LIHU‘E — Through four games in the second half of the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation baseball season, the Kaua‘i High School Red Raiders have managed to completely turn its season around. Kaua‘i was able to beat first-half champion Waimea Menehune 4-0
LIHU‘E — Through four games in the second half of the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation baseball season, the Kaua‘i High School Red Raiders have managed to completely turn its season around.
Kaua‘i was able to beat first-half champion Waimea Menehune 4-0 Wednesday at Vidinha Stadium to improve to 3-1 in the second half of play.
The Red Raiders were able to do so by riding the arm of Cal Koga. Koga turned in a brilliant performance to the tune of seven shutout innings, five strikeouts while allowing five hits and just one walk.
In his last two outings, Koga has thrown a total of 14 innings while allowing just one run for an incredible 0.50 earned run average.
“Cal (Koga) has a lot of mental toughness,” said Kaua‘i Head Coach Ryden Domingsel. “He wanted the ball. We were making the decision on who was going to get the ball today, and based on my and Tyler’s (Yates) conversations with them, we decided Cal was going to be our man today, and he backed it up.”
One of the reasons for the turn around in Kaua‘i High’s fortune has been its recent ability to attain hits in key situations — none more apparent than in the fifth inning Wednesday. The Red Raiders had just taken the lead in the inning 2-0, but had the bases loaded with two outs. Shane Ogata delivered a single to drive in Kaua‘i’s final two runs to give the Raiders a cushion heading into the final two innings.
“Shane was able to come through,” Domingsel said. “All season long, regardless of who it was at the plate, we weren’t getting those two out hits. Props to Shane for getting it done.”
Ogata finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs to improve his batting average to .294 on the season.
Kaua‘i is now in the position to control its own destiny. With a sweep of the Kapa‘a High School Warriors on Saturday, the Raiders will clinch the second half to force a playoff with Waimea.
“These kids understand that they are still in it. They are not out of it,” Domingsel said. “We couldn’t get any worse than what we were in first round, but that is the beauty of it. You can go 0-6 in the first round and still be KIF champs.”
Kaua‘i is in the thick of the hunt for the title. If it wants that opportunity, it will have to take it from the Warriors on Saturday, which are also very much alive at 1-0 in the second half.
On the flip side, Waimea will have to regroup after falling to 0-3 in the second half after going undefeated through the first six games of the season.
So far this season it has been a tale of two completely different halves, which should make for an exciting finish.
• Rick Killeen, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or sports@thegardenisland.com.
