LIHUE — Kauai High School took a 15-5 win over Waimea High School before the rains cut short the second match Saturday as the Kauai Interscholastic Federation closed out its softball season at Isenberg Park.
Waimea opened the fireworks early when Makeyah Wisneski pounded a 2-RBI triple to score courtesy runner Jamie Horner (running for Cheyla Goias-Soares, who singled) and Taira Abreu, getting first after being hit by a pitch.
Kauai answered the first inning wake-up with five runs on four hits for the 5-2 lead.
The Red Raiders continued to churn runs, adding six in the third inning behind a three-run homer by Dreanalyn Tafiti and a 2-RBI single from Kahela Nishikawa-Chandler. They added three more runs in the fourth, fueled by another 2-RBI single from Nishikawa-Chandler, and an RBI single by Tafiti, and closed the fifth inning when Nishikawa-Chandler was hit by a pitch to generate a score.
Waimea could only answer its two-run first inning with three scores in the fifth when Maegan Soares drew first on one of two Kauai errors, scoring a run in the process.
Overall, Waimea marked its five run on five hits and four Kauai errors while Kauai conked 11 hits for its 15 runs. The Menehune committed no errors.
Wisneski topped the Waimea hitting with a triple, single and two RBI.
Goias-Soares and Horner shared the loss on the hill.
Tafiti went the distance to pick up the win for Kauai, allowing five hits while striking out four Menehune batters, walking five and hitting two batters.
The freshman Tafiti also helped herself in the batter’s box, finishing with a home run and a single for six runs batted in. Tia Rego had a double and Nishikawa-Chandler finished with three singles and four RBI. Hilarie Marcelino had an RBI on a walk, Saebre Kaleiohi notched two RBI on a single, and Katelyn Kuhlman and Justice Funamura-Sasil each singled.
In the second game of the double-header, Waimea took a 7-0 lead before the skies opened up to force the cancellation.
Marcelino gave up four hits, including a pair of doubles, while Shelbee Tavares took over mound duties for Waimea, holding Kauai to just one hit, a single from Nishikawa-Chandler.
The Menehune opened early with three runs crossing, two from Wisneski who got aboard on a Red Raider miscue, and an RBI single from Hi‘ilei Lazaro-Chandler. Starlynn Ripley hit into a three-run single in the second frame, and Lazaro-Chandler conked an RBI double in the frame before the rains came down.
