LIHUE — Waimea’s Saecha Ann Padasdao Oyamot conked a 3-run inside-the-park homer and Caysha Goias-Soares sent the ball on an RBI triple to lead the Menehune to a 10-7 edge over Kauai High School Wednesday night before a crowd that
LIHUE — Waimea’s Saecha Ann Padasdao Oyamot conked a 3-run inside-the-park homer and Caysha Goias-Soares sent the ball on an RBI triple to lead the Menehune to a 10-7 edge over Kauai High School Wednesday night before a crowd that ringed the outfield at Isenberg Park.
“The girls worked really hard tonight,” said Waimea coach Chico Lazaro. “They played a complete game — defensively, pitching, and hitting. We couldn’t ask for more.”
Menehune fans started the evening quiet as the Kauai defense put out the first three batters in order and stoked the fire by pushing a run, Aleigha “Red” Scovel, home on a Tammie Yoshimori RBI single with two outs in the opening inning.
Waimea answered in the second frame with two runs, Alyssa Miyamoto and Brandy Domingo, on three conks, Kacie’Lin Agena getting two RBI on her single to deep leftfield. The Menehune defense stuttered on the Kauai home half, getting a runner on board with a walk before the Waimea defense took out the next three hitters, leaving one stranded.
“We’re going back to practice everything,” said Kauai coach Elena Kealoha. “We left too many runners out there. As coach Penny Vess said, ‘We’ve got to get the ducks out of the pond.’”
The Red Raiders came back in the third inning to push Scovel, on board on a bunt single, home when lefty Kyra Hirokane walked with the bases-loaded to knot the match, 2-2.
Menehune fans came to life in the fourth inning when Padasdao Oyamot whacked into her three-run shot to deep right-centerfield, pushing Kiani-Lee Motooka and Malisha Kali-Bagaoisan home to break the deadlock with two outs.
“The hits came at the right time,” Lazaro said. “As coaches, we need to keep the girls’ intensity up.”
From that point, Waimea never lost the lead, scoring two more runs in the fifth, adding a run in the sixth, and closing the night game with a pair of runs in the seventh on three hits.
Kauai answered with a run each in the fifth and sixth inning, and put on a late-game effort with three runs on four hits in the seventh, but came up short.
“We knew Waimea was going to come on hard,” Kealoha said. “They did everything they needed to do, and they did it well.”
Red Raider bats capitalized on a tiring Waimea pitcher, Shelbee Tavares, who earned her third win on the season. She allowed five of the Raiders’ nine hits in the final two stanzas, hit two batters in the sixth, and walked a runner in the seventh.
“We talked to her,” Lazaro said. “But she said, ‘Yeah, I want to finish’ and her defense got her back to hold on to the lead.”
Waimea finished with 10 runs on 13 hits, including the homer, and an RBI three-bagger.
Padasdao-Oyamot led the Menehune bats with her homer, and two singles, and Caysha Goias-Soares finished with an RBI on her triple. Agena singled and marked two RBI, Miyamoto added two singles with an RBI, Hi‘ilei Lazaro Chandler had two singles with an RBI, Starlyn Ripley and Motooka both singled to round out the leaderboard.
Yoshimori led the Raider hitting with a double, a single with three RBI followed by Hirokane smacking a double with two RBI. Tia Takasaki hit into two singles, Kahela Nishikawa-Chandler and Kailee Nii singled.
The first round ends for Kauai who earlier earned the first round title by claiming the Saturday double-header over Kapaa, 21-6, and 13-1 for a 5-1 standing. The Raiders next take the field in Kapaa on April 13 starting at 3:30 p.m. to start the second round.
Waimea, 2-2 in the first round, hosts Kapaa, 0-4, Saturday in a doubleheader at the Waimea Canyon Park starting at 10 a.m.
