By KEVIN JAKAHI By KEVIN JAKAHI ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald sports writer Snapping Waiakea’s 59-game winning streak was no piece of cake for Keaau pitchers Chelsey Pacatang-Hirai, Momi Cariaga and Lohi Kamakea-Wong. The trio combined on a four-hitter and stranded nine runners,
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
Snapping Waiakea’s 59-game winning streak was no piece of cake for Keaau pitchers Chelsey Pacatang-Hirai, Momi Cariaga and Lohi Kamakea-Wong.
The trio combined on a four-hitter and stranded nine runners, including the bases loaded twice, to fuel the Cougars over the Warriors 5-1 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation softball game.
It’s Waiakea’s first league loss in five years. The Warriors (5-1) have won the last five BIIF championships, but a road to a sixth just got a whole lot harder with the confidence boost the upset gave the Cougars (5-2).
Keaau capitalized on three Waiakea errors in the first to score five runs — with two unearned — off Chelsea Camello, who went the distance in the loss. She gave up four hits and two walks, and struck out four.
Pacatang-Hirai’s RBI single and Shaniya Kamakea-Wong’s two-run single highlighted the rally. Mahina Holman had an RBI sacrifice fly, and the other run scored on an error.
Lohi Kamakea-Wong was 2 for 3 and Shaniya Kamakea-Wong 1 for 3 with two RBIs to lead the Cougars, who lost their first meeting at home against Waiakea, 2-1, on an error.
Pacatang-Hirai went four innings for the win. The senior left-hander allowed a run on four hits and seven walks, and struck out two. Cariaga walked three, yielded no hits and struck out two in a scoreless inning. Kamakea-Wong pitched two innings and struck out one for the save.
“It’s our first win over Waiakea. It feels good and I’m happy the team helped me out,” Pacatang-Hirai said. “We never gave up on each other. It definitely boosted our confidence. I’m proud of myself, proud of our team and proud of our coaches for pushing us to get to this point.”
Keaau qualified for the state tournament for the first and only time in 2004. Cariaga, a senior right-hander, was then just a fourth grader. The upset gave her and the rest of the Cougars something to think about.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” she said. “It’s a good start to get us ready for the next round and the BIIF playoffs. Our hope is to win like every game we play. We lost to them 2-1 at home the last time.
“We were ready for it today. We came in and did our best.”
Waiakea answered with a run in the bottom of the first when Brandi Maximo clocked a double to left and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Scoring opportunities kept popping up, mainly because of Keaau’s 10 walks, but the Warriors couldn’t cash in. Twice, runners were thrown out at home, and Waiakea couldn’t buy a basehit with the bases full in two golden scoring opportunities.
In the second inning, right fielder Lohi Kamakea-Wong gunned down a runner at home to end the inning. In the third, Pacatang-Hirai threw a wild pitch with a runner on third, but catcher Cassidy Gonsalves whipped a dart to Pacatang-Hirai who made a clean tag for another inning-ending out.
Ahead 5-1, the Cougars made things interesting, walking the bases loaded in the fifth and sixth innings with no outs, and escaping each time by brilliant relief pitching.
In the fifth, Pacatang-Hirai walked the first two batters and was replaced by Cariaga, who walked the first hitter she faced to load the bases. Then she got back-to-back strikeouts and a flyout.
The self-induced dramatics continued the next inning when Cariaga walked the first two batters and was replaced by Kamakea-Wong, who walked her first hitter to fill the sacks. Then she retired the next three batters, including No. 3 hitter Anela Granito-Wallace, who smoked a line drive to center.
It looked like a sure bases-clearing hit, except Pacatang-Hirai was perfectly positioned in medium left-center field and took a couple of steps to make the catch for a loud out, smothering another Waiakea scoring opportunity.
“It was a little nerve-racking. It’s still a learning process for me,” said Kamakea-Wong, a freshman right-hander. “With the bases loaded, I just pictured just me and the catcher and worked hard. It was an exciting game and gave me a lot of big-game experience.”
