Cougars Go To Bat Against The Knights Friday
By Jack Danilewicz
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For the Kaiser baseball team, Friday’s Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East showdown with Castle (3:30 p.m.) in Kaneohe represents an opportunity to finish some unfinished business.
Lest anyone forget, it was the Knights who handed Kaiser one of only two losses in the East’s first round, in a 12-0 rout back on March 12. That showing figures to provide the Cougars a little extra incentive this time around, according to Kaiser assistant coach Vince Bedoya.
“I’m hoping the kids remember what happened last time so we can come out and play better,” said Bedoya, who filled in for Head Coach Peter Ho last week, while he was away watching his son play on the West Coast. “We were very flat that day, and we caught Castle on a really good day for them. They hit the ball and took it to us.”
The outcome of Friday’s game could go a long way in determining the East’s regular-season champion, as both Castle and Kaiser entered last weekend with 4-2 records - a game back of first-place Kailua.
“It (Friday’s game) could be a turning point for both teams,” said Bedoya, whose team was to play rival Kalani last Friday and Roosevelt on Tuesday in other key games.
While defense has always been Kaiser’s forte during the Ho era, how well the Cougars fare at the plate figures to be a key in Friday’s matchup. The Knights feature three of the league’s better pitchers in Pulama Silva, Josh Serano and Bryan Raines. Silva pitched against Kaiser in the first meeting between the schools last month and posted five strikeouts while scattering five hits to earn the win.
Kaiser is currently batting a healthy .325 as a team, with Joe Honma (.600), Pono Meyer (.611), Dustin Dela Pena (.500) and Bryce Marcouiller (.425) all hitting above .400.
“In our last three games, we’ve been hitting the ball pretty well,” Bedoya said. “Hopefully, we’ll be more consistent. In the beginning of the season, we had men on base, but we didn’t get that clutch hit.”
The Cougars also have been able to call on the long ball, especially from Meyer, who delivered three-run homers against both Kailua and Moanalua in the East’s first round.
“Pono has really come a long way and blossomed into a good hitter,” Bedoya said. “We had some workouts in the off-season, which he came to, and he got better. It’s starting to show now.
“Joe is seeing the ball real well now,” he added of Honma, a junior second baseman. He plays a good all-around game, and he’s a leader by example in practices and games. Dustin (Dela Pena) struggled in the pre-season, but he’s been coming along lately and he’s off to a good start (in East play).”
Kaiser has been rotating between junior Zach Wong and sophomore Kekoa Torres as its starting pitchers so far this season. With Torres as the scheduled starter for Tuesday’s game with Roosevelt, Bedoya envisions Wong beginning Kaiser’s game with Castle on Friday.
“We’ve relied on Zach a lot, and Kekoa has been consistent,” Bedoya said, “but we go by committee - we have a bunch of arms. Our pitching will need to come through for us on Friday. We didn’t hit our spots the last time we played them, but Zach will get another chance.”
Following Friday’s game, the Cougars still have regular-season games remaining with McKinley (away: 4/11), Moanalua (home: 4/15) and Kailua (home: 4/18).
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