Kiriu helps Punahou bounce Baldwin, 5-1
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Shaun Kiriu overcame a shaky first inning to help Punahou beat fourth-seeded Baldwin, 5-1, yesterday in a quarterfinal of the HHSAA/Wally Yonamine Foundation State Baseball Championships at Les Murakami Stadium.
The Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-up Buffanblu (18-6) will play 'Aiea in a semifinal at 7 tonight. The Maui Interscholastic League champion Bears (13-2) will play Leilehua in a consolation-round game at 11:30 a.m. today.
Kasey Ko's RBI double highlighted a two-run bottom of the first and a two-run triple by Michael Lam sparked a three-run second to support Kiriu.
Kiriu allowed a run on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts in the complete-game win. At one stretch, he retired 12 in a row.
"He stayed within himself, started throwing the ball down in the zone, and used his defense," Punahou coach Eric Kadooka said.
Kiriu said he had trouble keeping his pitches down in the first inning, when seven Bears came to the plate. Baldwin had three hits and a walk, but left the bases loaded after scoring one run.
"I was catching too much of the plate," Kiriu said of his first-inning woes.
For the second game in a row, Punahou played solid defense. The Buffanblu did not commit an error. Third baseman Steven Dannaway caught J.J. Eno's foul pop just in front of the Baldwin dugout and deftly negotiated the steps.
"I could hear our catcher (Robert Kurisu) say I had room," said Dannaway, a receiver in football. "It's just like being a receiver."
Kiriu appreciated Dannaway's effort.
"That was amazing," Kiriu said. "That guy's crazy (because of making a number of daring plays)."
Baldwin loaded the bases before Kiriu got an out in the first inning on back-to-back singles by Shevis Shima and Derrick Saito, and a walk to Eno. Marcus Makia's sacrifice fly to right put the Bears up 1-0. B.J. Strahan reloaded the bases with a mis-communication pop single between right fielder Kaohi Downing and second baseman Lam. But Kiriu got Aaron Joyo to hit a grounder to Dannaway, who threw home for a force, and Kale Moniz flied to right to end the inning.
"You get three hits and send that many guys to the plate, you get a walk and you walk away with one run, it's kind of a momentum swing for them," Baldwin coach Kahai Shishido said. "Sure enough, they scored two in the bottom half."
In the bottom of the first, Lam singled with one out, stole second and one out later, scored on third baseman Strahan's fielding error on a grounder by Noah Phillips. Phillips took second on the throw home. Ko then brought pinch runner Daniel Cho home with his double to center.
In the second, Baldwin starter Jeff Kajiwara hit Dannaway and Justin Ariki with one out before giving up an RBI single to Kiriu. Kiriu took second on the throw home and was lifted for courtesy runner Reyn Kubota. Lam's two-run triple to the right-center alley made it 5-1.
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.
