HANAPEPE — Rashan Kuhaulua finished Tuesday’s championship in dominant fashion: A strike out. Kuhaulua led his Kapa‘a High School Warriors over the Waimea High School Menehune 4-1 to deliver the title to Kapa‘a. Kuhaulua had been sensational all season and
HANAPEPE — Rashan Kuhaulua finished Tuesday’s championship in dominant fashion: A strike out.
Kuhaulua led his Kapa‘a High School Warriors over the Waimea High School Menehune 4-1 to deliver the title to Kapa‘a.
Kuhaulua had been sensational all season and he chose Tuesday to have his biggest game of the year. He struck out 12 and allowed two hits on his way to a complete game win.
“I know how good (Kuhaulua) is,” said Kapa‘a head coach Bryan Aiwohi. “I had total confidence putting him on the mound today. Not because I know what he can do but because he wanted the ball. When the pitcher tells you he wants it, you have to give it to him.”
Kuhaulua and Kapa‘a went on to reward Aiwohi. Kapaa had struggled against Waimea for much of the season. Kapa‘a seemed to always shoot itself in the foot either with physical or mental errors. Tuesday it turned the tables and took advantage of four Waimea errors.
Kapaa struck in the second inning. Grant Mitchell led off with a single, Justin Nagahisa reached base on an error, followed by Keoki Planas reaching base on a catchers interference call. After a Nick Tabura fly out, Robert Soares singled to score Mitchell.
A.J. Cummings and Chaz Pacleb also drove in runs in the inning to make it 3-0 and give the Warriors and Kuhaulua a confidence boost.
“It was really big to get the early lead,” Kuhaulua said. “It helped me get into my groove a lot faster.”
Although the Warriors didn’t have an extra base hit, they played small ball — bunting to move runners up — to get on the scoreboard.
“We told our guys we had to look for opportunities and score runs any way we can,” Aiwohi said.
“When we get runners on we had to do whatever we can to score runs. Put the pressure on by using hit and run, steal, and just come up with hits with runners in scoring position.”
A key moment in the game came in the fifth inning.
With runners on first and third and one out, Mitchell laid down a perfect bunt that brought in an insurance run to give Kapa‘a the 4-1 lead that held up.
As has been the case with Kapa‘a all season, its success fell on the shoulders of its pitching, a load Kuhaulua was ready to bear the load.
“I just did what I know I could do,” he said.
• Rick Killeen, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or sports@thegardenisland.com.
