KEALAKEKUA – It took a little longer than expected – given a hot start – but Konawaena escaped with a narrow 6-5 win Tuesday against the visiting Daggers of Pahoa.
“Hopefully we can build off of it, build off of this game,” said Konawaena head coach Aaron Mori.
In the bottom of the seventh, Taven Hiraishi knocked in the game-winning RBI, scoring AJ Blanco – pinch running for Tobias Naihe, who opened the bottom of the seventh with a double – to seal the game after the Wildcats blew a five-run lead.
One inning into Tuesday’s contest, the Wildcats looked unbeatable. Konawaena’s bats were hot in the bottom of the first, with Maika Akamu, Trez Uemoto, Tate Garana and Riki Furuto recording RBIs in the opening frame.
“We’re finally swinging the bat, putting the ball in play,” said Mori. “It was good, but we got kind of lax throughout the game…
“I think it’s just being young, too comfortable. The kids took it for granted that we had the win.”
Getting the start on the mound, Hiraishi threw four shutout innings. He managed to sneak out of a jam in the top of the second after quickly loading the bases, first by forcing a 1-2-3 double play to nab the runners going to home and first, followed by a slow grounder to end the threat.
The next three Wildcat pitchers – Kahiau Rivera, Jaeden Meyer and Uemoto – were unable to prevent the Daggers from climbing back into the game, ultimately scoring five runs to set the stage for Konawaena’s walk-off win. Though Konawaena’s coach was glad to have ultimately pulled out the win, he was far from pleased with the team’s showing from top to bottom.
“I’m happy for the win, but I’m not happy about how we performed, not only on the field, but off the field, in the dugout,” said Mori. “We could have been better…This was probably the flattest game we’ve played, to be honest.”
The Wildcats first chance to build on Tuesday’s victory will come on Thursday, when they host Hawaii Prep. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.