St. Francis claims D-II crown, 4-1
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
St. Francis won its first team state championship in any sport last night when its softball squad defeated Waipahu, 4-1, for the Data House/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Division II title.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Sophomore Brittany Akana pitched a four-hitter with six strikeouts and the Troubadours (10-6) scored on two wild pitches and an error at the University of Hawai'i's Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
St. Francis' Jovan Hire slides home safely after a wild pitch with Waipahu's Noela Noga covering in the second inning.
St. Francis, an all-girls school in Manoa with an enrollment of 400 in grades 7-12, had won individual state championships in cross country and tennis but never in a team sport. The closest the Troubadours came was reaching the 2000 volleyball final.
"Everybody was pumped up at school today," said second baseman Sydney Kaneshiro, one of three juniors on a senior-less team. "All the teachers and students were so supportive."
St. Francis took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning after Jovan Hire got a one-out single, advanced to third on Tawni Glushenko's single and came home on a wild pitch.
Waipahu (14-4) tied it in the bottom half on Anna So'oalo's single, which brought home Tina Noga.
The Troubadours made it 3-1 in the fourth after scoring on a wild pitch and error and added a final run in the seventh after pinch-hitter Chelsea Nasimento got aboard on a dropped third strike, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Kaneshiro's single to left.
It was St. Francis' seventh hit off Noga, a hard-throwing left-hander who struck out 12 in Friday's semifinal victory over Kamehameha-Maui.
"We just tried not to kill the ball," said Kaneshiro, who went 2 for 4. "We just wanted to meet the ball with a short swing."
It may have been the Troubadours' first state title, but it was the second in a row for junior shortstop/pitcher Anita Manuma, who played on Kapolei's Division I championship team last year. Manuma said this title has no less meaning.
"It feels like we just won Division I," Manuma said. "I'm so proud of our girls, because we're a young team but they all played like they've been here for years and years and they hung in there. It doesn't feel any different."
ST. FRANCIS WAIPAHU
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Kaneshiro 2b 4 0 2 1 K.Sakamoto ss 3 0 0 0
Koki 3b 3 0 0 0 Ml. Spen. 1b 3 0 0 0
Hanlon pr 0 0 0 0 K. Noga c 3 0 1 0
Manuma ss 4 0 0 0 T. Noga p 3 1 2 0
Taira cf 3 0 0 0 So'oalo dp 3 0 1 1
Smith c 3 1 2 0 Rife 2b 2 0 1 0
Hire 1b 3 2 2 0 Kaleikini 3b 3 0 0 0
Glushenko rf 2 0 1 0 Mendiola cf 2 0 0 0
Nasimen. ph 1 1 0 0 Mh. Spen. rf 2 0 0 0
Lee lf 3 0 0 0 Nunu lf 0 0 0 0
A.Sakam. dp 3 0 0 0
Akana p 0 0 0 0
Totals 29 4 7 1 Totals 24 1 5 1
ST. FRANCIS (10-6) 010 200 1—4
WAIPAHU (14-4) 010 000 0—1
E—Kaneshiro, K. Sakamoto, T. Noga 2. LOB—St. Francis 5, Waipahu 3.
SB—Kaneshiro 2, Smith. SH—Rife.
St. Francis IP H R ER BB SO Akana 7 5 1 1 0 6
Waipahu
T. Noga 7 7 4 1 0 11
WP—Akana, T. Noga 3. HBP—Koki by T. Noga. PB—K. Noga.
T—1:48.
Division I third place
Pearl City 10, Kailua 4: Sanoe Aina batted 2 for 3 with a homer and five RBIs as the Chargers beat the Surfriders. Marina Gusman-Brown was 4 for 4 and Krystal Plunkett pitched a complete game for Pearl City.
Pearl City (15-4) 260 002 0—10 13 4
Kailua (16-3) 200 002 0— 4 6 1
Krystal Plunkett and Noelle Hirahara. Courtney Kessell and Erin Guerrero. W—Plunkett. L—Kessell.
Leading Hitters: PC—Marina Gusman-Brown 4-4, 2 stolen bases, RBI; Sanoe Aina 2-3, homer, 5 RBIs; Plunkett 2-4, 2 RBIs; Shanna Vierra double; Lauren Fujisaki double; Moki Opunui double. Kail—Guerrero 2-4, double, 2 RBIs; Shyenne Hussey double; Rusty-Ann Borges double.
Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.
