Kailua, Kapolei in state softball final

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kapolei's Austi Paris scores the go-ahead run ahead of the tag by Punahou catcher Kaha Weir in the ninth inning. Photos by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Kapolei's Tajia Acierto pitches against Punahou in the first inning.

At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium Division I YESTERDAY Consolation Lahainaluna 6, Castle 4 Mililani 5, Waiakea 3 Semifinals Kapolei 4, Punahou 2, 9 innings Kailua 3, Kamehameha 0 TODAY Consolation Baldwin (15-4) vs. Pearl City (10-4-1), noon Fifth place Lahainaluna (17-2) vs. Mililani (13-3), 2 p.m. Third place Punahou (13-4) vs. Kamehameha (14-1-1), 4 p.m. Championship Kapolei (14-1) vs. Kailua (14-1-1), 8 p.m. Division ii YESTERDAY Semifinals University 5, Honoka'a 0 Kalaheo 5, Lana'i 3 TODAY Third Place Honoka'a (7-4) vs. Lana'i 9-8), 10 a.m. Championship University (9-7) vs. Kalaheo (7-6), 6 p.m.

Kailua, a team with only two seniors, defeated No. 1 seed Kamehameha, 3-0, in last night's semifinals before a capacity crowd of 1,200 at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

The Surfriders will face Kapolei — a program in just its third varsity season — for the title at 8 p.m. The game will be televised live on OC16.

Kailua junior Courtney Kessell pitched a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and no walks to lead the Surfriders, who scored all three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

All three runs also were unearned, with Kailua getting only one hit but taking advantage of three errors and a wild pitch.

The Surfriders made four errors themselves, including one in each of the first three innings. But unlike the Warriors' miscues, none proved costly.

"I was so scared because they were getting on base almost every inning," Kessell said. "But I knew eventually my defense would get my back."

Kamehameha advanced runners to third base in three separate innings, but failed to cash in each time.

"We had (a hit) and took advantage of their errors at the right time, and sometimes that's what it's all about," Kailua coach Bernard Victor said. "But we beat a real good team tonight, I'll tell you that."

KAMEHAMEHA (14-1-1) 000 000 0 — 0 3 3
KAILUA (14-1-1) 000 300 X — 3 3 4

Noe Esperas, Kate Robinson (4) and Kaulana Gould; Courtney Kessell and Erin Guerrero. W — Kessell. L — Esperas.

Leading hitters: Kamehameha — Gould, double. Kailua — Brittany Madayag-Tokunaga double; Rusty Ann Borges double.

Kapolei 4, Punahou 2: Kapolei High School will be playing for its first state title in a team sport tonight after its softball team rallied past Punahou in nine innings.

Punahou was only 60 feet from being in that championship game after loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. But Kapolei sophomore pitcher Tajia Acierto got a fly to center, a popped-up bunt and a groundout to second to escape the jam.

In the ninth, Austi Paris led off with a single, advanced two bases on an error, and scored by sliding under the catcher's tag on a bunt to the pitcher. Malama Manuma then scored an insurance run on an error.

"To tell you the truth, I was scared (in the seventh inning)," said Acierto, who pitched a four-hitter. "But I just tried my best and thought, 'We didn't come all this way to lose now.' I just tried to make my pitches work and not go to three balls, and once we got the second out, I thought, 'OK, we got this now.' "

Nicky Hamayasu led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and advanced to second on an error and to third on a groundout, but Acierto got a fly to shortstop to end the game.

"This is great, because we've never been this far," Acierto said of the Hurricanes, who are in their third year as a varsity program. "This whole thing is a great experience."

KAPOLEI (14-1) 020 000 002 — 4 6 3
PUNAHOU (13-4) 020 000 000 — 2 4 2

Tajia Acierto and Jasmin Yoro; Sarah Weisskopf and Kaha Weir. W — Acierto. L — Weisskopf.

Leading hitters: Kapolei — Amanda Shigetani 2-4, RBI; Austi Paris 2-4; Yoro 2-4.

Consolation

Lahainaluna 6, Castle 4: Tiffany Nava pitched a four-hitter and went 2 for 4, and Audrey Chihara went 3 for 4 for the Lunas, who scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to rally past the Knights in a consolation bracket game.

LAHAINALUNA (17-2) 100 101 3 — 6 10 3
CASTLE (12-4) 000 130 0 — 4 4 3

Tiffany Nava and Tasha Pagdilao; Lia Pedrina and Stacy Yamada. W — Nava. L — Pedrina.

Leading hitters: Lahainaluna — Audrey Chihara 3-4; Teisha Mizuno 2-4, double, RBI; Nava 2-4.

Mililani 5, Waiakea 3: Dana Lee pitched a three-hitter, and Charity Senas and Casey Sugihara each had two hits to lead the Trojans past the Warriors in a consolation bracket game.

WAIAKEA (9-3) 000 300 0 — 3 3 2
MILILANI (13-3) 301 100 X — 5 8 3

Elise DuPonte and Harley Parks; Dana Lee and Stacy Sakata. W — Lee. L — DuPonte.

Leading hitters: Waiakea — Krystelle Garcia 2-3, RBI. Mililani — Charity Senas 2-3, double, RBI; Casey Sugihara 2-2, RBI.

DIVISION II

Kalaheo 5, Lana'i 3: Kaliko Kepa pitched a five-hitter with eight strikeouts and one walk to lead the Mustangs, who withstood a three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning, past the Pine Lasses in a Division II semifinal game at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Kalaheo (7-6) will play University High (9-7) at 6 p.m. today for the inaugural Division II championship. The game will be televised live by OC16.

The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Shannell Doane's run-scoring single and added three more runs in the third on three hits and an error. They made it 5-0 in the fifth on one hit and an error.

In the sixth, Lana'i (9-8) got three hits, including Ashley Fernandez's RBI single, and took advantage of three errors to score three runs. The rally brought roars from the crowd of about 700, but Kepa got a flyout to left field to end the inning.

KALAHEO (7-6) 013 010 0 — 5 9 4
LANA'I (9-8) 000 003 0 — 3 5 4

Kaliko Kepa and DeAnn Horswill; Jerri Fauate'a and Liana Alboro. W — Kepa. L — Fauate'a.

Leading hitters: Kalaheo — Horswill 2-4. Lana'i — Fauate'a 2-3, triple.

University High 5, Honoka'a 0: Jessica Ghazali pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts and one walk, and Dory Baga went 3 for 3 with a double and RBI to lead the Junior 'Bows past the Dragons in a Division II semifinal game.

Ghazali took a perfect game into the fourth, when Lurline Lorenzo led off with an infield single.

The Junior 'Bows took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a run-scoring single by Cara Hasegawa and an RBI double by Ku'ulei Padeken.

University High made it 4-0 in the second on Baga's run-scoring single and an error, then added a run in the fifth on Richie-Ann Titcomb's RBI single.

HONOKA'A (7-4) 000 000 0 — 0 2 3
UNIVERSITY (9-7) 220 001 X — 5 9 0

Deynna Pahio and Haunani Liftee; Jessica Ghazali and Iwalani Yamaguchi. W — Ghazali. L — Pahio.

Leading hitters: University — Dory Baga 3-3, double, RBI; Cara Hasegawa 2-3, RBI; Richie-Ann Titcomb 2-4, RBI; Ku'ulei Padeken double, RBI; Reesene Choy double.

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