Posted on: Friday, August 13, 2004

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ATHLETES
Mililani-Waipi'o team goes distance for title

Advertiser Staff

The Mililani-Waipi'o 14-under softball team went through a rigorous running regimen during the season. Little did it know it was training for a marathon.

"We did a lot of conditioning," coach Paul Onaka said. "The girls would wonder why they had to do all that running."

It all paid off Monday when Mililani-Waipi'o won five games on a day that began with the first pitch at 10 a.m. and ended with the last out at 9:30 p.m. to capture the 42nd annual Bobby Sox National All-Star Tournament of Champions at Milpitas, Calif.

Mililani-Waipi'o finished the three-day, 14-team tournament with a 7-1 record. After losing a game on Sunday, it fell into the loser's bracket of the double-elimination tournament and forced Monday's must-win situation.

"To have to play five games and then go extra innings (in the championship), that's unheard of," said Onaka, whose team subsisted on spam, rice and furikake during marathon Monday. "We just got stronger and stronger (with each game)."

Mililani-Waipi'o had to beat Madera, Calif., twice to win the championship. It won the first game 4-1. Mililani-Waip'io beat Madera 3-2, in 11 innings in the second game to win the championship. But that's just half of the story.

The second game had to be moved to another site with the score 2-2 in the eighth because of darkness. The teams made the 15-minute drive to a field with lights, but discovered that it was not yet set up to play.

While coaches of both teams felt it was best to declare co-champions, tournament directors said the decision should be left to the players. And the Mililani-Waipi'o girls wanted to play.

"That was an inspiration to me," Onaka said. "It was windy and cold. It can be 90 degrees in the day, then 60 degrees at night.

"They came to play. The heart of our kids. The other teams were bigger physically, but our kids ... they had heart."

Mililani-Waipi'o scored the go-ahead run when Jordan Yuen drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the 11th to score Kaylen Ynigues.

Mililani-Waipi'o then hung on as Madera had a runner on third with two outs, before the batter flied out to third baseman Michelle Acosta to end the game and an exhausting 12-hour day.

"We celebrated all the way home," Onaka said. "Then we went to get pizza and In-N-Out burgers. By the time we got back, half of them were falling asleep already."

Kylee Rodrigues was the winning pitcher in the first game against Madera.

Ynigues pitched the first five innings of the second game and Makani Duhaylonsod threw the final six innings.

Mililani-Waipi'o roster: Michelle Acosta, Caitlin Basilio, Keicha Brunn, Kristen Campogan, Makani Duhaylonsod, Shawnie Grace, Kortne Oshiro-Chin, Ciara Paracuelles, Kylee Rodrigues, Kaylen Ynigues, Jordan Yuen. Coaches: Paul Onaka, Allan Duhaylonsod, Kimo Rodrigues, Kevin Brunn. Manager: Cathy Campogan. Chaperone: Caroline Takamine.

TOURNAMENT SCORES

Mililani-Waip'io 3, Madera 2, 11 innings