HILO – It’s not that Donald Saltiban can’t be effective when he’s wild.
But when he’s in command of his pitches, the right-hander can be dominant.
Hilo got the controlled version of Saltiban on Friday, and the Vikings rode his six stellar innings and a workmanlike day at the plate to ease past Kealakehe 5-0 in Game 1 of their best-of-three BIIF Division I semifinal series at Wong Stadium.
“Today was good and he hit his spots and everything was working today,” Hilo catcher Chase Costa-Ishii said. “The first inning I was worried, but he was good in warmups and I was happy.”
The senior connected for two of his teams seven hits, including an RBI single. Joey Jarneski belted a run-scoring double.
It can be an adventure at times for a coach or a catcher to work with Saltiban, but not Friday. The junior right-hander struck out four, walked only one, yielded only three hits and didn’t allow a Waverider to reach third base.
“We worked on a few things as far as mechanics, and he looked good,” coach Tony De Sa said. “Keeping it simple, not overthrowing or doing too much.”
The scene shifts a short distance to UH-Hilo field for Game 2 at 1 p.m. Saturday as the Vikings (11-2) try to get back to the final. The Vulcans will occupy Wong Stadium, playing a 4 p.m. doubleheader.
“They are pretty good and we have to be ready,” De Sa said. “Tomorrow we go to a neutral field, so we have to really be ready.”
Left-hander Makana Kaluau hung tough for five innings for the Waveriders (6-7). Winners of four of five coming in, Kealakehe stayed close enough to feel good about itself but also missed enough opportunities to be discouraged.
“We were right there,” Kealakehe coach Josh Hansen. “Our thing is we need to be more consistent.
“It was pretty clean baseball.”
Still, his team paid for every mistake, even minor ones.
Hilo’s Nick Antony reached on the only error of the game in the third and scored on Costa-Ishii’s single to make it 3-0. Kaluau induced a potential double-play ball that could have gotten him out of an inning, but Kealakehe only was able to turn one and the Vikings tacked on another run.
Dennison Joaquin whacked a two-out double to left in the third, but after Saltiban issued a walk, he ended the inning via a groundout, and a base running miscue thwarted another potential rally in the fifth.
Kaluau allowed seven hits, five runs (three earned) with four strikeouts and five walks. He was backed by right-fielder Bryton Lewi, who threw out a base runner at home and ended an inning with a diving catch.
“(Kaluau) gave us a chance,” Hansen said. “He definitely didn’t have his best stuff.”
Hilo didn’t come through with an onslaught at the plate, but it chipped away.
Joey Jarneski doubled in the first to score Stone Miyao, who had singled, with the first run. Noah Kalaola-Richardson walked to lead off the second and eventually scored on Micah Bello’s two-out single. The Vikings loaded the bases in the fifth with no outs on two walks and Costa-Ishii’s hit, then Puukani De Sa drove in a run with a single and Nainoa Kane-Yates hit a sacrifice fly.
Kane-Yates worked a scoreless seventh, striking out a batter.
“Hopefully, we can awaken this sleeping giant as far as out bats are concerned,” De Sa said.
Waiakea 10, Keaau 0
Makoa Andres pitched five strong innings, and his RBI double in the bottom of the fifth capped off his one-hitter as the Warriors won by TKO in Game of their best-of-three semifinal series at their field.
Gehrig Octavio collected a pair of run-scoring singles for Waiakea (13-0), which will go for the sweep at 1 p.m. Saturday at home. Nathan Minami scored three runs, going 1 for 2 with two walks, and Trayden Tamiya doubled and scored twice.
The Cougars (4-9) made four errors in a back of Edward Oguma, who walked six in his four innings on the mound. He struck out one and yielded seven hits and six earned runs.
Andres struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.