Mililani softball beats Baldwin, 7-6

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Mililani's Charity Senas sends a single to left field, scoring Chasity Senas with the winning run in the 12th inning against Baldwin. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser Today's games At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, UH Consolation G5—Baldwin (14-4) vs. Waimea (11-1), 9 a.m. G6—Kea'au (7-3) vs. Pearl City (9-4-1), 11 a.m. Winners' bracket G7—Waiakea (9-1) vs. Kailua (12-1-1), 1 p.m. G8—Lahainaluna (16-1) vs. Punahou (12-3), 3 p.m. G9—Kapolei (12-1) vs. Castle (12-2), 5 p.m. G10—Kamehameha (13-0-1) vs. Mililani (12-2), 7 p.m.

The Trojans (12-2) will play No. 1 seed Kamehameha (13-0-1) in a quarterfinal game tonight at 7. They advanced only after Charity Senas' bloop single to left field scored her cousin, Chasity Senas, with no outs.

Baldwin (14-4) had taken a 6-3 lead with three runs in the top of the 12th off Mililani starter Dana Lee, who helped her cause in the bottom of the inning with a two-run double to tie the score.

"After we lost to Kapolei (in last week's O'ahu Interscholastic Association championship game), my dad (Joe) told me to remember Kaleo Eldredge," Lee said of the University of California center fielder and former Baldwin standout. "He said she's always happy no matter what. So when we came in after they scored the three runs, I thought, 'What would Kaleo do?' I started cheering from the dugout, and good things started happening."

It was the second time in the game the Trojans had to overcome a three-run deficit. The Bears took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and went up 3-0 in the third.

Mililani, meanwhile, got five hits in the first three innings but saw three runners thrown out at third base and four others stranded.

The Trojans finally got a run in the fourth and two in the fifth, and the score remained 3-3 for the next six innings.

In the 12th, the Bears loaded the bases with one out and got an RBI single from Jenna Mailou and a two-run single by Sanoe Kekahuna.

"But we've had trouble this season keeping leads," Baldwin coach Ryan Souza said. "We'd always seem to give the momentum to other team. And God's honest truth, I knew three runs are not enough against a team like Mililani."

That proved true as pinch-hitter Kacie Allen reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the 12th and Thiffany Anguay-Kalau and Kimberly Goo followed with singles, the second one scoring a run. Lee then drove a pitch to right-center field, where it glanced off the glove of the Bears' right fielder in the alley, scoring two more runs.

Ciera Senas then reached on a bunt single to advance her sister (pinch-running for Lee) to third, and cousin Charity came to the plate having had three straight hits and then three consecutive flyouts in her previous six at-bats.

"I thought my hitting had come back, but then I kept popping up," Charity said. "They were pitching me risers, but that (last) pitch was inside and I knew I didn't need a big hit — just a little one."

Nicole Alconcel, one of four freshmen starters for Baldwin, pitched the entire game and also went 4 for 7.

Souza inserted a fifth freshman into the lineup after a starter was injured in the seventh inning. The Bears have nine freshmen.

"Before the game I told the girls to don't make age a factor, but now I'm the proudest coach in the tournament," Souza said. "They're young, but they fought all the way to the end."

BALDWIN (14-4) 201 000 000 003 — 6 10 2
MILILANI (12-2) 000 012 000 004 — 7 18 2

Nicole Alconcel and Sanoe Kekahuna; Dana Lee and Stacey Sakata. W — Lee. L — Alconcel.

Leading hitters: Baldwin — Alconcel 4-7; Kekahuna 2-5, 3 RBIs; Angela Larose 2-4. Mililani — Lee 4-7, double, 2 RBIs; Charity Senas 4-7, double, 2 RBIs; Casey Sugihara 3-6; Samantha Bolosan 2-5, double; Ciera Senas 2-5; Thiffany Anguay-Kalau 2-5.

KAILUA 2, WAIMEA 0: Shyenne Hussey hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Courtney Kessell took a perfect game into the seventh and finished with a no-hitter and 14 strikeouts.

Moani Durant, who walked on a 3-2 count to lead off the seventh, was Waimea's only base runner.

KAILUA (12-1-1) 200 000 0 — 2 4 0
WAIMEA (11-1) 000 000 0 — 0 0 0

Courtney Kessell and Erin Guerrero; Lynette Perreira and Kodi Oyama. W — Kessell. L — Perreira.

Leading hitters: Kailua — Shyenne Hussey home run, 2 RBIs; Tanisha Milca 2-3.

PUNAHOU 4, PEARL CITY 0: Sarah Weisskopf pitched a five-hitter with six strikeouts and no walks and went 2 for 3 to lead the Buffanblu past the Chargers.

Kelly Ishii scored on an error in the first inning and Nicky Hamayasu's two-run single scored Weisskopf and Cristen Aona to key a three-run sixth.

Pearl City got its first two runners aboard in the top of the sixth but Punahou got a double play on a flyout and relay throw to home. Weisskopf then got a strikeout to kill the rally.

PEARL CITY (9-4-1) 000 000 0 — 0 5 2
PUNAHOU (12-3) 100 003 X — 4 8 0

Krystal Plunkett and Noelle Hirahara; Sarah Weisskopf and Kaha Weir. W — Weisskopf. L — Plunkett.

Leading hitters: Pearl City — Kellie Nishikida 2-3; Shanna Viera double. Punahou — Nicky Hamayasu two-run single; Weisskopf 2-3; Kim Nagamine double.

CASTLE 18, KEA'AU 0: The Knights broke open a close game with 16 runs in the seventh inning on 15 hits and four errors.

Lia Pedrina had a perfect game going until two outs in the fifth inning, when she hit a batter. She finished with a four-hitter, striking out five and walking none.

CASTLE (12-2) 100 100 (16) — 18 20 0
KEA'AU (7-3) 000 000 0 — 0 4 5

Lia Pedrina and Tiani Mattos; Ku'uipo Nihipali, Nohea Villanueva (7) and Shayna Adviento. W — Pedrina. L — Nihipali.

Leading hitters: Castle — Stacy Yamada 3-4, RBI; Stephanie Pane'e 3-5, double, 2 RBIs; Mattos 2-5, 3 RBIs; Pedrina 2-5, double, 2 RBIs; Cheynah Farley 2-4, double, 2 RBIs; Lace Keaunui 2-4, double; Kalena Souza 2-4. Kea'au — Nicole Reister triple.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.