Kapolei routs Mililani in OIA Division I final
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
WAIPI'O — Despite missing several key elements from last year's team which won the state title, Kapolei repeated as O'ahu Interscholastic Association softball champion last night with a shocking 9-1 rout of Mililani.
The Hurricanes (12-4) will receive the OIA's seed and first-round bye in the Division I state tournament Wednesday through Saturday at the UH's Rainbow Wahine Stadium.
Mililani (12-3) will begin state tournament play Wednesday.
A freak play in the top of the first inning last night proved to be the turning point. With one out and the bases loaded, Kapolei's Charnelle Ioane hit a sharp grounder in the hole between first and second, where it hit runner Jasmin Yoro in stride and rolled toward center field.
A base umpire ruled the ball dead and Yoro out, and there was some chaos as to which runners should be where. But after being alerted to an obscure rule by two Kapolei assistant coaches, all four umpires conferenced and crew chief Dan Toyama declared it was a live ball, making Yoro safe and awarding the Hurricanes two runs for a 2-0 lead.
After the game, Toyama explained the ruling to The Advertiser: "The ball went past the first baseman and the second baseman, and the runner was in back of them, so because the ball went behind the two fielders who had a play on the ball, (the rule says) it's still a live ball. The right fielder was too far away, so no other person had a chance to make a play on the ball."
As for awarding the two runs and placing Yoro at third base and Ioane at second, Toyama said National Federation rules allow the umpires to correct confusion resulting from an incorrectly declared dead ball.
"The second run would have scored and the batter would have reached second because the ball was still rolling around," Toyama said.
Tajia Acierto followed with a two-run single to make it 4-0, and Kapolei added another run to go up 5-0 before the Trojans even came to bat.
"It would have been a different game if the runner (Yoro) was out and no runs came in on that play," Mililani coach Mike Okimoto said. "But take nothing away from Kapolei. Tajia threw (six) innings this morning and then came back and threw seven more against us. She's a good kid and she's tough."
Acierto finished with a three-hitter and allowed her only run in the fifth. Earlier in the day, she pitched six innings as the Hurricanes beat Pearl City, 11-3, in a continuation of Friday's semifinal which was suspended by rain.
"I put it all on Tajia's shoulders, but she's such a gamer and she came through for us again," Kapolei coach Tony Saffery said. "I couldn't ask for more from her."
Acierto said her arm felt fine, especially after an extra long pregame warm-up.
"I was really shocked we went up 5-0, and it helped a lot," said Acierto, a right-handed junior who was The Advertiser's State Player of the Year in 2004.
The Hurricanes also returned Austi Paris, who went 2 for 3 with two RBIs, including a monster solo home run in the sixth inning to make it 9-1 and also made several spectacular plays at shortstop. But Kapolei also lost several key players to graduation and transfer.
"We knew we could (repeat as OIA champ) if we just worked hard," Acierto said. "We just needed to take it one pitch at a time, one game at a time."
Kapolei (12-4) 501 201 0—9 11 3
MILILANI (12-3) 000 010 0—1 3 2
Tajia Acierto and Ashlyn Ashby. Dana Lee, Makani Duhaylonsod (4) and Skye Virtudes. W—Acierto. L—Lee.
Leading hitters: Kap—Austi Paris 2-3, HR, 2 RBIs; Charnelle Ioane 3-4, triple; Acierto 2-4, 3 RBIs; Champagne Paris 2-2, RBI. Mili—Ciera Senas 1-3, RBI.
Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.
Kailua 1, Pearl City 0
Courtney Kessell and Ashley Hopfe combined on a no-hitter to lift the Surfriders to third place in the OIA Red Conference Division I tournament. Hopfe replaced Kessell with no outs and the bases filled in the bottom of the seventh, but got a force at the plate, a strikeout and a fly ball to left to end it. Brittany Tokunaga reached first on a fielder's choice and scored on a dropped fly ball to center for the game's only run in the fourth. Kessell had 12 strikeouts and four walks. Both teams previously earned berths in next week's state tournament.
Kailua (14-1) 000 100 0—1 4 0
Pearl City (12-3) 000 000 0—0 0 3
Courtney Kessell, Ashley Hopfe (7) and Erin Guerrero. Corrie Nishikida, Marina Gusman-Brown (4) and Noelle Hirahara. W—Kessell. L—Nishikida. S—Hopfe.
