Hawaii Grown notes: Women’s sports
SOFTBALL
>> Lorraine Alo (Campbell), Portland State: Turned into a monster when playoff time arrived, mashing out 12 hits in six games with three walks and two homers. She earned all-tournament honors in the Big Sky Conference as the Vikings reached the championship game from the loser’s bracket only to fall in 10 innings in the title game. Alo finishes her freshman season with a .440 batting average, .521 on base percentage and .669 slugging percentage in 45 games.
>> Gigi Araki (Leilehua), UC Riverside: Lashed out six hits in a three-game sweep of Cal State Bakersfield, hitting two home runs in a series for the first time. She scored four times and drove in five runs. The senior hit over .300 for the first time in her career at .302, finishing with 18 homers and 80 RBIs in her 169 games .-Freshman Trendee Kahunahana (Kaiser) had two hits in the final game of the season, doubling her season total.
>> Kai Barrett (‘Iolani), Cal Poly: Had hits and walks in each game of a sweep of UC San Diego, scoring two runs and driving in another. The senior finished the regular season with a career-high 14 runs scored and one away from her best season in hits despite having 20 fewer at-bats than she had the year of her previous high.
>> Manaia Fonoti (Sacred Hearts), Coppin State: Had a busy week with six hits in four games, three of them in a win over North Carolina Central to take her Eagles to the MEAC championship game. The sophomore had career highs across the board this season with 28 runs, 47 hits and 22 RBIs.
>> Kaiana Kong (Campbell), Western Washington: The Vikings turned to the freshman in their most tense moments and it paid off. Clinging to a two-run lead in the sixth inning of the West regional, she was summoned from the bullpen and served up two scoreless innings. She took the circle again the the sixth inning of the deciding contest with runners on the corners and one out and a 2-1 advantage. She got out of that jam and then closed out Cal State San Marcos in the seventh to send Western Washington to the Super Regional. Joie Baker (Mililani) started the deciding game in the circle and Kanelihua Pitoy (Roosevelt) started at second base.
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>> Colby McClinton (Kamehameha), Cal State Fullerton: Drove in three runs in a game for the second time this season with two hits in a win over Long Beach State, earning a Big West Championship in her first season in NCAA Division I.
>> Marissa Nishihara (Mid-Pacific), St. Mary’s: Celebrated senior day by bringing the Gaels their first West Coast Conference title, slapping out two hits and scoring a career-high three runs in a win over Loyola Marymount. She only got 50 at-bats this season but hit .280 and is three knocks away from 100 in her career.
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
>> Tatum Moku (Kamehameha), Washington State: Scored a point for the Cougars in her first Pac-12 Track and Field Championships, taking eighth place in the pole vault. The freshman nailed her second attempt at 13 feet, 81⁄2 inches but failed to advance any further. She was the highest placer on her team.
WATER POLO
>> Ocean Akau (Kamehameha-Hawaii), Augustana-Illinois: Was named the Collegiate Water Polo Player of the Week for the second straight time, notching five goals on 71.4% shooting with two assists and a drawn exclusion.
>> Christina Hicks (Punahou), Stanford: Closed her career with a goal in a 10-8 loss to No. 1 UCLA in the national semifinals. The senior stayed behind as seven members of her squad took a leave of absence to prepare for the Summer Olympics, but she still took the Cardinal to the Final Four after two straight NCAA titles. She also scored a goal in the first round, an 8-3 win over USC. Hicks scored 47 goals in 25 matches this year after just 10 goals as a junior for 88 in her career.