Kapolei dropped its first two games of the Oahu Interscholastic Association season, then proceeded to win 11 straight.
The fifth-ranked Hurricanes went down two runs to Waianae in the OIA Red semifinals on Thursday at Central Oahu Regional Park, then rattled off seven straight runs to win going away, 8-3.
Kapolei (12-2) faces defending champion Campbell (10-5) today for the league title at 7 p.m. at CORP. The game will be televised on OC 16.
Little rattles Tony Saffery’s team, and that goes double for his ace, Winona Pauline. The Eastern Arizona-bound senior gave up four hits in the first two innings, but somehow got out of the second frame unscathed — Seariders runners were on second and third with no outs — and grew more confident as the game progressed. She finished with a seven-hitter and had the go-ahead RBI on a sacrifice in the third.
“’Nona, pretty much the whole season, has been that way. Falls into trouble, but you see how she’s loose and relaxed,” Saffery said. “I’m not going to try to harness that; I’m going to let her do her thing.
“It was important that our bats answered … to let her do her magic on the mound.”
Kapolei got a bases-clearing triple from catcher Aimee Aipa, the No. 9 hitter, in the fifth to go up 6-2. First baseman Kacee Navarro added a 4-for-4 game, all singles, and right fielder Elizabeth Tuason went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
“I never doubt my team, because I know they’re always pushing through,” said Pauline, who had five strikeouts and no walks. “But the first couple of innings, I have to admit, I was kind of, a little shaken up when Waianae got on the board faster. I was like, ‘OK, we gotta do this, we need that one kick … we got it, and we all just started going.”
Waianae, the West’s third seed, trimmed it to 7-3 in the sixth on an RBI single by Dessarei Sivia, but that was as close as it got. Tiani Hensley and Kulia Kaluhiokalani notched hits on Pauline with aggressive swings in the first inning, and Lei Meyer and Sivia singled and doubled off her in the second. But that would be the extent of Waianae’s momentum, as Pauline got two popouts and a strikeout to escape.
Kapolei won the two regular-season meetings by a combined score of 9-1.
“We had a game plan of trying to play a short game and do something different,” Waianae coach Lincoln Naiwi Jr. said. “(Pauline) is a good pitcher and she throws really hard. … This was the best that we did (against her) today.”
Pauline is a strong candidate to pitch today, against Campbell’s Summer Palipti or Kayce Konohia, the other semifinal winner.
Kapolei last won the Red softball title in 2004 and ’05.
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At CORP
| Waianae (9-6) |
200 |
001 |
0 |
— |
3 |
7 |
3 |
| Kapolei (12-2) |
003 |
041 |
X |
— |
8 |
12 |
3 |
Kawehi Keopuhiwa, Raelene Diorec (4) and Kristy Keomalu. Winona Pauline and Aimee Aipa.
W—Pauline. L—Keopuhiwa.
Leading hitters—Wai: Tiani Hensley 2-4; Dessarei Sivia 2-3, 2b. Kap: Mikela Manewa 3b, 2 RBIs; Kacee Navarro 4-4; Ashalynn Umiamaka 2-4; Elizabeth Tuason 3-4, 2b, 2 runs; Aipa 2-2, 3b, 3 RBIs.
Campbell 13, Kailua 4
The defending champion Sabers took advantage of Surfriders mistakes and complemented them with 11 hits to turn a back-and-forth game into a rout. Campbell (10-5) advanced to face the West’s top seed, Kapolei, in today’s OIA title game.
A nightmarish fifth inning cost the Surfriders — they entered the frame up 4-2 and left it down 10-4. Kailua committed three of its five errors in the fifth as Campbell batted around to beat an East team for the third straight day.
“It feels great to go back,” said first-year Campbell coach Michael Hermosura, an assistant with last year’s title team. “Having the girls play the way they have the last three games, I think they deserve to be in the game.”
At CORP
| Campbell (10-5) |
002 |
080 |
3 |
— |
13 |
11 |
2 |
| Kailua (11-4) |
004 |
000 |
0 |
— |
4 |
6 |
5 |
Kayce Konohia and Kiana Ulufale. Destinee Chang and Sharla Kumai-Farrell.
W—Konohia. L—Chang.
Leading hitters—Camp: Sharae Esprecion 2-5, 3 runs; Summer Palipti 2-4; Daylene Antonio 2-4, 2 runs; Konohia 2-4. Kail: Amanda Kaleo 2 RBIs; Hiilani Wong 2-3, 2b.
OIA RED SOFTBALL
No. 8 Mililani 3, No. 7 Castle 1
Alysia Maddison pitched a four-hitter with two walks and 10 strikeouts as the Trojans beat the Knights.
Mililani’s Joen Baker hit a solo homer in the second.
Mililani will play at Moanalua today for fifth place.
At Castle
| Mililani |
011 |
000 |
1 |
— |
3 |
7 |
1 |
| Castle |
100 |
000 |
0 |
— |
1 |
4 |
1 |
Alysia Maddison and Ariel Beaudoin. Brandee Lane and Bailey Perry. W—Maddison. L—Lane.
Leading hitters—Mililani: Joen Baker 2-4, HR; Tori-Ann Baysa 2-4.
Moanalua 3, Leilehua 0
Leisha Yamauchi pitched a three-hitter and Na Menehune scored two runs in the second inning with the help of two errors.
