LIHU‘E — The Waimea High School softball team unlocked the gates to their lumberyard Saturday when they came to Isenberg Park to face Kaua‘i High School during a Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation softball twin bill.
Coming back from a 5-5 stalemate with Kapa‘a during the Wednesday-night season opener, Waimea asserted itself in no uncertain terms to claim victories of 20-2 and 23-3 over the Red Raiders.
During the first contest, Waimea piled up 16 hits for its 20 crossings, the big stick coming from Sianni Sakai, who finished with two hits, scored four times and pushed five runs home. Kaelyn Banquel scored once, had two hits and four RBI. The Menehune marked runs in every inning through five innings, with the heaviest taking place in the first two innings, when Waimea piled up 13 runs and held Kaua‘i to none.
In the first loss, Kaua‘i scored twice, once each from Edyn Naka‘ahiki and Hayley Ramos, and connected on three hits, two from Naka‘ahiki and one from Jei Li Rosare-Yadao. Both Kaua‘i runs came in the fourth inning of the contest that was shortened to five innings on the 10-run rule.
Losing pitcher Daelynn Keale gave up 13 earned runs on 16 hits, walked seven and struck out six.
Winning pitcher Taelor Camelo allowed an earned run on three hits while walking three Raider hitters and striking out two.
The Menehune hitting continued into the second contest, where two home runs in the second inning — one by Nia Pablo, and one by Sakai — led to Waimea scoring 14 runs before Kaua‘i closed the door. The scoreboard read 21-0 after two complete innings.
Waimea finished with 17 hits compared with Kaua‘i’s six hits accounting for their three runs.
Kaua‘i travels to Kapa‘a High Wednesday for a single match against Kapa‘a, with the first pitch going at 3:30 p.m.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
