Hilo’s Joey Jarneski and Waiakea’s Makoa Andres engaged each other in classic pitchers’ duel that featured exceptional defensive plays, missed golden scoring opportunities, and the clutch two-way play of Micah Bello.
Bello, a sophomore center fielder, blasted a two-run triple to power the Vikings to a 4-2 victory in eight innings over the Warriors in Game 1 of the BIIF Division I championship series Friday night at Wong Stadium.
Hilo (12-3) can get a coveted BIIF title repeat with a sweep against Waiakea (13-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
In the eighth with one out, Josiah Factora was hit by a pitch, and Ryan Ragual followed with a single off Andres. Then Bello, Hilo’s No. 5 batter, burned Waiakea’s shallow outfield defense with a triple to the right-center field gap. A wild pitch scored the final run.
Jarneski, a junior right-hander, pitched seven innings for the win. He allowed a run on six hits and three walks and struck out seven. Brett Komatsu got the save. The senior righty gave up an unearned run in the eighth.
Andres, a junior right-hander, was a tough-luck loser. In eight innings, he surrendered four runs (one unearned) on three hits and one walk and struck out 11.
From the start, Andres had no-hit, dominant strikeout stuff. He struck out the side in the first but couldn’t find his rhythm in the second after a 45-minute rain delay. He walked cleanup hitter Ragual, then Bello reached on an error and both advanced on a sacrifice. Nick Antony had an RBI groundout to short for a 1-0 lead.
Waiakea’s got its leadoff hitter on in three of the first four innings but couldn’t score. The Warriors lost a golden scoring opportunity in the fourth when Taylor Mondina reached on a hit by pitch. Then Andres sacrificed him to second.
Despite being in scoring position, the Warriors ran themselves out of the inning on a pair of bullet throwouts. Gehrig Octavio singled to center but Bello charged and fired home to nail Mondina.
Hilo catcher Josh Breitbarth made a clean tag and looked up to see Octavio running to second. Breitbarth is the No. 8 hitter, but his biggest value is his defensive skills, especially his arm. He easily gunned out the speedy Octavio, a soccer player and football quarterback, at second base.
When Hilo and Waiakea first played in March, Andres threw an 11-0 no-hitter, the first in the long history between the crosstown rivals. He struck out eight that night. Andres had his eighth strikeout in the sixth inning on a busy Friday night.
In the fifth with one out, Andres lost his no-hit bid when Noah Higa-Gonsalves bunted for a single. However, the Warrior pitcher recorded a flyout and strikeout to close the inning.
Waiakea tied it in the bottom of the fifth when Hilo didn’t pay attention on defense with two out. With two runners on, Nate Minami singled to the shortstop’s hole, and pinch runner Devin Midel didn’t stop running from second. The throw from first to home was late because no one noticed Midel until he crossed home plate for a 1-1 tie.
The Warriors had another golden scoring opportunity in the sixth when Mondina doubled and went to third on an outfield error with no out. With the infield pulled in, Jarneski got Andres to ground out to second baseman Stone Miyao.
Then Octavio, the No. 5 batter, hit a high chopper over Miyao’s head, but he timed his jump perfectly and reached back to grab the ball without falling on his back. He recovered and threw out Octavio. Then Shaun Kurosawa, who doubled in his previous at-bat, was next. But Jarneski geared up and struck out Kurosawa to keep the game tied 1-1.
Third time the charm?
In the sixth with two out, Waiakea’s No. 9 batter Mackanzy Maesaka singled and Minami walked, but Jarneski struck out Trayden Tamiya on a 2-2 pitch, a fastball high and outside that would have been ball three.
Mondina had two hits for Waiakea, which stranded just five on base had a lot of golden scoring chances.
Bello batted 2 for 4 with two RBIs to lead Hilo, which left six on base but cashed in at the right time.
Hilo 010 000 03 — 4 4 1
Waiakea 000 010 01 — 2 7 3