Like baseball, softball has only one automatic berth at the Division I state tournament. The BIIF runner-up will have a play-in game. So late in the season there’s no better time to build momentum.
“It was an exciting game. It’s a big win for the girls,” Keaau coach Boy Wong said. “It boosts the confidence in themselves that it can be done. It’ll motivate them to work harder.”
Keaau 500 000 0 — 5 5 2
Waiakea 100 000 0 — 1 4 6
• Kamehameha 13, Pahoa 3: Kiani Wong struck out 13 in a four-hitter as the host Warriors (3-4) beat the East Division II rival Daggers for the second time in three meetings this season.
Alyssa McGuire batted 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs in a game that ended after 4 1/2 innings because of the league’s 10-run rule.
Wong didn’t allow an earned run and walked four.
Vaaigaomata Wilson hit a two-run double for Pahoa (2-6). Erin Martinez struck out two in three innings and took the loss. Ernel Oguma relieved and struck out two in an inning of work.
Kamehameha will host Hilo at 3 p.m today in a makeup game.
Pahoa 000 00 3 —3 4 6
Kamehameha 481 0x —13 7 0
• Hilo 5, Ka‘u 3: Wendilyn Simmons picked up the win as the Vikings improved to 5-1.
Shaylin Navarro took the loss for the Trojans (0-6).
Hilo 011 021 0 — 5 6 1
Ka‘u 100 200 0 — 3 8 1
• Kealakehe 8, Hawaii Prep 1: Ashley Isisaki walked six batters and hit six more in six innings, but she stranded 10 runners on base while allowing just one hit — a one-out infield single by sophomore Tiana Bertelmann-Tabac in the fourth inning.
“I’m just trying to have fun,’’ Isisaki said when asked why she continued to flash a playful grin every time HPA (2-4) threatened to score.
Kealakehe coach Wesley Takimoto attributes Isisaki’s laid-back attitude to the pitching experience the junior obtained in the circle last season.
“She was just learning last year,’’ Takimoto said. “She’s more comfortable this year.’’
The Waveriders (4-2) gave Isisaki all the run support she’d need in the first three innings, taking a 6-1 lead by taking advantage of three HPA errors and six walks by freshman Shayla Ignacio. Kealakehe turned four of the walks into runs.
In the first inning, Kaleanani Anakalea-Haleamau singled home Brooke Rivera, and Nicole Rivera’s sacrifice fly plated Lina Palmer-Kahananui. Both Brooke Rivera and Palmer-Kahananui drew walks.
Palmer-Kahananui also tripled in the third inning, lining the ball well over center fielder Chancis Fernandez’s head and scampering home when the relay throw home bounced well in front of the plate and over Ka Makani catcher Stacie Doi.
Meanwhile, Isisaki, who struck out five batters, made big pitches when she absolutely needed them.
Ignacio went the distance in a losing effort, allowing six hits and eight walks while striking out none. After a rough start, she limited Kealakehe to three hits and two runs in the final three innings.
Hawaii Prep 010 000 0 — 1 1 4
Kealakehe 213 020 x — 8 6 2
• Honokaa 8, Konawaena 5: Senior Kawehi Bell-Kaaekuahiwi highlighted a six-run fourth inning with a two-run single, and sophomore Kayla Kalauli pitched 4 1/3 to get the victory for the host Dragons.
Sophomore Kaitlin Augustin, who also drove in two runs, added a run-scoring single in the fourth inning for Honokaa, which improved to 3-3.
Both Augustin and freshman Jasmine Castro went 2-for-3 and scored a run, while freshman Kayla Requelman added a double.
Kalauli gave up two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out two.
Junior Alexis Fujikawa took the loss for the Wildcats (2-3), allowing six runs on four hits. She walked three and struck out three.
Konawaena had four of its six hits in the second inning, scoring one run on Syleesia Jose’s RBI single.
Konawaena 010 011 2 — 5 6 4
Honokaa 000 611 x — 8 8 4
Stephens Media contributed to this report.