Leading hitters: Kailua—Shyenne Hussey 2-4; Brittany Tokunaga 1-3, Alisha Vegas 1-4.
Kaimuki 5, Moanalua 1
The Bulldogs scored five runs in the first inning and captured fifth place in the OIA tournament. Both teams secured berths in the state tournament.
Kaimuki (8-8) 500 000 0—5 5 0
Moanalua (9-6) 000 010 0—1 5 0
Genesis Fruean and Brandi Sasaki. Kanoyce Love and Shelby Nakachi. W—Fruean. L—Love.
Leading hitters: Kaim—Fruean double. Moa—Traci Yoshikawa 2-3.
In other games yesterday:
Kapolei (11-4) 050 220 2—11 12 1
Pearl City (12-2) 000 102 0— 3 6 4
Tajia Acierto and Ashlyn Ashby. Corrie Nishikida, Marina Gusman-Brown (2) and Krystal Plunkett. W—Acierto. L—Nishikida.
Leading hitters: Kap—Tricia Wakashima triple, 3 RBIs; Austi Paris 2-3; Kaili Smith 2-4; Acierto 2-4; Ashby 2-4. PC—Gusman-Brown double; Nishikida 2-3.
Reported by Cher Numata
Castle (6-9) 000 000 0—0 1 0
Moanalua (9-5) 102 000 x—3 11 0
Mical Panee, Audrey Ako (4) and Tiani Mattos. Sarah Robinson and Shelby Nakachi. W—Robinson. L—Panee.
Leading hitters: Moa—Traci Yoshikawa 3-3, HR; Robinson 3-3, double, triple.
Kaimuki (7-8) 000 002 0—2 3 0
Kahuku (7-7) 000 000 0—0 3 3
Genesis Fruean and Brandi Sasaki. Kamaile Hughes and Tatiana Vaimoui. W—Fruean. L—Hughes.
Leading hitters: Kaim—Fruean 2-3, 2-run HR. Kah—Tina Soliai 2-4.
Reported by Dean Hughes
Division II
Waipahu captures OIA White Conference title
WAIPI'O — Just one year after forfeiting its O'ahu Interscholastic Association season, the Waipahu High School softball team is heading to the state tournament.
Senior left-hander Tina Noga pitched a four-hitter with 14 strikeouts and a walk and also drove in a run yesterday to lead the Marauders past Kalaheo, 3-1, in the OIA White Conference championship game at Central O'ahu Regional Park.
Waipahu (14-2) will be the OIA's lone representative in the Division II state tournament Friday and Saturday at the University of Hawai'i's Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
"It's amazing," said Noga, a niece of UH's football-playing Noga brothers of the 1980s. "It feels great."
The Marauders played one regular-season game last season but had to forfeit the remainder of their schedule when academic problems shrunk their roster to eight players.
"It was disappointing," Noga said. "I didn't have hope for this season, and I was even asking my mom if I should transfer to another school close by, just so I could play my senior year. But a lot of girls came out (for Waipahu's tryouts), so that's what made me stay."
Noga made it even more worthwhile yesterday by driving in a run in the top of the first inning and then scoring on a wild pitch to give herself a quick 2-0 lead.
That was enough, as Noga mowed down the Mustangs' lineup with her powerful fastball and occasional change-up.
"She's tough," Kalaheo coach Al Cofran said. "In our (White) division, there's nobody who throws as hard as her."
The Mustangs' Kaliko Kepa also put on a spectacular strikeout performance, with 13 Ks. But she fell behind 3-0 in the sixth inning after Noga walked, stole two bases and scored on Anna So'oalo's infield single.
— Wes Nakama
WAIPAHU (13-3) 200 001 0 — 3 2 1
KALAHEO (14-2) 000 000 1 — 1 4 2
Tina Noga and Krissaundra Noga. Kaliko Kepa and Kaliko Serrao. W—Noga. L—Kepa.
Leading hitters: Kalah—Malia Samson 1-1, RBI; Waip—T. Noga 1-2, RBI; Anna So'oalo 1-2, RBI.
