There was no shortage of offense in Kealakekua on Tuesday, as Konawaena outlasted Hawaii Preparatory Academy 16-14 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation softball matchup at Gabby Inaba Field.
There was no shortage of offense in Kealakekua on Tuesday, as Konawaena outlasted Hawaii Preparatory Academy 16-14 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation softball matchup at Gabby Inaba Field.
Konawaena (5-3-1) has nearly wrapped up second place in Division II for a home field doubleheader April 19 in the best-of-three BIIF semifinals, but Honokaa at 2-4-1 is technically still within striking distance.
The slugfest came on the Wildcats’ seniors final home game. As per tradition, the five seniors were celebrated in a tear-filled ceremony to conclude the emotional contest.
“The girls may have been a little more nervous because of senior day, but they did well,” Shellie Grace said. “Now, we are hoping for another home game in the playoffs.”
The last time Konawaena won the BIIF softball championship, the seniors were freshmen, leaving Dorian Anu Binney and the other Wildcat seniors aiming at championship bookends for their high school careers.
“My freshman year we won and that was an amazing experience,” Binney said. “It’s our senior year now, so we are hoping to go out with a bang.”
Appropriately, the seniors carried the majority of the load for the Wildcats against HPA.
Binney delivered on the mound, striking out 10 and allowing only two earned runs in a complete game. The veteran pitcher’s performance made up for 12 Wildcats’ errors.
“It was back and forth and so nerve racking,” Grace said. “It was an unpredictable one, but the pitching really calmed us down. (Binney) coming through for us on the mound is something she has done in the past and why she is one of our senior captains.”
Fellow senior Syleesia Jose recorded a team-high three runs, and knocked in two runs on 1-of-2 hitting. Jose also walked twice.
Kawena Lim-Samura took the complete game loss for HPA (0-6), allowing 10 earned runs, 13 hits and striking out five.
Ka Makani sophomore slugger Taimane Kamaka had a stellar day at the plate, going 5 of 6 with two RBIs.
HPA gained an early 2-0 advantage behind RBI singles from Lim-Samura and Kamaka, but the lead did not last long.
The Wildcats cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the first inning after Kaila Kaupe Deleon slapped a double to the left field wall, bringing in Jose. Consecutive hits from Binney, Lavinia Vete and Jayssa Grace to lead off the bottom of the second inning gave the Wildcats a 3-2 edge with no outs.
After the flurry of hits, the Wildcats feasted on Ka Makani errors. Konawaena added three more runs off of HPA errors with just a single hit, and entered the third with a commanding 6-2 lead.
HPA took the lead by scoring seven runs in the third.
Kamaka led off with her second hit off the game and came home on a double from Courtney Barro-Kilmede. HPA’s Tehani Grasso nailed a base-clearing shot, bringing in three runs and giving HPA an 8-6 lead. Grasso made her way home on a single from Kamaka, stretching HPA’s lead to three runs.
The Wildcats added four runs, retaking the lead on a score from Deleon on a wild pitch.
Armed with a 16-9 lead, Binney cooled off the Ka Makani offense the sixth inning, when HPA made the most of two beamed batters and a fielding error, racking up five runs in the stanza. The rally was highlighted by a long two-RBI double to center field from Malia Byram.
With two runners in scoring position, Binney recovered, getting the Wildcats out of the inning with her 10th strikeout.
“All I did was focus on the catchers glove and calming myself down,” Binney said. “It was really exciting and I just had to focus on my pitching. At a point it got a little crazy but I was able to focus and get out of it. “
HPA gets another chance for its first win of the season against Kamehameha on Thursday, while Konawaena wraps up its regular season Saturday at Ka‘u.
HPA 207 005 0 — 14 10 6
Konawaena 154 240 x — 16 13 12