LIHU‘E — Jensen Koga won game one with his arm, and game two with his bat, as the Kaua‘i High Red Raiders took two games from the Kapa‘a Warriors at Vidinha Stadium Saturday. Koga, a freshman, got the first complete-game
LIHU‘E — Jensen Koga won game one with his arm, and game two with his bat, as the Kaua‘i High Red Raiders took two games from the Kapa‘a Warriors at Vidinha Stadium Saturday.
Koga, a freshman, got the first complete-game victory of his high school career by twirling a five-hitter in game one, and cracked a 2-RBI triple in the bottom of the first inning of game two. He also scored two runs in game two.
The Raiders took game one, 6-2, and won game two 11-1 in five innings on the mercy rule, Matthew Ebueng’s 2-RBI single giving the Raiders the deciding 10-run lead after Christian Largo knocked an RBI single in the home half of the fifth.
Dalston Miyasato also picked up his first complete-game win, tossing a two-hitter for the Raiders in game two, striking out four and giving up just the one earned run over five innings. Kysen Lopez took the loss, falling to 0-2 on the season.
Dustin Prem was 2-3 with a run scored, Kaylen Wakumoto was 2-2 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Jordan Leanio had a 2-RBI single and scored a run, in the second game.
In the first game, Koga struck out seven, walked two, and gave up two earned runs.
“Jensen threw a heckuva game, lots of strikes,” said Raider Head Coach Hank Ibia. “He’s learning on the mound as well, trying to be a pitcher as well as a thrower.”
Ibia said he kept Koga in game two because he knew the youngster still wanted to play even after tossing over 90 pitches in game one.
“He get one big-league swing,” but needs to develop some patience at the plate so he doesn’t chase bad pitches, Ibia continued. He’s had a “sweet swing since he was born.”
“On our pitching side we did well,” said Ibia, upset, though, about the mental mistakes on the base paths.
“It’s good for us on the win side, but overall we should get better. We have to dominate (Kapa‘a) from the beginning,” said Ibia, declaring his squad ready for Saturday’s huge doubleheader at Vidinha versus Waimea.
“We’re always ready for Waimea. We gotta be.”
The score in game one could have been much different had it not been for base-running blunders and fielding errors.
Kapa‘a loaded the bases in the top of the first inning but couldn’t score, and the Raiders got a run in the bottom of the first on a two-out single by Taran Tani, who was 3-for-3 with an RBI.
The Raiders were poised to do more damage that inning, but a tricky play where Kapa‘a pitcher Brehdan Kamibayashi faked a throw to second (and second baseman Mick Voigt and shortstop BJ Aiwohi played along by feigning that the ball had gone over their heads) then fired to third to get leaning Raider courtesy runner Ebueng ended that threat.
The Warriors took a 2-1 lead on an RBI single by Aiwohi, who knocked in Ekolu Lam, who was hit by a pitch. Voigt followed with a 320-foot double to deep left field that bounced just in front of the 330-foot sign on the left-field fence, scoring Aiwohi. Voigt took third on the Raider throw to the plate to try to get Aiwohi.
The Raiders took the lead for good on some small ball and miscues, Rysan Sakamoto racing around the bases to score after hitting a single and advancing on throwing and catching errors. He drove in two Raiders, including Dustin Prem.
Some base running errors and heads-up Kapa‘a defense erased two Raiders on a bang-bang play in the middle of the game, the Raiders both caught straying a little too far off second and third, and Kapa‘a’s Bronson Aiwohi, Voigt and Tanner Shigeta combined on an inning-ending double play to eliminate a Raider threat in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Leanio had a hit and RBI in game one, and Prem, Kaylen Wakumoto, Dayne Murata and Koga all had hits for the Raiders.
Kamibayashi took the loss for Kapa‘a, giving up 10 hits and five walks, going the distance and giving up six runs, three of them earned. He fell to 1-4 on the season.
Yam, Kamibayashi, BJ Aiwohi and Lopez all had hits for Kapa‘a.
In the nightcap, the Raiders scored first on a sacrifice to right off the bat of Lanan Rice-Kashima, after they had loaded the bases with Kaylen Wakumoto, Rysan Sakamoto (who was hit by a pitch), and Jordan Leanio. Wakumoto scored, and Sakamoto and Leanio advanced to second and third, respectively.
Koga followed with his triple, scoring Sakamoto and Leanio. The first inning ended with the Raiders up 4-0.
Kapa‘a scored once in the top of the second, Anson Villatora reaching first on a fielder’s choice, taking second on an error, and scoring on B.J. Aiwohi’s RBI single.
The Raiders continued the onslaught in the bottom of the fourth inning, with Koga scoring from third on a wild pitch, and another two-out rally occurring that put the game out of reach.
Dayne Murata walked, stole second, and Prem singled to left, moving to third on Wakumoto’s RBI single that scored Murata. Leanio followed with a 2-RBI single, scoring Wakumoto and Prem and making it 8-1, where it remained until the Raiders ended it with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Kapa‘a Head Coach Gordon Muramaru had only praise for his Warriors, who “played hard two games, and they never gave up. Good things will happen” as the Warriors get “better and better at the game of baseball,” he added.
“The kids are getting better and better. The score may not show it, but they are working hard.”
Waimea hosts Kapa‘a in a single game at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hanapepe Stadium.
• Paul C. Curtis, sports writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com