At Moanalua
| Leilehua |
000 |
000 |
0 |
— |
0 |
3 |
2 |
| Moanalua |
020 |
001 |
X |
— |
3 |
4 |
2 |
Maegan Tupinio and Jasmine Villegas. Leisha Yamauchi and Chrissi Omalza. W—Yamauchi. L—Tupinio.
Leading hitter—Moanalua: Yamauchi 2-2.
OIA WHITE SOFTBALL
Kalaheo 12, Waialua 7
Mahina Turner batted 3-for-4 with two homers and six RBIs as the Mustangs beat the Bulldogs.
Kalaheo will play Nanakuli today for the White title.
At Aikahi Park
| Waialua |
021 |
110 |
2 |
— |
7 |
7 |
0 |
| Kalaheo |
211 |
251 |
X |
— |
12 |
12 |
0 |
Sabrina Tolentino, Charee Wong (6) and Gabrielle Maxwell. Mahina Turner and Janica Dement. W—Turner. L—Tolentino.
Leading hitters—Waialua: Ciara Balidoy 2-2. Kalaheo: Sarah Fitzherbert 2-5; Turner 3-4, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs; Venise Elisara HR.
Nanakuli 5, Waipahu 3
No details were reported.
ILH BASEBALL
No. 1 Mid-Pacific 13, Pac-Five 2
Marcus Doi went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a homer and three RBIs, and Brent Sakurai also drove in three runs as the Owls beat the Wolfpack in five innings.
At Mid-Pacific
| Mid-Pacific (11-2) |
220 |
90 |
— |
13 |
14 |
0 |
| Pac-Five (3-10) |
010 |
10 |
— |
2 |
3 |
2 |
Ivan Dilda, Jarren Dang (5) and Marcus Doi, Trey Saito. Ian Akamine, Chris Andreyka (4), Devyn Uyeki (4), Micah Witty Oakland (5) and Joseph Choy. W—Dilda. L—Akamine.
Leading hitters—Mid-Pacific: Nikolas Alarcio 2-4, 2 runs; Isaiah Kiner-Falefa 2 runs; Doi 3-3, 2 2bs, HR, 3 RBIs; Quinton Collier 2 runs; Travis Garcia 3-3, 2b, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Brent Sakurai 3b, 3 RBIs; Cal Muramaru 2-3; Bryce Asao 2b; Ryne Saiki 2b. Pac-Five: Jared Osaki 2 runs; Hampton 2b.
No. 3 Kamehameha 10, ‘Iolani 7
Alika McGuire went 2-for-2 with three RBIs as the Warriors beat the Raiders.
Trey Kodama, Moku Kukonu and Tyler Meditz drove in two runs each for Kamehameha, which scored five in the second and four more in the third.
At Ala Wai Community Park
| ‘Iolani (4-9) |
003 |
400 |
0 |
— |
7 |
10 |
1 |
| Kameham. (12-2) |
154 |
000 |
X |
— |
10 |
14 |
3 |
Caleb Duhay, Kelle Miyama (2), Dane Arakawa (4) and John Ryan Matsuura. Trey Smith, Zach Kaohu (3) and Moku Kukonu. W—Kaohu. L—Duhay.
Leading hitters—‘Iolani: Austin Darmawan 2-4, 2 runs; Joshua Inouye 2-4, 2b, 2 runs; Jonathan Ide 2-4, 2b, 3b, 2 runs, 3 RBIs; Corey Nakakura 2 RBIs. Kamehameha: Alii Pedrina 3-4, 2 runs; Trey Kodama 2 RBIs; Alika McGuire 2-2, 3 RBIs; Kukonu 2-3, 2 RBIs; James DeJesus 2 runs; Jason Murakami 2-4; Tyler Meditz 2-3, 2 RBIs; Joe Yokoi 2 runs.
No. 5 Punahou 7, Maryknoll 0
Zak Muenster pitched a one-hitter with two walks and six strikeouts as the Buffanblu beat the Spartans.
Neal Nakasone got Maryknoll’s only hit with one out in the sixth.
Kainoa Harrison and Tyler Loui each drove in a pair of runs for Punahou, which scored five runs in the fourth inning.
At Central Oahu Regional Park
| Maryknoll (5-7) |
000 |
000 |
0 |
— |
0 |
1 |
3 |
| Punahou (12-2) |
101 |
500 |
X |
— |
7 |
9 |
1 |
Josh Muneno, Chase Uyema (4) and Blaine Hokama. Zak Muenster and Kainoa Harrisn. W— Muenster. L—Muneno.
Leading hitters—Punahou: Harrison 2-3, 2 RBIs; Tyler Loui 2-3, 2 RBIs.
Damien 11, St. Francis 0
Skyler Tomisato threw a two-hitter and the Monarchs’ offense pounded out 21 hits in a rout of the Saints.
Troy Vicari, Tristan Florentine and Alan Mohika each had three hits for Damien.
At Central Oahu Regional Park
| Damien (4-9) |
211 |
302 |
2 |
— |
11 |
21 |
0 |
| St. Fran. (0-13) |
000 |
000 |
X |
— |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Skyler Tomisato and Alan Mohika. Tyler Apuna, Sean Baptiste (5), Kreighton Tsuruda (6), Cyrus Murakami (7) and Bryson Davis. W—Tomisato. L—Apuna.
Leading hitters—Damien: Troy Vicari 3-4; Tristan Florentine 3-3, 3b, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Alan Mohika 3-4, 3 runs; Lyle Alloy-Glover 2-2, 2 RBI; Austin Gonzalez 2-3; Tyson Sugimoto 2-3; Dylan Flores 2-2.
