For the Hilo High Senior Five — pitcher Aliesa Kaneshiro, second baseman Shyanne Higa-Gonsalves, third baseman Reisha Hoopii-Haslam, center fielder Jordyn Breitbarth and left fielder Amber Vaughn — their last home game on Senior Day couldn’t have ended any better.
For the Hilo High Senior Five — pitcher Aliesa Kaneshiro, second baseman Shyanne Higa-Gonsalves, third baseman Reisha Hoopii-Haslam, center fielder Jordyn Breitbarth and left fielder Amber Vaughn — their last home game on Senior Day couldn’t have ended any better.
There was a bit of struggle, but eventually triumph. There were dirty uniforms after the traditional slide at home, but nothing but big smiles. Most of all they shared good memories with each other.
Kaneshiro pitched a six-hitter with nine strikeouts and just two walks as Hilo defeated Waiakea 7-4 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I softball game Friday at Walter Victor Complex.
The hard-throwing right-hander did a good job not beating herself. Only once the leadoff runner reached, and that was on an error. When Kaneshiro got in trouble, she delivered big pitches — usually with a bit of extra mustard on her fastball — to limit damage.
Higa-Gonsalves batted 2 for 4 and scored a run, Hoopii-Haslam went 0 for 2 with an RBI, Breitbarth was 1 for 3 with a run scored, and Vaughn was 0 for 3 with a run scored. Kaneshiro pulled double duty and batted 1 for 4 with an RBI.
They were upstaged by sophomore first baseman Shalyn Guthier, who clubbed a towering two-run homer in the fourth inning to stake Hilo to a 6-2 lead. She batted 1 for 2 with three RBIs and Moana Pinner went 2 for 3 for the Vikings (8-0).
“We played a tough game. Waiakea gave us a run for our money,” Guthier said. “The homer was another hit, but it felt good when I hit it. It was a fastball right down the middle. The key was to wait for the ball and stay back.”
Guthier is probably better known for her exploits in basketball, a sport she started as a 5-year-old. She was a late bloomer to softball, picking up a bat in the eighth grade. She said her heart beats the same for a monster homer and timely long-distance shot.
“A homer feels like a clutch 3-pointer that ties the game,” said Guthier, who noted there’s one better feeling. “I’m glad we won and made the seniors proud.”
Waiakea freshman right-hander Alyssa Hara went the distance in the loss. She surrendered seven runs (three unearned) on eight hits and two walks, and struck out two.
Taylor Ogawa batted 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Kaelee Carvalho 2 for 3 with two RBIs to lead the Warriors (6-2), who had games rained out Monday and Tuesday, then topped Keaau 9-7 on Wednesday, and Hawaii Prep 23-8 on Thursday.
The league has only automatic berth to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament. The BIIF champion, from the four-team playoffs, will earn that bid. The BIIF runner-up will host a state play-in game. (The BIIF has two automatic spots for the Division II state tournament.)
Higa-Gonsalves is one of two sisters to well-known brothers. Her brother Tyler Higa-Gonsalves, a 2013 Hilo graduate, is on scholarship at Luna College in New Mexico. Hoopii-Haslam’s brother, Ridge, a 2011 graduate, is playing ball at Oklahoma Baptist.
“I’ll remember our seniors for all the laughs we’ve had, and playing our hearts out,” said Higa-Gonsalves, whose brother Noah Higa-Gonsalves is on the Hilo baseball team. “I like how the five seniors stuck it out since our freshman year. We’re sisters and family.”
The Hilo Senior Five is part of a core that has netted back-to-back BIIF titles. The Vikings’ last league championship before this group was in 2006.
“We struggled and it wasn’t our best game,” Hilo coach Leo Sing Chow said. “We had a little disconnect, and lack of focus but we fought through it and put it together. The key was not giving up. We found a way to get through it and stay on top.
“We’ve definitely got unique individuals in our senior class. They’re a good group. They have a lot of character, a lot of talent and bring a lot of excitement with them.”
For five straight years from 2007 to ‘11, the Warriors collected BIIF crowns with veteran squads. Now, they’re really young. Only Carvalho, a left fielder, and Cheylee Octavio, a center fielder, are seniors while the rest are freshmen or sophomores.
A few of the Hilo seniors, like Kaneshiro and her two infielders, were overcome with emotion. Maybe it’s an outfield thing because Breitbarth and Vaughn gave simple, straight-forward answers on what was most memorable on Senior Day.
“I liked that we won. That was nice,” Breitbarth said.
“We came into the game with a good attitude and Waiakea gave us a good challenge,” said Vaughn, who, like Guthier, played basketball for the Viks. “We all had to work together and stick together to win.”
Hoopii-Haslam and Kaneshiro will likely be the longest-tenured teammates. Kaneshiro was on the Hilo All-Stars RBI softball team that reached the World Series last summer. Hoopii-Haslam is planning to play on coach Solomon Thomas’ team and hoping to draw the eye of college scouts this summer.
“What I’ll remember is being there for my team and trying to help the team win,” said Hoopii-Haslam under red-soaked eyes.
In the top of the seventh, the Warriors made things interesting when Ogawa stroked a two-run single to right field to slice Hilo’s lead to 7-4. But there were two outs and the Viking faithful were waiting with balloons and lei.
Kaneshiro recorded a game-ending strikeout. Then she took her turn swinging a bat and running the bases. After she was mobbed by her teammates and stacked with lei to the top of her head, she, too hit a home run on what Senior Day meant.
“The best thing is having fun with my team and spending time with them,” she said.
Waiakea 000 200 2 — 4 6 6
Hilo 220 210 x — 7 8 3
Kamehameha 19, Ka’u 1: At Pahala, Mykala Tokunaga went 3 for 3 with a home run and earned the win on the mound.
Leia Wong-Yuen (3 RBIs), Kiarra Lincoln (2 RBIs) and Makena Wagner each added three hits for the Warriors (5-2).
Kamalani Fujikawa led the Trojans (0-7) with two hits and also took the loss.