Duke Knott crosses the plate ahead of the throw for the only Kalani run against 'Iolani in the HHSAA Tournament.

Falcon Run Into Hot 'Iolani Team

Stacy Kaneshiro | Scoringlive
May 8, 2018

Honolulu - Three Iolani pitchers collaborated on a one-hitter as No. 4 Iolani rolled over Kalani, 11-1, in a game called in the bottom of the sixth because of the mercy rule Tuesday afternoon at Les Murakami Stadium.

The Raiders (15-5-1) advance to the quarterfinals of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Division I Baseball State Tournament against fourth-seeded Mililani at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Starting pitcher Trevor Ichimura threw four perfect innings without allowing a batted ball out of the infield. He had two strikeouts in picking up the win. Brandon Yamane pitched the fifth, hitting Duke Knott with a pitch before allowing an RBI double to Noah Nakasone to spoil the no-hit bid. He retired three of the next four batters to keep the score 9-1. Aaron Wehrman added a scoreless inning of relief for the Raiders.

"I was a little disappointed but at the same time, we have to manage our pitching the best way we can, so it was best for our team," Ichimura said of being pulled out of his perfect game bid. However, having thrown just 46 pitches, he is eligible to return to the mound by Thursday.

Raiders coach Kurt Miyahira said the staff will see how Ichimura feels by then to see if he might want to use the right-hander by then.

"That was the plan," Miyahira said of Ichimura's efficiency. "He just executed. Credit to him."

"We'll see how my arm feels tomorrow," Ichimura added. "That's a possibility (of pitching Thursday)."

Kalani starting pitcher Riece Myers deserved a better fate. He pitched 4 2/3 innings and was charged with nine runs, seven hits and two walks. But seven of the team's eight errors accounted for eight unearned runs. Jarod Kaneshiro added 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Pablo Ruelas entered the bottom of the sixth trailing, 9-1. He allowed a single to Matthew Inaba and a double to Micah Yonamine to put runners at second and third. Shane Sasaki hit a fly to right fielder Knott, who dropped the ball for the eighth error of the game, scoring both runners to end the game for the 10-run differential.

Miyahira mixed two- and four-seam fastballs against the Falcons, who grounded out 10 times and struck out twice.

"The two-seam really sets up the batters for the four-seam because it has a little dip to it because they're not ready for it," Ichimura said.

The Raiders owned a 3-0 lead when they put the game away when they sent 10 batters to the plate in a six-run fourth. Two errors in the inning accounted for five unearned runs. Micah Yonamine reached four times for Iolani, batting 3 for 3 with a double and RBI.