St. Louis edges Kamehameha, 3-2
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
With the eyes of major league baseball watching closely, St. Louis held off Kamehameha, 3-2, yesterday in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu showdown at Joey DeSa Field.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
At least one dozen scouts were stationed behind the backstop, radar guns cocked. The Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays were among those represented, and some of the scouts present were "cross-checkers" who flew in from the Mainland.
Kamehameha's Hubert Pruett struck out 11 and hit a two-run homer before at least a dozen major league scouts at Joey DeSa Field.
They focused on St. Louis senior pitcher Brandon League, a right-hander who scattered eight hits in a complete-game effort. League struck out four and walked one in seven innings of work. His fastball was clocked at 93 mph.
"It adds electricity," League said of the scouts' presence. "But you still want to have fun and compete."
League got plenty of competition from his counterpart, Kamehameha senior right-hander Hubert Pruett. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Pruett struck out 11 and walked none, also in seven innings. His fastball was clocked at 89 mph, and he impressed at least one scout by escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam unscathed in the fifth inning.
In the sixth, St. Louis' Justin Humalon and Nick Tudisco each had RBI singles and the Crusaders (6-3) added another run on a throwing error.
But the Warriors (4-5) responded immediately in the bottom of the inning, as Keli'i Correa stroked a single to left to lead off. Pruett then followed by roping a 2-0 fastball over the right-field fence, cutting the St. Louis lead to one.
League retired the next three batters in order to hold onto the lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, League set down the first two batters, but bobbled a slow dribbler by pinch-hitter Waipa Nishimura and was late with the throw to first. The Crusaders then intentionally walked Bronson Sardinha, a shortstop who also is drawing strong draft interest.
That brought up Correa, Kamehameha's cleanup hitter. Correa smashed a line drive to right field, but Humalon came up with the catch to end the game.
"That was a gutsy call, because it put the tying run on second base," Warriors coach Vern Ramie said of Sardinha's walk. "I was a little surprised, but it just shows how much respect they have for him. It worked out for them, even though Keli'i hit the ball right on the screws."
League, 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, is listed as the nation's 14th best high school prospect by Baseball America. He already has signed to play his college ball at Pepperdine, but is leaving his pro options open.
Sardinha also is listed among as a top prospect, and he also signed with Pepperdine.
Meanwhile, the win helped keep the Saints tied with 'Iolani and Mid-Pacific for second place in the ILH, one game behind Punahou (7-2).
ST. LOUIS (6-3) 000 003 0 — 3 7 1
KAMEHAMEHA (4-5) 000 002 0 — 2 8 3
Brandon League and Nick Tudisco. Hubert Pruett and Danny Nitahara. WP — League. LP — Pruett.
Leading Hitters: StL — Milton Grado 2-4. Kam — Pruett 2-3, home run, 2 RBIs.
