HONOLULU — Quintin Torres-Costa not only put on a pitching clinic to carry Waiakea to the state championship, but he also offered a statewide OC16 television audience a preview of what’s to come next year when he’s a member of
HONOLULU — Quintin Torres-Costa not only put on a pitching clinic to carry Waiakea to the state championship, but he also offered a statewide OC16 television audience a preview of what’s to come next year when he’s a member of the University of Hawaii baseball team.
Pitching on one day’s rest, Torres-Costa was stellar for six innings and polished off Waiakea’s perfect season, beating Baldwin 5-2 in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state final Friday night before 1,384 fans at Les Murakami Stadium.
The senior left-hander was superb in his last outing as a Warrior in an all-neighbor island final — the first since Baldwin beat Waimea 10-7 in 1984 — coming close to an official complete-game no-hitter. He struck out 13, walked one and allowed two unearned runs.
Torres-Costa and Kodi Medeiros, who pitched the final inning, combined on a no-hitter. The only thing that stopped Torres-Costa, who has signed with UH, from finishing off the Bears was the HHSAA’s pitching limit.
For seeded teams, pitchers are allowed 39 outs for three games. With his complete-game 5-0 six-hitter over Castle in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Torres-Costa was eligible for 18 outs, or six innings. Medeiros pitched a three-hitter in a 2-1 semifinal win over Pearl City on Thursday.
Waiakea’s unofficial motto was, “Just don’t lose,” inspired by Kaha Wong, who coached a Hilo all-star team to a Senior League World Series title and runs a hitting school most of the Warriors (20-0) attend.
Torres-Costa, catcher Kean Wong, third baseman Korin Medeiros, pitcher/outfielder Kodi Medeiros and shortstop Davy Camacho — the Nos. 1 to 5 hitters in Waiakea’s lineup — were on last summer’s Senior League world championship team.
After finishing the Big Island Interscholastic Federation season with a 17-0 record, perfection was needed at the state tournament to capture the school’s first state title.
The Warriors came close in 1996 — losing to Iolani 4-1 in the championship — the year after pitcher Onan Masaoka left after being drafted in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft in the third round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Bears (15-2), the Maui Interscholastic League champion and No. 4 seed, last won the state title in 1995.
Trailing 2-1 in the fourth, Waiakea took advantage of three errors, scoring three runs on one hit. Camacho walked, and Reyn Kihara reached on an error. Then two throwing errors scored both Warriors.
The Warriors added another run in the fifth when Wong walked and later scored on Kodi Medeiros’ RBI groundout.
Wong was 1-for-2 with two runs scored to lead the Warriors.
Cabacungan took the loss. In 4 2/3 innings, he allowed five runs, two earned, on five hits and three walks. Anoai Moe-Keahi pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
At one point, Torres-Costa struck out seven straight, including the side in the fourth and fifth innings. Then Kodi Medeiros, who has verbally committed to UH, showed the strength of Waiakea’s pitching, striking out one to put the seventh to bed and fulfilling Kaha Wong’s motto of “Just don’t lose” for Waiakea’s first state championship.
Waiakea 100 310 0 — 5 5 1
Baldwin 200 000 0 — 2 0 5
c Hilo 9, Pearl City 8: Junior Chayce Kaaua went 2-for-3 with two RBIs at Les Murakami Stadium as the BIIF runner-up Vikings beat Pearl City in a Division I third-place game shortened by the tournament’s two-hour time limit.
In four games at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association tournament, the University of Hawaii verbal commit batted .462 (6-for-13) in the No. 2 hole.
Randall Iha pitched two innings in relief for the win. Koa Matson also provided additional offense, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Vikings (16-6).
Lane Asuncion took the loss in relief for the Chargers (11-7), the defending state champion and the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s No. 3 seed.
Hilo 120 60 — 9 7 3
Pearl City 210 05 — 8 8 2
Division II
c Maryknoll 12, Kamehameha-Hawaii 3: Kaelen Hirashiki had two RBIs, and the Spartans put up four-spots in the fourth and sixth innings to claim third place at Hans L’ Orange Field in Waipahu.
Aaron Tom got the win in relief for Maryknoll (9-9-1), the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion.
Keanu Dudoit-Isa had an RBI to lead the Warriors (12-7), the BIIF champion and No. 4 seed.
Kupono Decker pitched four innings and took the loss. Chay Toson and Kaimana Moike each pitched one inning.
Kamehameha 003 000— 3 7 2
Maryknoll 030 414 —12 14 1
c Konawaena 15, Waialua 0: The Wildcats scored 11 runs in the fourth inning to run away in a fifth-place game shortened by the tournament’s two-hour time limit.
Makana Canda scattered three hits over five innings, striking out three and walking one.
Domonic Morris, Royce Torres-Torioka, Jarrett Kitaoka and Jordan Miyahira-Young each went 2-for-3 for BIIF runner-up Konawaena (14-3).
Ryan Torres-Torioka was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Evyn Yamaguchi went 2-for-2.
Kekai Rivera-Albeso took the loss for the Bulldogs (8-8), the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s No. 3 team.
Waialua 000 00 — 0 3 2
Konawaena 301 (11)x — 15 14 0
