Top-ranked Mililani continued its march to the OIA title with a 14-4 win over No. 6 Leilehua in six innings on Friday night at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Mililani (17-4 overall) will have a title-game showdown with Kapolei for the D-I league crown at 7 p.m., following the D-II final. The Trojans got a steady performance on the mound from Dani Monroe and Ashley Ogata, and a 16-hit attack had no mercy for their rivals from Leilehua.
“All in all, pitchers did really good today,” Mililani coach Rose Antonio said. “I feel very good. I feel very happy for our kids that they’re going to play in the championship game,” Mililani coach Rose Antonio said. “After all the pandemic and adversity, this is a great opportunity. Playing in this great facility is awesome. I tell them to have fun and enjoy the moment. That’s all they can do. This is for them. I’m happy.”
Mackenzie Kila and Makayla Pagampao homered, and the Trojans took advantage of five Leilehua errors.
The Lady Trojans met the Mules three times earlier, winning in preseason, 9-8, and regular season, 13-1 and 11-1. Leilehua (13-6 overall) will host Campbell for third place on Saturday.
Mililani and Kapolei have played three thrillers this spring. They met in the Trojan Classic on March 11 with the Trojans pulling out an 11-10 win. One week later, Kapolei edged Mililani in an OIA West opener, 10-8. On April 8, Mililani came up with a 2-1 win at Kapolei.
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“Kapolei is a great team. They have a great pitcher and they hit the ball well,” Antonio said.
The Trojans scored two runs in each of the first three innings to seize control. In the bottom of the first inning, Taryn Hirano led off with a single and with one out, Mackenzie Kila drilled a home run to right field.
In the second, Monroe led off with a walk and Makayla Pagampao singled to right, with Monroe’s courtesy runner, Sunni Kahanu, advanced to second base on an error. Amber Aniya followed with a single to left, scoring Kahanu and Pagampao for a 4-0 lead.
In the third, Monroe singled with two outs and Pagampao followed with a home run to left to open the Trojans lead to six runs.
After a three-run fourth frame, Mililani was on the verge of a TKO win. Kaui Garcia’s sacrifice fly scored Kila and a single to left by Monroe brought Kolbi Kochi home for an 8-0 lead.
After Pagampao’s single plated courtesy runner Kahanu, it was a nine-run cushion.
Leilehua responded with four runs in the top of the fifth. Leilehua’s new pitcher, Xaniah Toaiva-Talo, led off with a walk and Tetiare Suivaaia followed with a home run to left. With two outs, Taimane Panganoran walloped a solo shot to center, cutting the margin to 9-3.
After Torie Au singled, the Trojans replaced Monroe with Ogata. Kanani Kekahuna-Fernandez’s opposite-field single to right brought Au all the way home from first base, pulling the Mules within 9-4.
The momentum slipped away for the Mules when Mililani answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Kila walked and stole second base, and scored on a single by Kochi. Jackie Kirkpatrick’s towering fly ball to the center-field wall was dropped, allowing Kochi to score, stretching the Trojans’ lead to 11-4.
Facing Ogata, the Mules went three up, three down in the top of the sixth.
Mililani scored three more runs, aided by two errors, to end the game in the bottom of the sixth inning via mercy rule. Pinch hitter Kayla Sapolu and Hirano scored on a infield error, and Kochi’s single scored Rayna White to finalize the scoring.
Mililani has won six OIA titles under Antonio: 2007, ’08, ’10, ’14, 15’ and ’17.
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Paul Honda, Star-Advertiser
