KAPA‘A — Kaua‘i High School pitcher Kirby Yates picked up his fifth win of the KIF season as he worked the mound to lead the Red Raiders to a 7-2 win Wednesday at the Ron Martin field.
Yates, who went six innings allowed the pair of Kapa‘a runs that came on seven of the Warriors’ eight hits in the game, walked four, and struck out three before being relieved in the seventh inning by Shannon Oketani.
Raider bats were led by Sam Dias who finished two-for-three with two RBI, and scoring three times in the win.
Yates also helped himself in the batter’s box with a pair of hits and walking twice as the Raiders finished with nine hits in the win.
Kapa‘a’s Kai Lopez, who ran into trouble early in the contest suffered the loss, the Warriors sharing the mound between Lopez, Moses Punzal, and Ashkon Kuhaulua.
Dias opened the scorebooks early, capitalizing on Lopez with a two-RBI triple in the first inning to score Garen Itamura and Jake Oketani, Itamura singling and Oketani drawing a walk.
Dias came home on a wild pitch for the 3-0 Kaua‘i lead, and following back-to-back walks issued to Yates and D.J. Higashi, Lopez relinquished the mound to Punzal who went until the seventh inning.
Kapa‘a broke into the scorebooks in the third inning as Punzal sacrificed to score designated hitter Kalen Laranio who drew firstbase on a walk, one spectator commenting on how costly those walks can be.
Then, in the fifth inning, the Warriors struck again as catcher Tyson Cremer opened with a triple and scored on an RBI single to rightfield by Jesse Noones.
Cremer was a perfect four-for-four to lead the Warrior bats.
The Wednesday results puts the destiny of the Warriors in their own hands as they face their final two games of the season Saturday when they take on Waimea at Hanapepe Stadium.
Kaua‘i, 3-2 with their Wednesday victory, switched places with Kapa‘a, now 2-2, with Waimea, 1-2 in third place.
In a play of scenarios, a Warrior sweep Saturday puts them in control of Round two with a 4-2 standing.
A split with Waimea will still keep Kaua‘i in the driver’s seat of round two, the Raiders now touting a 3-2 round two standing.
A Menehune sweep will pull Waimea from third place into a tie with Kaua‘i for a winner-take-all showdown Wednesday at Vidinha Stadium.
Kaua‘i High School had earlier locked in Round one.
Game time Saturday is 10 a.m. for the double-header at Hanapepe Stadium.
Kaua‘i High School will draw the bye on Saturday, and will close off their regular season on Wednesday, April 28 by hosting Waimea in a single game starting at 2:45 p.m. at Vidinha Stadium.
KQNG Am570 will broadcast the second game of the matchup with air time expected some time after 12 noon with Anahola Joel Pahukula doing the play-by-play.
