Menehunes secure first-round title, prove tough to crack in clutch By JASON GALLIC TGI Sports Editor WAIMEA — To judge their level of success, some ball players look at the stat sheet, or listen to the praise of their teammates.
Menehunes secure first-round title, prove tough to crack in clutch
By
JASON GALLIC
TGI Sports Editor
WAIMEA — To judge their level of
success, some ball players look at the stat sheet, or listen to the praise of
their teammates.
Menehunes third baseman Shenelle DePeralta can add to
those a new standard by which to be judged. Immediately following Saturday’s
3-2 victory over Kapa’a in the second half a doubleheader (the Menehunes won
the first 6-0), Waimea head coach Pat Baniaga gathered his team in a
semi-circle and made an announcement.
“I just named Shenelle a captain,”
the coach said. “After the way she played today, it’s obvious she really
deserves it, and we’ve been looking for a fourth captain.”
DePeralta proved
her merit in successive innings — the top of the fifth, sixth and seventh —
by wielding an impressive glove at her third-base post. She snagged a rocket
off the bat of Kapa’a’s Shayna Carvalho in the top of the fifth, and leapt high
to field another Carvalho shot in the top of the seventh.
But her most
impressive effort came in the sixth inning, when Kapa’a , trailing 3-2, put
runners on the corners with two outs. The Warriors’ Lehela Laranio, who already
had smacked a second-inning double, got a full bat into a Bridget Louis pitch,
driving it toward DePeralta. The third baseman handled it in stride, scooping
the ball from the dirt and firing it to first in time for the rally-ending
out.
“I wanted her to be a captain earlier in the season,” Baniaga said.
“But she said she wasn’t ready. Now I don’t care. I’m making her a
captain.”
With their performance, the Menehunes ran their record to 5-0 on
the season and secured the KIF first-round championship.
“That feels
great,” Baniaga said. “It really does. But I tell the girls that we’re not
finished. There’s another half-season to worry about.”
The Game 2 victory
did not come with ease.
The Warriors jumped on the scoreboard in the top
of the first, when catcher Kassandra Wong drove a single into center to score
Carvalho. Another run came across just moments later when Chelsea Labuguen made
a bee line for home plate on a wild pitch.
Timely defense then became the
name of the game for each team. While the hits were consistent — the squads
combined for 11 — the scoring opportunities were few.
The Warriors’ lead
held until the bottom of the third inning, when an error allowed two Menehunes
to come home.
The tie lasted through the fifth inning. But in the bottom of
the sixth, Erin Castillo singled to left. That was followed two batters later
by a Jamie Koerte game-winning RBI single.
“Our girls just know how to
capitalize,” Baniaga said. “And we did it again tonight.
“I think it comes
down to practicing these skills over and over again. It really pays
off.”
The Warriors (2-3 KIF) threatened in the top of the sixth, but
DePeralta’s defense killed the rally.
Their performance earned the
Menehunes an extra days’ rest.
“The girls worked very hard, and I’m giving
them the Tuesday after Christmas off as well,” Baniaga said.
Wong provided
the hot bat for Kapa’a in the second game. She finished a perfect 3-for-3 with
an RBI.
Koerte led the way for Waimea. She was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The
Menehunes’ Louis picked up the win; Albette Nawai got the save. Kapa’a’s
Cherisse Labuguen recorded the narrow loss.
Game 1
Nawai delivered a
commanding 6-1 win in the first game. She struck out seven, and held the
Warriors to just three hits. Kapa’a’s Tiana Laranio struck out five Menehunes,
but yielded nine hits. The Warriors also committed six errors in the
game.
Koerte again had the hot bat for Waimea. She was 2-for-3. Maka
Keamoai was 1-for-3 and provided two RBI.
