleo Lopez drove Furtado in to close the
gap to 3-2, but Allen Mundon’s two-run homer over the left center field wall
gave the Warriors a 4-3 lead.
Kapa`a kept the pressure on in the next
inning when Furtado knocked in two more runs giving the Warriors a 6-3
edge.
The Farmers worked on Kapa`a starting pitcher Justin Matsukawa in
the third inning taking him to several full counts.
After three straight
walks and a ground out, Willie Reyes singled to right to make it 6-4. Another
walk knocked out Matsukawa in favor of yesterday’s starter Kaleo Lopez who
pitched a complete game win for Kapa`a against the Campbell Sabers.
After
Lopez walks Ikaika Faraon to drive in a run and hits Xavier Bicoy for another
run, the game is tied at 6-6.
Molokai kept pouring it on with two more runs
in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
Ikaika Faraon, who relieved
starter Ikaika Place in the second inning, came in and shut down the Warrior
offense.
Faraon tore his ACL during the basketball season and was only
making his second appearance of the season.
The Kapa`a loss will have the
Warriors seeing action at noon when they meet up with the tournament’s
fourth-seeded Waiakea team while the Molokai Farmers advance to meet Iolani at
the 7:30 nightcap.
Molokai 303 251 0 — 14 16 2
Kapa`a
420 000 1 — 7 13 2
Ikaika Lester, Ikaika Faraon (2) and Apana
Nakayama
Justin Matsukawa, Kaleo Lopez (3), Royce Rapozo (5), Kalani
Miyashiro(5) and Robert Merkel
WP – Faraon; LP – Lopez
Leading
hitters:
Molokai: Kelii Alcon 3-4 double HR, Keahi Rawlins 3-4 2 RBIs,
Apana Nakayama 2-3 4 runs, Johnny Dodoit 3-4 3 RBIs, Ikaika Faraon 1-2 3
RBIs.
Kapaa: Micah Furtado 2-3 3 RBIs, Allen Mundon 3-4 HR 2 RBIs,
Robert Merkel 2-3 RBI.
