HILO – Coach Tony De Sa can rest easier now that Hilo is starting to produce with its bats.
The Vikings not only hit the ball to all fields Friday, but they did so with two outs.
But when push came to shove, Hilo took advantage when Keaau started booting the ball all over Wong Stadium. The Vikings took advantage of four six-inning errors to push across two runs for a 7-5 victory, handing the Cougars their first Big Island Interscholastic Federation Interscholastic loss.
“We’re starting to be patient at the plate,” De Sa said, “not just swinging at first pitches like we were doing early in the year.
“We’ve got to stop the errors, but we worked around it. We showed some character.”
The teams combined for 10 errors, including six in the sixth as a game of giveaway broke out.
Keaau’s Erik Arnold reached on an error and pinch-runner Delvin Ongais scored on another error as the Cougars completed a comeback from a 5-1 deficit.
But Keaau’s best start to a season since 2003 took a sloppy turn.
“I can live with it,” coach Herb Yasuhara said. “The guys could have easily folded, but they believed and came right back.”
Hilo’s Chase Costa-Ishii and Micah Bello both reached on errors to open the bottom of the sixth against reliever Keian Kanetani, and courtesy runner Ryan Ragual scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error.
“Everyone picked themselves up and we came back,” Hilo’s Josiah Factora said. “We didn’t come back hitting-wise, but we took it from them.”
Factora drove in two runs in the first with a two-out double and also tripled, and the right-hander delivered five solid innings in his second start of the season.
De Sa is looking for three capable starters come the postseason.
Joey Jarneski tossed a scoreless seventh for the save as he rounds his arm back into shape and is the potential ace.
Hilo took a 5-1 lead on Jarneski’s two-run single with two outs in the fourth.
Riley Macanas gave up an unearned run in the sixth and got the victory after Factora allowed six hits and four runs – two earned – with a walk, two hit batters and two strikeouts.
Hilo (3-2) has won three in a row since a surprising loss to Kohala.
“We’re starting to execute and make our plays,” said Factora, a rare upperclassman starter for Hilo. “A lot a lot of the younger players make mistakes and they get down on themselves, so I have to pick them up.”
With Keaau (4-1) entering undefeated, the Cougars’ trip to Wong was more anticipated than some in the past.
“There is a lot bigger following now and more relatives,” Yasuhara said. “It sounded like we were the Vulcans.”
Keaau’s faithful cheered loudly in the fifth as the Cougars scored three times. Arnold led off with a double and scored on a wild pitch, and Kanetani hit a run-scoring single to left.
Kanetani, who also had an RBI single in the first inning, took the loss with two innings in relief of Justin Quesada, who allowed six hits and five runs – three earned – with two walks in his fourth start of the year.
“It was really good to see the people there and the support,” Yasuhara said. “Sorry we let them down.”
Noah Serrao had two hits for Hilo, Noah Higa-Gonsalves scored twice and drove in a run and Russell Ragual nearly had a home run in the sixth when his double hit the wall in left.
Keaau 100 031 0 – 5 6 6
Hilo 300 202 x– 7 8 4
