The Kamehameha softball team has once again reached the peak after experiencing a valley.

Kamehameha scored six runs in both the second and fifth innings to rout visiting Maryknoll 17-7 in five innings in the ILH championship game.

“Despite some of the valleys that we’ve faced, we came back strong as a team and one thing that we did really well at was sticking together as a team,” said the Warriors’ Mikaela Scarborough, who batted 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and four RBIs.

Kamehameha had eight days off since being ousted by Punahou from the league double-elimination tournament. Two days earlier, Maryknoll beat Kamehameha 10-8.

Rather than dwell, the Warriors (12-5) decided to drill pitches against the Spartans (12-6) on Monday. Kamehameha pounded out 13 hits and drew 13 walks to earn a split of six games with Maryknoll this season.

“When we were out of the tournament, something we tried to focus these kids in on is we still have that one game left,” Kamehameha coach Mark Lyman said. “If we can focus in, we’ll be OK. Credit to the girls, they were able to block everything else out and focusing in on this one game.”

Kamehameha, the regular-season champion, and Maryknoll, the tournament champion, had already clinched the league’s berths in the DataHouse/HHSAA Division I Championships, which start May 14.

Kamehameha will be seeded and receive a first-round bye in the 12-team tournament.

“The energy and our bond is so close, going into states if we continue to stay together and play for each other, we will make it far,” said the Warriors’ Kezia Lucas, who homered and drew three intentional walks.

Maryknoll started freshman Molly Davi in the circle and Kamehameha had fellow freshman Peahi Grilho start in the middle of the diamond.

The first inning played

nearly identically for both teams Monday.

Spartans lead-off hitter Jenna Sniffen was intentionally walked, and clean-up hitter Palehua Silva belted a three-run homer.

“We always felt that if we can get to a fast start, we’ll start rolling, but hat’s off the Kamehameha,” Maryknoll coach John Uekawa said. “They really hit the ball hard. Kudos out to them.”

In the bottom half, the Warriors’ Mua Williams was intentionally walked to start the inning and No. 4 hitter Lucas hit a three-run homer to center to tie it.

“Honestly, I was just looking to go oppo (opposite field) and stay on the ground and not pop anything up,” Lucas said. “Usually when we think about that you get a hard-hit ball or a home run.”

Maryknoll took a 5-3 lead in the second when Kasi Cruz waited on a change-up and lined a two-run, opposite-field single to right.

Kamehameha responded with the six-run bottom half to take a 9-5 advantage. Scarborough started things with a two-run single.

“My mindset in the box is just to hit the ball hard, line drive or ground ball and just move my teammates over and just get on base,” she said.

Mariah Antoque added a run-scoring single, a run scored when Marley Espiau’s pop up was dropped by the shortstop, Bobbi Cambra drew a bases-loaded walk and Haylie Reiny had an RBI single. The Warriors sent 12 batters to the plate, had five hits and drew three walks — two intentional — in the second. Reiny had two hits in the inning.

The play of the day was turned in by Espiau, Kamehameha’s center fielder, who leaped into the retractable fence and robbed Ciana Kamisato of a home run in the fourth.

“Marley’s built different. Marley has been wanting to rob a home run like that since she got out here,” Lyman said.

“She works tirelessly on her defense and she’s incredible.”

The Spartans still plated two runs in the inning when Sniffen and Reyni Hiraoka scored on a throwing error by the first baseman, which got them within 9-7. Maryknoll didn’t get any hits in the inning, but benefited from two errors and two intentional walks.

The Warriors went up 11-7 in the bottom of the fourth when Reiny scored on a ball-four illegal pitch and Chong scored on a fielding error by the shortstop.

In Kamehameha’s six-run fifth, Reiny had a sacrifice fly, Chong had an RBI infield single, Scarborough hit a two-run double, Espiau was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Cambra drew a bases-loaded walk.

Williams, the Warriors’ lead-off hitter, was intentionally walked in all five of her plate appearances and scored three times. She was the only player in her team’s lineup to not get a hit.

Alexis Ahlo-Garcia, Reiny and Chong — the bottom three hitters in Kamehameha’s lineup — each had two hits and scored twice.

“The girls work hard and everybody works hard. I tell the girls all your hard work will pay off no matter where you are in the lineup,” Lyman said.

Sniffen, Maryknoll’s lead-off hitter, was intentionally walked in all three of her plate appearances and wound up scoring each time.

Maryknoll started three players who would normally open on the bench, Uekawa said.

“Our focus and attention is on the states,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, we wanted to win this game badly. But the other side of it is we were down to 10 players.

“Like I told them I’d rather lose this game than lose one of the next four games (in the state tournament) if we get that far.”