KS-Hawaii opens with its closer to beat Kailua

Kamehameha-Hawaii went to its closer early in its biggest tournament. Kaika Nobriga pitched 62⁄3 innings and the Warriors beat Kailua 5-2 in the first round of the Wally Yonamine Foundation State Baseball Championships at Hans L’Orange Park on Wednesday. Nobriga, the team’s primary reliever who was making just his second start of the season, worked into the seventh inning and struck out nine batters.

He got a loss against Waiakea in his only other start this year. “We just flipped it around a little bit to give us a chance to win,” Kamehameha-Hawaii coach Andy Correa said. “We know how good Kailua is and we knew he had it in him.

We were saving him for a game like this. ” The Warriors got to Kailua starting pitcher Spencer Tavares in the second inning, following a leadoff walk by Nobriga with a single by Kamau Passi and a ringing double to right field by Eli Mercado. They loaded the bases on another walk and a hit by pitch.

Brock Ayudan then singled to right field to plate two more runs with one of his three hits in the game. It gave Kamehameha-Hawaii a 5-0 advantage and knocked Tavares out of the box. Nobriga kept Kailua silent, holding the Surfriders hitless until Masao Minami’s harmless infield single in the fourth.