By JOE FERRARO
Stephens Media
After Kohala’s Jovi Antonio squeezed a pop-up by Kealakehe’s Joyann Nena for the final out of a Big Island Interscholastic Federation regular-season softball game on Wednesday, the Cowgirls celebrated as if they’d won a league championship.
The way Sheana Cazimero sees it, if Division II Kohala can beat hard-throwing pitcher Summer McEntee and a Kealakehe team that has made the Hawaii High School Athletic Association tournament the past two seasons, the Cowgirls can accomplish just about any other goal they’ve set this season.
Cazimero plated Ashlyn Van Zandt with a two-out RBI single in the top of the eighth, and Chyler Imai scattered eight hits in a complete-game effort as the Cowgirls beat the Waveriders 3-2.
“It means a lot to beat a D-I team,” Cazimero said of Kealakehe. “And they’re good. (If we can beat them), I think we can pretty much get anything.”
Kohala improved to 6-3 in the BIIF Division II West Hawaii standings, remaining a half-game ahead of second-place Honokaa (6-4). The teams will play at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Kamehameha Park in a game that will likely decide the top seed in the West at the BIIF Division II tournament, which begins April 25.
Kohala coach Terrence Alcoran said his team’s win over Kealakehe (6-4) gave the Cowgirls a confidence boost that can carry them through the end of the regular season and beyond.
“It’s a very big win for us,” Alcoran said. “The girls know it’s a big win for them. I’m proud of them.
“Anytime you beat a D-I team, it’s big. We’re just a little school on the point of this island.”
And Kohala earned the victory against McEntee, who pitched a six-hit shutout at Kamehameha Park against the Cowgirls in the season opener for both teams.
On Wednesday, McEntee gave up three runs on five hits, striking out four and walking one.
“Summer is one of a kind,” Alcoran said.
Van Zandt gave Kohala a shot in the arm in the eighth inning by drilling a one-out triple over Kealakehe center fielder Taylor Kurashige’s head. The Cowgirls’ Jordelle Antonio then fouled out to catcher Kaleanani Anakalea-Haleamau for the second out, but Cazimero, a junior center fielder, served an 0-1 pitch into right field for her run-scoring single.
“I just tried to go out there and make contact,” Cazimero said.
Kealakehe threatened to score in the bottom of the seventh, when Kelina Palmer-Kahananui and Nicole Rivera strung together back-to-back singles against Imai. Kelsey Kanuha-Ezzo moved the runners to second and third by grounding out to second before Imai retired Nena on a pop-up.
Imai struck out just one batter, but she issued just one walk and stranded eight Kealakehe runners in scoring position.
“(Imai) had a nice change-up that kept the batters off balance,” Kealakehe coach Wesley Takimoto said.
At the plate, Kohala junior Tiani Luga finished a triple short of the cycle, going 3 for 4 with a sixth-inning solo homer that gave the Cowgirls a 2-1 lead.
The Waveriders tied the game in the bottom of the sixth thanks to some nice baserunning by Nena, who entered as a pinch runner after Anakalea-Haleamau led off the inning with a single. Nena went from first to third on one of Palmer-Kahananui’s two sacrifice bunts and scored on Nicole Rivera’s groundout to shortstop.
Palmer-Kahananui, Anakalea-Haleamau and McEntee all went 2 for 4, and Kanuha-Ezzo drove in a run with an RBI single in the fourth inning. But Takimoto said the Waveriders could have done better with runners on base.
“Kohala had the timely hits, and we couldn’t come through,” Takimoto said. “We had our opportunities, too.”
Kohala 000 101 01 — 3 5 3
Kealakehe 000 101 00 — 2 8 2
Hilo 8, Kamehameha 3: Raven Hall was 3 for 3 with four RBIs to back Ashlyn Kaneshiro’s complete game at Walter Victor Complex as the Vikings stayed atop the crowded East Division I standings.
Fantacie Keahilihau-Kuamoo was 3 for 3 with two RBIs and a double and Shyanne Higa-Gonzalves was 2 for 4 for the Vikings (10-2), who lead second-place Waiakea (8-2) by percentage points. Keaau (9-3) is also a game back heading into Friday’s game against Hilo at Walter Victor. The teams split two meetings earlier in the season.
Hall had a two-run single in the third to give Hilo a 3-0 lead, and she added an RBI double in the fifth and an RBI single in the sixth.
Kaneshiro struck out three batters and allowed four hits and four walks.
Janell Cameros was 1 for 2 with single in the top of the sixth as the Warriors rallied for three runs.
Kiani Wong pitched all six innings, yielding 11 hits, two walks and a hit batter with four strikeouts.
Even with the loss, Kamehameha (4-8) is still on track to secure the top seed in the East and a bye into the BIIF Division II semifinals. The Warriors lead Pahoa (2-9) by 1 1/2 games and own the head-to-head tiebreaker with each team having three regular-season games remaining.
Kamehameha 000 003 0 — 3 4 3
Hilo 102 02 x — 8 11 2
Honokaa 10, Hawaii Prep 9: With the bases loaded and one out, Hailey Paglinawan scored from third base on a passed ball as the host Dragons erased a four-run deficit and rallied past the Ka Makani.
Paglinawan, a sophomore, also earned the victory by pitching 2 1/3 no-hit innings in relief of Kayla Kalauli. She walked two batters and struck out two.
Trailing 9-5, Honokaa (6-4) took advantage of five walks to score four runs and tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. Senior Kawehi Bell-Kaaekuahiwi, who finished 2 for 4, capped the inning with a two-run single.
HPA (3-7) scored five of its six runs in the top of the fifth with two outs, getting RBI singles from Alex Disney and Shayla Ignacio, and benefiting from two Honokaa errors.
Ka Makani’s Stacie Doi, who had a sacrifice fly in the inning, also blasted a two-run homer in the third, finishing 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Camille Kiyota and Leahi Lindsey both went 2 for 4.
Ignacio, who pitched the final three innings, suffered the loss after allowing one run on two hits. She walked three and struck out two.
The trio of Kawena Lim-Samura, Nani Lum and Ignacio combined to walk 18 batters in the game.
Hawaii Prep 102 060 0 — 9 8 0
Honokaa 221 040 1 — 10 5 6
Pahoa at Waiakea: The game was postponed by rain and was rescheduled for 3 p.m. April 19.
Keaau at Ka‘u: The score was not reported
