LIHUE — Waimea High School’s Kieren Henderson and Makeyah Wisneski each hit home runs and Cheyla Goias-Soares threw a two-hitter to lead the Menehune to a 22-4 win over Kauai High School during the Kauai Interscholastic Federation softball game that opened Round 2 on Wednesday at the Isenberg Park.
The Menehune, claiming the KIF Round 1, started early when Starlynn Ripley banged an RBI single to drive in Taira Abreu, who got aboard on a walk off Kauai pitcher Kyra Hirokane who took the mound after the Raiders’ starting pitcher was injured earlier in the season.
“We didn’t have anyone to pitch,” Hirokane said. “I don’t normally practice pitching, but I could do it.”
Kauai answered in the bottom of the frame, driving in two runs on an RBI single from Cody Lagazo to drive in Justice Funamura-Sasil, getting first after being hit by a pitch. The Raiders went ahead after Lagazo crossed on a sacrifice fly from Lyla Samson.
That was the sole lead for Kauai as Waimea came back to push seven runs on just three hits in the second inning, and continued to churn 10 runs on three hits in the fifth inning.
Lagazo’s single was one of two hits allowed by Goias-Soares, the other a solo home run by Waileia Siale-Santos to open the third inning. Goias-Soares, in picking up the win by allowing just two hits, finished by striking out two Red Raider batters, walking three and hitting two batters.
She was relieved by Nikayla Oyamot-Taniguchi in the fifth inning, the closer allowing a hit off the first batter she faced before settling down to strike out one and relying on the defense to close the game.
Hirokane gave up nine of the Waimea hits, struck out two — one getting life following an errant throw — walked seven and hit two batters. She was relieved by Funamura-Sasil in the fifth inning, who gave up a run, a hit and hitting one batter.
Offensively, Waimea got two home runs, Henderson’s two-run shot in the third inning and Wisneski’s three-run bang in the fifth. Henderson finished with the homer, a double, and single, drove in five RBIs and scored twice. Wisneski finished with the homer and five RBIs while scoring three times — once after getting life after striking out but got to first on a Kauai miscue, and one a wild pitch in the fifth inning.
Abreu finished with a double and two singles with three RBIs. Maegan Soares had a double with an RBI to round out the hitting leaders.
Waimea next hosts Kapaa on Saturday in a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m. at the Waimea Canyon Park.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
