Menehune girls advance to states, beats MIL’s Lanai

Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Waimea’s Kieren Henderson heads for home with a homerun in the first inning after being congratulated by Coach Teddy Perreira in the third base coaches box, Wednesday during the DataHouse HHSAA Division II play-in game against Lana‘i at the Waimea Canyon Park.
Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Waimea’s Makeyah Wisneski scores in the third inning as Lana‘i’s catcher Micah Manuel takes the throw-out attempt, Wednesday during the DataHouse HHSAA Division II play-in game at the Waimea Canyon Park.
Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Lana‘i’s Angeline Matute comes home in the rain with a solo homerun in the fourth inning, Wednesday during the DataHouse HHSAA Division II play-in game against Waimea at the Waimea Canyon Park.
Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Waimea’s Starlynn Ripley scores in the fourth inning, Wednesday as Lana‘i’s catcher Micah Manuel takes the throw out attempt during the DataHouse HHSAA Division II play-in game at the Waimea Canyon Park.
Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Lana‘i’s Giyana Agliam is tagged out at home by Waimea catcher Aliyah Nordmeier-Kanahele to end the fifth inning, Wednesday during the DataHouse HHSAA Division II play-in game at the Waimea Canyon Park.

WAIMEA — Shandalyn Kuhlman held the Lanai Pine Lasses to just five hits to lead Waimea to a 14-4 win at the soggy Waimea Canyon Park on Wednesday night.

Kuhlman was joined by Kieren Henderson in the batters box who cranked a two-run homer in the first inning to knot the match, 2-2, to the delight of spectators who huddled under umbrellas and quick tents.

Henderson finished with a home run and a single to lead the Menehune, who picked up the win on eight hits.

The Pine Lasses stoked the spectators early as the leadoff hitter, Nyssa Barfield, whacked into Kuhlman’s second offering for a home run to the delight of the audience that braved the drizzly rain on the normally dry Westside.

With two outs, Raquel Leboeuf-Malacas singled and scored off a Waimea error generated by Adriana Sanchez for an early 2-0 lead.

The Pine Lasses’ bulge was answered by Henderson’s homer in the home half.

Jasmine Molina kept the fire going in the second inning, getting aboard on a Waimea error and scoring off a Barfield bang with two outs.

The Menehune answered in the home half when Maegan Soares singled and scored off a Lanai error generated by Waimea catcher Aliyah Nordmeier-Kanahele. The catcher went on to score off another Pine Lasses miscue to go ahead, 4-3.

Facing a 5-3 deficit, the Pine Lasses could only answer with another home run. She hit a solo shot to open the fourth inning by Angeline Matute — her second in the 2018 season — while Waimea piled on two runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and five in the sixth before the game was called on the 10-run ruling.

Kuhlman went the distance in picking up the win, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out one and issuing one walk.

Leah Vidad suffered the loss, giving up nine hits, striking out three Menehune, walking nine and hitting one batter.

Henderson was joined by Starlynn Ripley, who finished by scoring three times and had two singles. Makeyah Wisneski finished with two singles and a pair of stolen bases while scoring once. Maegan Soares finished with two hits and scored once.

With the win, Waimea, finishing second in the Kauai Interscholastic Federation standings following its loss to Kapaa during the championship playoff Tuesday afternoon, will join the Warriors at the DataHouse HHSAA Division II softball championships on May 8-11 on Oahu.

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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.

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