Kyana Hirokane capitalized on a Kapa‘a error in leftfield to drive Kirra Jaquias across the plate in the eighth inning, giving Kaua‘i High School a 9-8 win over the Warriors in the Saturday nightcap at the new softball field at
Kyana Hirokane capitalized on a Kapa‘a error in leftfield to drive Kirra Jaquias across the plate in the eighth inning, giving Kaua‘i High School a 9-8 win over the Warriors in the Saturday nightcap at the new softball field at the Kapa‘a High School campus.
Earlier, Kaua‘i High School notched an 8-0 win to complete a sweep of Kapa‘a to close the first round of Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation softball.
The Raiders opened the nightcap with three runs on two hits with one away — only to have Kapa‘a answer with three runs in the bottom of the frame on a three-run home run by Ta’ashi Napoleon to knot the game 3-3 after Ka‘anoi Marshall, walking first, and Kalia Kaui, the Kapa‘a pitcher of record, got first on a fielder’s choice, Marshall advancing to second base on the play.
Kristen Yam, playing left field for Kapa‘a, put the Warriors up, 4-3, in the second when she scored on a sacrifice by Kaylan Donayri, Yam getting aboard on a single to rightfield.
The lead was short-lived as Kaua‘i answered with two runs in the third inning, a two-RBI triple by right fielder Khaya Bunao driving Daeja Cummings and Karlyee Malapit, both runners getting singles, for a 5-4 lead which stood until the fifth inning when Kapa‘a powered four runs, capitalizing on a tiring Aniase Soltren on the mound for Kaua‘i and posting an 8-5 lead.
Kaui, getting first on a walk, scored her second run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Nahea Quereto followed by Napoleon, also walking first, scoring on an RBI single from Chassidy Dabin.
Aliyah Cummings forced a two-run Kaua‘i error, scoring Reggie McCabe, Yam marking her second score of the game.
Kaua‘i marked a run in the fifth inning when Bunao, getting first on a Warrior miscue, scored on a sacrifice fly by Soltren.
Jaquias, walking first in the sixth inning, came home on a Ka‘a La‘amea sacrifice to knot the contest at 8-8 before the leftfielder broke the deadlock in the eighth inning for the win.
Kaui suffered the loss for Kapa‘a, going the distance and allowing seven hits, six coming in the first three innings, walking six and scattering four strikeouts, including two in the opening frame.
Soltren, going five innings, got relief from La‘amea for the win, the duo allowing nine hits, walking five and striking out eight batters and hitting one batter.
Napoleon led the Kapa‘a bats with her three-run homer, followed by Aliyah Cummings with two singles and three RBI, McCabe finished with two singles, Keisha Aki and Donayri each had singles, Donayri getting an RBI, and Yam finished scoring twice with two singles.
La‘amea, in addition to closing the game, had a single with three RBI and scored once, Daeja Cummings adding two singles and an RBI, also scoring once. Bunao hit a triple with two RBI and scored once. Moana Waipa doubled, Malapit scored once and marked a single, and Soltren marked an RBI.
Earlier in the day, Kaua‘i scattered eight runs over seven innings in its 8-0 opener, behind three RBIs from Daeja Cummings who scored once.
Jenessa Maghanoy scored once and had two singles and an RBI to lead the Raider bats, which churned up seven hits in the win. La‘amea scored once, marked two RBIs on a single, and Hirokane and Waipa each scored once and singled.
Soltren went the distance for the win, allowing seven hits, including giving up a pair of doubles and a pair of triples.
Aliyah Cummings marked two doubles, Marshall and Kaui tripled with Napoleon, with McCabe and Quereto singling.
She also struck out four batters and walked two.
Round 2 of the KIF girls softball starts April 4 when Kaua‘i hosts Waimea at Isenberg Park in a single game starting at 5:30 p.m.
