Thanks in no small part to Keaau’s Keian Kanetani, some of Hilo coach Tony De Sa’s worst fears were realized in Friday’s BIIF Division I baseball semifinals.
The Vikings suffered their typical first-inning jitters and came out sluggish against a determined senior pitcher, but none of it mattered because of Joey Jarneski.
Hilo and Waiakea are still on a collision course, though Hilo had to sweat out a 2-1 victory at Wong Stadium in its Game 1, using a one-hitter from Jarneski and scratching across runs in the fourth and fifth to survive.
The Warriors, who beat Kealakehe 10-0 on Friday, and the Vikings (10-3) were expected to cruise through the semifinals.