HANAPEPE — Kauai pitcher Brayden Abreu led the Red Raiders to an 11-2 win over Waimea in seven complete innings Wednesday before a good-sized home crowd at the Hanapepe Stadium. “Brayden was one of our injured players,” said Kauai coach
HANAPEPE — Kauai pitcher Brayden Abreu led the Red Raiders to an 11-2 win over Waimea in seven complete innings Wednesday before a good-sized home crowd at the Hanapepe Stadium.
“Brayden was one of our injured players,” said Kauai coach Hank Ibia. “We were not healthy during the preseason, but the players are healing. Brayden was one of them who we worked slowly while he healed.”
Micah Layosa, who led Kauai to one of its wins against Kapaa, started before being relieved by Abreu, who struck out five and walked one to collect his first win. Blaise Gokan came in to close out the game.
The Raiders lost little time getting on the scorebooks, scoring two runs on two walks and a single.
Waimea answered the 2-0 bulge with two runs of their own, capitalizing off Layosa who walked Keaka Wineski who scored on a Levi Sagucio play, shortstop to first. Layosa also walked Caleb Ehan who crossed the plate on Waika Corr’s RBI single to knot the game.
“We’re a young team as far as game experience,” said Waimea head coach Larry Ephan. “But we have a group of guys who never give up. We knew that going into this game.”
Kauai added four runs in the second inning on just two hits, including a double by Patrick Esteban, two more runs in the third on three hits, and three runs in the fourth inning on three hits, including another double by Kaiwi Nadarisay-Bejo.
Overall, Kauai finished with nine hits.
Waimea finished with two runs on three hits,
“We built the middles,” Ephan said. “But we had three ineligibles today and that put some of our players into positions they were uncomfortable in. Hats off to Kauai, though. They played solid baseball. We just gotta keep working. Love the adversity, we’ll keep working.”
With the loss, Waimea (0-1) takes the ride to Kapaa (0-2) Saturday for a doubleheader at the Ron Martin field starting at 10 a.m.
“We’re getting healthy,” Ibia said, enjoying the bye until next Wednesday when they travel to the Ron Martin. “We have a lot of bodies on this team, and they all put in time at practice. Not everybody got to play today, but there were a lot of bodies who got on the field.”
