Kaimuki's Tausaga wore out East pitching

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kaimuki's Tyleen Tausaga played first base, shortstop (as a left-hander) and dominated at the plate, batting .780 with six home runs, five triples and five doubles. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Broken down by selected games, the numbers are just as impressive: 2-for-2 with a double against OIA East champion Castle; 2-for-2 with a double, home run and three RBIs vs. third-place Kailua; 2-for-4 with a double against fourth-place Moanalua; 3-for-4 vs. Kaiser; 4-for-4 with a home run against Kahuku; 2-for-4 with a home run vs. Farrington; 3-for-3 with a home run against Kalaheo; 2-for-4 with a triple against McKinley.

And so on.

That's not to mention defensive duty as a first baseman and rare left-handed shortstop for a team that went 9-1 and finished second in the East.

It's no wonder, then, that the Kaimuki High School junior was named OIA East Player of the Year in a vote of league coaches.

Tausaga, chosen as a utility player, was the only Bulldog named to the East all-star first team.

Castle led the way with four selections: second baseman Kalena Souza, center fielder Sachelle Featheran, catcher Anuhea Young and pitcher Lia Pedrina.

All four Knights are underclassmen. Souza, a sophomore, was Castle's defensive leader. Featheran, a junior, got the offense started by batting leadoff. Young, a junior, batted .390 with five home runs. And Pedrina, a sophomore, went 9-0 as a pitcher while allowing only two earned runs in the regular season, and she batted .444.

Roosevelt, with shortstop Ashlie Dutro and outfielder Kelly Tanabe, and Kailua, with outfielder Pikake Choy Foo and pitcher Danielle Young, were the only other teams with multiple selections.

Other players named to the first team were Moanalua first baseman Marci Uyehara and Kaiser third baseman Mary-Ann Tualau .

Castle's Jon Berinobis, who led the Knights to a 10-0 record in the regular season, was named Coach of the Year.