Hawaii Prep is 9-1 against Kohala since March of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. Hawaii Prep will challenge Kohala at 3:00 p.m. Hawaii Prep is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.
Hawaii Prep is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Hawaii's top teams: Ka'u, who was ranked 24th at the time (Hawaii Prep was ranked fourth). Hawaii Prep's pitchers stepped up to hand Ka'u a 10-0 shutout on Saturday. Considering the Ka Makani have won six contests by more than seven runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Nishiki Iwai
| 03/29/25 @ Ka'u | 9 |
| 03/26/25 vs Kohala | 1 |
| 03/07/25 @ Pahoa | 5 |
| 02/22/25 vs Ka'u | 4 |
| 02/19/25 vs Honoka'a | 13 |
| + 3 more games |
Nishiki Iwai and Lex Ni were a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Iwai kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Ni tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. With that strong performance, Iwai is now averaging an impressive 5.2 strikeouts per game. At the plate, Iwai fired off two home runs, six RBI, and three runs while going 4-for-4, while Ni scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Those two home runs gave Iwai a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ed Lustik, who scored three runs while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Asher Anderson, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Hawaii Prep lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Kohala was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their 15th straight defeat dating back to last season. They came up short against Hawaii Prep, falling 12-1.
The victory made it two in a row for Hawaii Prep and bumps their season record up to 8-2. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Kohala, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.
Everything went Hawaii Prep's way against Kohala in their previous meeting on Wednesday, as Hawaii Prep made off with a 12-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hawaii Prep since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
