Kailua beats Mililani for OIA softball title

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

KAILUA — In a game that proved to be as good as advertised, the Kailua High School softball team edged Mililani, 2-0, yesterday to win its first O'ahu Interscholastic Association championship since 1996.

Kailua's Courtney Kessell pitched a four-hitter with five strikeouts to outduel Mililani's Miki Asamura. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

The teams' 2002 Advertiser All-State pitchers, sophomore Courtney Kessell of Kailua and senior Miki Asamura of Mililani, were locked in a scoreless duel for the first six innings. But the Surfriders broke through in top of the seventh when sophomore pinch-hitter Erin Guerrero led off with a walk after fouling off 11 pitches, advanced to second on Danielle Young's sacrifice bunt and scored on Kessell's single to center field.

Pinch-runner Rusty-Ann Borges then scored on Loke Lastimosa's single to left to give Kailua an insurance run.

Kessell got a strikeout and groundout to start the bottom of the seventh before giving up a single to pinch-hitter Dana Lee. But Kessell induced a groundout to end the game.

"The way the game was going and the way Miki was pitching, I thought it was going to go 10 innings or more," Kessell said.

Kessell, who had 13 strikeouts in a semifinal victory over Leilehua Friday, finished with a four-hitter with five strikeouts and no walks. Asamura pitched a six-hitter, with five strikeouts and three walks — the most significant being Guerrero's.

Asamura, who walked only one batter in 45 innings during the regular season, got ahead 1-2 on Guerrero, a backup catcher who started four games when starter Kainoa Hughes was ill last month. But Guerrero worked the count to 3-2 and fouled off about seven pitches in a row before laying off an outside fastball, her 17th pitch of the at-bat.

"I was really nervous; I was telling myself, 'Please God, let me get a hit,' " Guerrero said. "But I could tell (Asamura) was getting tired."

Mililani coach Mike Okimoto said once the count got to 3-2, Asamura had no choice but to throw strikes.

"With three balls, she had to feed already," Okimoto said. "And Kailua, they're gonna hit. Miki held them down for most of the time, but they have a strong lineup and we knew they were gonna hit."

The Trojans had a scoring opportunity in the third inning, but a runner got caught at third after over-running the base. Mililani also stranded a runner at second with one out in the sixth after Kessell got two flyouts.

"They made all the plays," Okimoto said. "That's what we wanted to do, but we didn't. They did, and they won."

KAILUA 000 000 2 — 2 6 0

MILILANI 000 000 0 — 0 4 1

Courtney Kessell and Kainoa Hughes; Miki Asamura and Erika Au. WP — Kessell. LP — Asamura.

Leading hitters — Kai: Tanisha Milca 2-4; Loke Lastimosa 1-2, RBI. Mil: Casey Sugihara 2-2; B.J. Shimamoto 2-3.

• LEILEHUA 2, CASTLE 0: Pikake Nutter-Gaudet went 2-for-4 with run-scoring singles in the first and fifth innings and Alexis San Nicholas pitched a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and one walk to lift the Mules (9-5) past the Knights (10-3) in the third-place game.

LEILEHUA 100 010 0—2 6 0
CASTLE 000 000 0—0 3 1

Alexis San Nicolas and Pikake Nutter-Gaudet. Anuhea Young and Kristen Uze. WP—San Nicolas. LP—Young.

Leading hitters—Lei: Nutter-Gaudet 2-4, 2 RBIs; Shannon Guerrero triple.