Posted on: Friday, April 8, 2005
Leilehua uses quick start to stay unbeaten
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
PEARL CITY — You might call yesterday's O'ahu Interscholastic Association baseball showdown between Leilehua and Pearl City the beginning of a three-week "Best of the West" tournament.
Leilehua scored five runs in the first inning and held off the Chargers, 6-3, to stay unbeaten in the OIA Western Division at 4-0. Pearl City dropped to 4-1.
But it doesn't get any easier for Leilehua, which faces defending league champion 'Aiea (4-0) today at Fred Wright Park in Wahiawa. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
"We played them three times in the preseason and won twice, but they hit the ball well in all three games," said Leilehua first-year coach Kevin Tosaka.
Na Ali'i are still hitting, having scored a combined 46 runs in their past two games. But things get tougher for 'Aiea, with games against Leilehua, Campbell (4-1), Pearl City, Wai'anae (3-1) and Mililani (4-0) in the next 15 days.
In fact, all of those teams will be playing mostly each other over the next three weeks.
"Games like this are good for us," Chargers coach Mel Seki said. "We get to see exactly where we are."
Save for the poor start, Pearl City looked every bit a contender yesterday. But so did the Mules, who strung together five straight hits after one out in building the 5-0 lead.
"They were all good shots, good hits," Seki said.
The Chargers responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but Leilehua made it 6-2 in the fourth after Bryant Moniz's bloop single to right scored Andrew Ontai from third base.
Pearl City closed to 6-3 in the fifth after Bryant Katakura tripled and scored on Dustin Kim Seu's single, and the Chargers still had the bases loaded with one out. But Mules starter John Olley got a strikeout and groundout to end the rally and allowed only one hit over the next two innings for a complete-game victory.
Olley, a junior right-hander, said his curveball was a little rusty after he missed a week last month.
"I was trying to do more with it than what it was," Olley said. "It wasn't working at first, so then I tried to focus on keeping my fastball down and painting the corners. Later when my curve started to work, it was just a bonus."
Olley also went 2 for 4 with two runs batted in.
John Olley and Gavin Uyeda; Jason Tamanaha and Paul Domingo. W — Olley. L — Tamanaha.
Leading hitters — Leilehua: Olley 2-4, double, 2 RBIs; Yamaguchi 2-3, double; Bryant Moniz 2-4; Uyeda double; Casey Mel Ferreira double. Pearl City: Bryant Katakura triple, 2 runs; Dustin Kim Seu 2-3.
Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.
