King Kekaulike hasn't had much luck against Baldwin recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. King Kekaulike will head out on the road to challenge Baldwin at 4:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with King Kekaulike sitting on five straight victories and Baldwin on six.
King Kekaulike is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Hawaii's top teams: Kamehameha Maui, who was ranked 17th at the time (King Kekaulike was ranked fifth). King Kekaulike put the hurt on Kamehameha Maui with a sharp 12-2 win on Saturday. The result was nothing new for the Na Ali'i, who have now won four games by ten runs or more so far this season.
Trista Otani and Kamalei Kekaualua made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Otani tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. Meanwhile, Kekaualua pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Otani scored a run while going 1-for-3, while Kekaualua scored a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Chiyo Salas was incredible, scoring four runs while going 2-for-4. Kaleimaile Garcia also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
King Kekaulike hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most three strikeouts in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Baldwin made easy work of Maui on Saturday and carried off a 10-3 victory. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Hope Batulayan-Cadorna spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on nine hits.
At the plate, Khaili Higa (Yaya) was a standout: she went 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Bailey Nagasako (Bailey), who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one double.
Baldwin's win was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-0. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for King Kekaulike, their record is now 5-1.
Wednesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. King Kekaulike has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .471. However, it's not like Baldwin struggles in that department as they've averaged .597. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
King Kekaulike couldn't quite get it done against Baldwin when the teams last played on March 5th as they fell 11-6. Can King Kekaulike avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
