Mililani, Kailua well armed for OIA softball tourney
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Miki Asamura has pitched two perfect games this season for Mililani, which has won 60 OIA games in a row. Mililani and Kailua are 10-0.
Advertiser library photo OIA Softball Varsity Tournament Today at 3:30 p.m. Game 1—Campbell at Moanalua Game 2—Kahuku at Kapolei Game 3 —Leilehua at Kaimuki Game 4—Roosevelt at Pearl City Tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. Game 5—Game 1 winner at Mililani Game 6—Game 2 winner at Castle Game 7—Game 3 winner at Wai'anae Game 8—Game 4 winner at Kailua Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Game 9—Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser Game 10— Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser Game 11—Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner Game 12—Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner Friday at 3:30 p.m. Game 13—Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (fifth place) at Kailua Saturday at Kailua Game 14—Game 11 loser vs. Game 12 loser (third place), 1 p.m. Game 15—Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (championship), following third-place game Games 14 and 15 televised same-day delayed on Oceanic Cable at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Admission will be charged for Saturday's games at Kailua: $6, general admission (high school and above), $4 students (8th grade and under), $4 students with activity book. |
But the four-time defending champion Trojans (10-0) will be hard-pressed to win their fifth straight title this week as Eastern Division champion Kailua (10-0) brings in a powerful team to the league tournament, which starts today. Mililani, the West champ, and Kailua, last year's state runner-up, draw first-round byes, as do East runner-up Castle (9-1) and West runner-up Wai'anae (8-2).
Most signs point to a Kailua-Mililani final, but longtime Kailua coach Bernard Victor refuses to make that assumption.
"Nothing we did before counts; what counts is what you do now," Victor said. "It can be a one-game tournament for anybody, one error can be the difference. Anything can happen, so you cannot relax. Even a fifth- or sixth-place team can still be dangerous."
The 12-team tournament certainly has sleepers, such as youthful but hard-hitting Kapolei (8-2, West No. 3) and unpredictable Leilehua (6-4, West No. 6), which made a surprising run into the semifinals last year. Wai'anae is another mature team that seems poised to stage a challenge.
But championship softball usually comes down to pitching, and Mililani and Kailua have two of the best in senior Miki Asamura and sophomore Courtney Kessell, respectively.
Asamura, the 2002 West Player of the Year, has thrown two perfect games this season, and also threw one as a junior. Although not physically imposing, Asamura can post high strikeout totals with pinpoint control and crafty pitch selection.
"She was tough," said Castle coach Jon Berinobis, whose Knights were shut out by Asamura in the preseason. "I think more than anything, she has the determination to do well. She takes on personal challenges. She does have good speed on the ball, and she has different pitches that she mixes up well. She can hit the spots."
Victor, whose team also faced Asamura for a few innings in the preseason, said technique plays a big part in her success.
"With her, everything is in balance," Victor said. "She has a good wrist and good motion, real good mechanics. Her ball is pretty fast and she has good control. Size helps, but you should never underestimate someone even if they're small."
Kessell has the size and talent to be a college prospect, and she seems to have improved from a stellar freshman season in which she earned first-team Advertiser All-State honors.
In the Surfriders' biggest game of the season, against previously unbeaten Castle, Kessell struck out 12 in a 6-0 victory.
Kessell also has been getting strong run support from her offense. In another East showdown, Kailua defeated Kaimuki, 8-0.
"Everybody's been hitting good," Victor said. "I don't want to say any one player has been (on a roll), because they all have been good."
By comparison, Mililani has won its big games by much closer margins (3-0 vs. Wai'anae, 3-2 against Kapolei). But like it has since 1998, the Trojans always seem to find a way to win.
"They just have all the perfect people in the perfect places," Berinobis said. "They play real good defense, and they're just real steady. They make few errors, few mental mistakes. They have good speed on the bases, too. They put a lot of pressure on your defense with their speed. And they seem to get tougher when the games get bigger."
In the Kapolei road victory, the Trojans fell behind 2-0 in the fourth inning but came back in the top of the fifth with three runs to keep the streak alive.
But like Victor, Berinobis said other teams can step it up this week, too.
"We should be OK," Berinobis said. "We just had one bad inning against Kailua, and maybe I should have made an adjustment in that inning. But anything can happen now. Even a team like Kahuku, they're young but they have a good pitcher and seem to be going in the right direction."
Kapolei, a team without seniors, got five solid hits off Asamura. Roosevelt, the fifth seed in the East, tied Kailua 0-0 in the Kalaheo preseason tournament.
"It's a crazy game sometimes," Victor said. "That's why I don't like to predict. I like to just go out and play."
