No. 7 Kamehameha starts long week strong
by BILLY HULL on MARCH 6, 2017
It seems to happen every year now.

A bad couple of days of weather results in all hell breaking loose in baseball and softball. Umpires have to be shuffled around and pitching rotations get completely out of whack. Before you know it, you’re living the life of No. 7 Kamehameha, which embarked on four games in five days on Monday with a date against ‘Iolani still yet to be determined.

The Warriors had 10 days to spew over a well-played 2-1 loss to Saint Louis. Crusaders pitcher Chase Meilleur outdueled Warriors phenom Hunter Breault in a game that looked more like it was the postseason instead of the regular season opener.

Nonetheless, it wasn’t until Monday at Mid-Pacific that the Warriors got back out on the field. Breault had plenty of time to rest up but head coach Thomas Perkins instead went with junior Li’i Pontes in the circle.

Pontes wasn’t flashing the overpowering stuff of Breault — who touched 94 and sat 91 to 92 for much of his outing against Saint Louis — but he was just as effective.

Pontes allowed one run in the first inning on a two-out hit but otherwise went unscathed in five innings of work in the Warriors’ 6-1 victory.

Pontes allowed four hits and one walk with three strikeouts. After giving up a two-out RBI single to Jacob Yoshino in the first inning, Pontes allowed runners to reach on only an error and a bunt single over the next four innings.

“Our pitching coach (Jayson Kramer) has done a great job and we’ve kind of changed up some of the ways we’ve been working with our pitching staff,” Perkins said. “With those changes we’ve seen a little more liveliness in those arms.”

Pontes got into a little trouble with two outs in the fifth inning, but got out of it when a Mid-Pacific runner was thrown out stealing third on a busted play.

Reliever Jace Borja was lights out over the final two innings retiring all six batters he faced.

“I’m happy with the way our pitching staff has progressed,” Perkins said.

The rainouts have kept Perkins from really testing some of his downstaff guys, but Pontes and Breault aren’t helping either with back-to-back quality starts.

Breault will take the mound today as the Warriors face league-leading Punahou (3-0) at 3:30 p.m. at Central Oahu Regional Park, weather permitting of course.