WAIMEA — With water from the Gatorade cooler drenched all over her, Kaua‘i head softball coach Jacque Inouye was as proud as a parent, as she talked about her newly KIF crowned Red Raider squad last night at Waimea Canyon
WAIMEA — With water from the Gatorade cooler drenched all over her, Kaua‘i head softball coach Jacque Inouye was as proud as a parent, as she talked about her newly KIF crowned Red Raider squad last night at Waimea Canyon Ballpark, where Kaua‘i finished off its season with a 4-2 win over Waimea, which gave them the KIF title.
“This team worked really hard and in practice I told them that their attitude would make the difference and they showed it against Waimea,” Inouye said.
The Menehune, who have been the queens of the softball field for a while, fell to a tough Red Raider squad, who had a magical season.
“I give a lot of credit to the Menehune, they’ve got one hell of a team,” Inouye said after the completion of the game. For the Red Raider head lady, it was an emotional game that may have set a trend for the KIF softball world.
“These are my babies, I coached some of these players from when they were freshman and it all culminated into this (KIF title),” Inouye said.
Kaua‘i had its hands full with a Waimea squad, who didn’t go down without a fight.
Waimea jumped ahead in the first inning, as Melissa Moreno ripped a single to rightfielder Robin Jose, but Jose couldn’t come up with the ball and Moreno scored on the 3-base error for the 1-0 lead. Kaua‘i pitcher Sheri Gebauer was strong throughout her complete game win.
Kaua‘i answered the call in the third inning, as Ulu Kelekoma and A.J. Silva crossed the plate for the 2-1 advantage, but the Menehune came right back in their half of the third with Daelene Perreira scoring on a wild pitch to tie the game up at 2-2.
The score was untied in the fifth, as Shana Tafiti lifted an RBI sac fly, that allowed Ashley Nonaka to cross the plate for the 3-2 lead.
Waimea’s Nue Wong came up with a dazzling catch in centerfield for the third out in the sixth inning.
Kaua‘i added another run in the seventh frame, thanks to Angela Kirchner’s RBI single, scoring Randi Oketani, who was pinch running for Nonaka.
In Waimea’s seventh, Perreira led off with a double, but Gebauer K’d Wong and Cheri Kua. Waimea pitcher Sy Sagawa was the last out of the contest, as Kelekoma flipped the ball to Nonaka for the Kaua‘i win.
Waimea travels to Kapa‘a for the KIF softball finale, at 12 p.m., Saturday.
