The first day of spring is more than a week away, but Hawai'i high school baseball is well under way. And it didn't take long for the season's first upset.

Kapolei senior pitcher Kalani Omoto powered the Hurricanes to an 8-0 win over perennial power Mililani Saturday. The 6-foot-3 right-hander silenced the Trojans' bats over seven innings, giving up two hits and striking out four.

"I was basically hitting my spots (having control over his pitches) and my team was backing me up and making plays," Omoto said. It was Kapolei's first-ever win over Mililani in baseball.

"In my opinion, every game is big in Division I. It makes it tough for us, playing good teams every day," Kapolei coach Tom Ebanez said. "I've never mentioned to any of the players, I didn't want to put any pressure on them. In our five-year history, it was the first time we beat Mililani, so it was nice."

Omoto, who has two pitches — a fastball and a curve — doesn't have overpowering stuff, according to Ebanez. "He uses his fielders well, hits his spots," said Ebanez. "As long as he hits his spots, he's doing his job. The guys playing behind him, it's their responsibility (to make plays) and he's grown and matured to the point where he understands that. He was really poised Saturday."

Omoto could do no wrong in shutting down the preseason Red West favorite.

"It was just one of those days where everything kind of works and there's nothing that another team can do to stop that," Ebanez said. "We were fortunate to get plays that could have gone either way, but everything was working and Kalani did an outstanding job."

Omoto credits his sophomore catcher, Brandon Damas, who called the game.

"We're on the same page with each other," Omoto said. "He knows what I want to throw and when I want to throw it. There's hardly a time when I shake him off. He studies our pitchers and knows our abilities."

Ebanez said: "He doesn't play like a sophomore. It falls on my coaches; They worked with him and this kid just picked it right up."

Kapolei, which is playing all of its games on the road this season because of field construction, has three right-handers in its rotation whom Ebanez says he feels "real comfortable" with.

Oliver Taoy and Michael Sanchez — both seniors — combine with Omoto for what Ebanez calls "pitching by committee."

"There's no No. 1 or No. 2 guy. We all sit down and talk about it and then we just come up with who's going to pitch, but it's a lot of strategy now with the importance of each game," Ebanez said. Sanchez also is the team's third baseman when not pitching.

The win was especially redeeming for the Hurricanes following a 15-1 season-opening drubbing Wednesday to Pearl City, the defending OIA champion.

"Two days earlier, we got mauled at Pearl City," Ebanez said. "In the two practices we had prior to Saturday, we didn't talk about the (last) game, but just about taking it one game at a time and working hard."

Ebanez acknowledges it is early in the season, but he hopes the win will set the tone for the rest of the year.

"I was telling the kids, now that we're in Division I, we still have to earn respect," the fifth-year coach said. "Until we start facing everyone's aces, that's when you know you've arrived."

Reach Kalani Takase at ktakase@honoluluadvertiser.com.