HILO — At the plate with two strikes at the bottom of the fifth, Waiakea right fielder Jerrell Alston had an opportunity to do something special.
Wednesday’s BIIF Division I Baseball Championship was tied 2-2 with bases loaded, and the Kamehameha-91直播 Warriors were trying to get out of the fifth-inning jam. But Alston had different plans.
The senior connected with the 2-2 pitch, sailing a moonshot over Wong Stadium’s left-field fence.
Grand slam. Waiakea led 6-2.
“I think that’s the first time that’s ever happened in my coaching career,” Waiakea head coach Chris Honda said of Alston’s game-breaking hit. “What a special way to end it for him as a senior.
“He’s been a contributor all year long, both defensively and offensively. It’s attributed to his hard work throughout the year.”
Alston leads his team in hits, RBI and homers this season.
Waiakea was able to hold off Kamehameha for the remainder of the afternoon to be crowned champs once again — much due to Hurley Soong’s brilliance on the mound. The ace pitched the entire game for Waiakea — allowing just four hits and striking out four.
Soong leads the team in strikeouts with 21.
On top of Alston and Soong’s contributions, second baseman Jesse Inouye added two base hits, while teammates Cole Silva, Axel Akau, Kysen Honda and Zian Wery each logged one.
Waiakea finished the BIIF season perfect — an 11-0 record with a 109-7 scoring differential. The champs also went nearly two months without allowing a run.
Inouye leads the team in runs, doubles and triples.
“Our team is very fundamentally sound,” Chris Honda explained. “They take care of the ball on defense and make the plays that they’re supposed to make. Offensively, we’ve been coming around, and we’re very fortunate to have timely hits.”
Timely hits and clutch ability carried Waiakea to the Division I state championship in 2025, where they ultimately fell 5-0 to Saint Louis. While the ultimate goal wasn’t met, the run was still a valuable learning experience in terms of playing in high-leverage games.
Honda and company are hoping to build off that run and finish the job this time around.
“Having that state run last year really gave them a taste of what it’s like to play in the biggest game,” Honda said. “But (losing states) has definitely made them hungry, and I see them working hard every day. A state title is our dream.
“But we also talk about not looking past today and working hard today. We take it one game at a time and try to compete and win every inning.”
Waiakea’s last state title was in 2022.
On Kamehameha’s side, right fielder Iokepa Martines, shortstop Brock Ayudan, first baseman Dayton Hanson and third baseman Eriz Passi each logged a base hit. Ayudan leads the group in hits and doubles, while Martines leads in runs.
Kamehameha went through two pitchers on the mound — Kaikoa Nobriga and Hunter Yamamoto. Both players lead all team pitchers in innings pitched, wins and strikeouts.
Kamehameha finished the BIIF season 8-4, and also secured a spot in the state tournament. As of late Thursday afternoon, the official HHSAA DI tournament bracket and seeding has yet to be released.
Dragons clinch DII
Honoka‘a scored at least one run in each of the first five innings of Thursday’s BIIF DII Baseball Championship at Wong Stadium, beating HPA 6-3 to win the island title.
The win came as the ultimate bounce-back story for the Dragons, who were also in last year’s island championship, but fell short to Pahoa.
“Last year taught us a lot,” Honoka‘a head coach Waylon Salazar said. “Getting that close and falling short gave us all motivation and experience. The nerves were definitely there, but we just focused on playing the way we’ve played all season.”
The 14-0 Dragons have been nothing but dominant all year — finishing 14-0 on the island with a scoring margin of 146-12, including eight shutout wins. Their talent was shown against a strong Ka Makani team, even with the weather getting in the way. Storms called for the game to be postponed Tuesday, and both teams returned to the diamond the following morning.
Nonetheless, Honoka‘a remained poised to close the deal, no matter what the distraction was.
“We were ready to play through the rain, but coming back the next day, the boys were even more motivated to finish it,” Salazar explained. “We put up a run right away and then shut it down on the mound. Jayden closed it out with a strong performance — no hits, no runs, no walks and four strikeouts.”
Jayden Salazar, one of the Dragons’ premier arms, also finished the game with two hits and an RBI. He leads the team in doubles, while also holding a state-leading 0.00 ERA and 45 strikeouts.
Teammate Josyah Napoleon-Umeda also had a strong showing on the mound, striking out seven across 95 pitches. He leads the team in innings pitched and wins.
Napoleon-Umeda also has a 0.59 ERA with 44 strikeouts across 23 innings. But Napoleon-Umeda and Salazar’s stardom on the mound doesn’t stop there. Rory Crabbe additionally has a 0.00 ERA in 15 innings pitched with 28 strikeouts.
The Dragons also have one of the strongest lineups in the state, also led by Napoleon-Umeda — who leads the group in hits, runs, RBI, triples and home runs. Against HPA, he logged a hit.
Napoleon-Umeda’s teammate Kiakahi Lindsey was hot at the plate with three hits, while Isaac DeRego and Salazar each had two. Chrys Coelho, Hauoli McGurn, Crabbe and Napoleon-Umeda rounded out the remainder of Honoka‘a’s 11 base hits with one each.
The Dragons will return to the DII state tournament once again. Poised to make a deep run, they plan to approach the tournament like they have for any other game this season — taking it one inning at a time while trying to remain as consistent as possible.
“We’re excited for the opportunity,” Waylon Salazar said. “It’s going to be tough competition, but we’re focused on staying consistent with what’s gotten us here. Want the boys to have fun, play the game and compete. Setting our sights high.”
David Culbertson and Asher Anderson led HPA with one hit each. On the mound, Ed Lutik and Culbertson pitched for Ka Makani.
HPA dropped to 10-4, but will still play in the DII state tournament — just as a lower seed. As of late Thursday afternoon, the official HHSAA DII tournament bracket and seeding has yet to be released.
Hilo places third
Hilo High handled Konawaena in shutout fashion, winning 6-0 in the BIIF DI third-place game. The Vikings improved to 8-5, while the Wildcats’ season ended at 3-6.
With the win, Hilo will face Mid-Pacific on Saturday in an HHSAA DI play-in game. The winner will receive the final seed in the state tournament.
