Panis powers Aiea past Pearl City

The A-train could be due for title town in 2024.

Brennan Panis permitted just one earned run and three hits in six innings, striking out seven Chargers as No. 7-ranked Aiea doubled up Pearl City, 10-5, on a windy, sunny afternoon.

The senior right-hander also went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and two runs scored for Aiea. He added two stolen bases for good measure.

“He throws strikes. He pounds the zone. I think our defense can hang with anybody,” Aiea coach Brennan Alejo said. “I think we can make the correct plays and our offense takes that stress off of us. We can pound the zone. We don’t need to be so perfect in the strike zone. Our bats woke up today. I’m glad they bounced back in the win column.”

Alejo’s senior-heavy squad improved to 8-1 in OIA West play, Na Alii already have a head-to-head tiebreaker edge on second- place Mililani.

“People are coming to the games now,” Panis said. “Because we’re doing good. We appreciate the support.”

Aiea has 10 OIA baseball titles, including three under former coach Ryan Kato in 2004, ’06 and a D-II crown in ’15.

On Wednesday, Na Alii slapped 10 of their 13 base hits to the opposite field or up the middle, a lost art in this age of uppercut swinging angles.

“In our last game, we went away from that,” Alejo said, alluding to a 1-0 win over Waipahu. “We got back to our fake bunt, keeping them honest, moving the defense around. It opens up the holes. (Pearl City) threw guys with different velos today and we adjusted to it.”

Panis improved to 3-0 in league play with an ERA of 0.75. He walked only one batter on Wednesday. In regular-season action, he has 24 strikeouts and a paltry three bases on balls issued. He has signed with Chaminade.

“Pearl City is a tough team to pitch against. I just knew I had to throw strikes and let my defense do the work for me. I felt a little tight (before the game), but overall, I felt good,” Panis said.

He throws a slider and change-up, but the fastball has a lot of movement.

“I coached him in Arizona (with Team Hawaii). He has five pitches. There’s a handful of great pitchers on the West side, but Panis is awesome,” Pearl City coach Duane Eldredge said. “If the season ended today, he’d be my guy for player of the year.”

Aiea’s only flaw: five fielding errors that led to four unearned runs. Yet, they play otherwise championship level baseball with quality at-bats up and down the lineup. Zion Ishikawa, who went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, might be one of the top hitters in the eight-hole in the OIA.

The visitors wasted no time against Pearl City starting pitcher Halona Felix. Kylan Kono led off with a walk, Ryen Abe singled, and with one out, Bostan Ujimori delivered an opposite-field double to left, scoring Kono. Dennison Zakahi followed with a single, plating Abe and Ujimori for a 3-0 Aiea lead.

In the second inning, Cadan Shaffer drew a one-out walk and Kono belted a double to center, scoring Shaffer for a 4-0 edge, chasing Felix.

Aiea added another run in the top of the third inning. Zakahi, who went 3-for-4, singled with one out and stole second base. With two outs, Shayden Muraoka’s twisting fly ball in the wind was muffed by Pearl City center fielder Jayson Au Hoy. Zakahi rounded third base, tumbled, got up and scored on the error for a 5-0 Na Alii lead.

The home team got on the scoreboard — which hangs on the left-field fence — with the help of two Aiea errors in the bottom of the third. Ethan Higashionna’s grounder was mishandled by Kono, the shortstop. After Logan Honma singled, Jace Noda grounded to third base, where the throw by Dylan Dumas was off target, allowing Higashionna and Honma to score.

Devin Fujino’s groundout brought Noda home from third base, cutting Aiea’s lead to 5-3.

Aiea struck again in the top of the fifth with three runs. Panis and Ujimori singled and advanced on stolen bases. Panis raced home on a wild pitch by Jace Lorenzo. After Muraoka walked, Ishikawa smoked an opposite-field double to left, scoring Ujimori and Muraoka for an 8-3 Aiea lead.

Pearl City fought back with two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth. Panis walked HIgashionna and hit Honma with a pitch. After Dumas muffed a ground ball at third base, the bases were loaded. Fujino grounded to second base, but the throw from Ishikawa forced Muraoka to stretch, and he dropped the throw. That allowed Higashionna and Honma to score, cutting the lead to 8-5.

With no outs and runners in scoring position, the Chargers went 0-for-3. Panis retired Noah Bernal on a pop-up, then whiffed Kenta Kawasaki and pinch hitter Caleb Felix to end the inning.

Aiea tacked on an insurance run in each of the final two innings. In the sixth, Panis doubled to center with two outs off Devin Won. Ujimori walked and Zakahi singled to load the bases, and Muraoka walked to force in Panis for a 9-5 edge.

In the seventh, Ishikawa led off with a single and pinch hitter Kamu Ohia-Pratt doubled to deep right center. Ishikawa came home on a double to left by Kono.

Kono moved from shortstop to the mound for one inning of scoreless relief.

At Pearl City

Aiea (8-1) 311 031 1 — 10 13 5

Pearl City (3-5) 003 020 0 — 5 3 2

Brennan Panis, Kylan Kono (7) and Cody Kamihara. Halona Felix, Jace Lorenzo (2), Devin Won (6), H. Felix (6) and Tyler Oshiro. W—Panis. L—H. Felix.

Leading hitters—Aiea: Kono 2-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, run; Panis 2-5, double, 2 runs, 2 SB; Bostan Ujimori 2-4, double, RBI, 2 runs, walk, SB; Dennison Zakahi 3-4, double, 2 RBIs, run; Zion Ishikawa 2-4, double, 2 RBIs, run. PC: Logan Honma 2-3, 2 runs, HP; Kenta Kawasaki 1-3.