KEAAU — Hilo pitcher Zoe Cabarloc was all smiles, something of a rarity for the young ace, who showed poise beyond her years in a much-anticipated ballgame.
KEAAU — Hilo pitcher Zoe Cabarloc was all smiles, something of a rarity for the young ace, who showed poise beyond her years in a much-anticipated ballgame.
The freshman had reason to be in a good mood after she fired a five-hitter, and the Vikings rallied past Keaau 5-2 in a BIIF softball game on Thursday at the Cougars field, scoring all their runs in the last two innings.
It was an error-filled Division I showdown (eight miscues in all) where all the runs were unearned, highlighted by a wild seventh inning for the Vikings (4-1), who scored three runs on no hits and knocked the Cougars (3-1) from the unbeaten ranks.
Keaau senior ace Lohi Kamakea-Wong also fired a five-hitter, but walked five and two of those free passes scored as well as two other runs on errors.
Kamakea-Wong’s six strikeouts and her team’s three double plays just couldn’t neutralize all the extra outs, which came into play in the tide-turning seventh.
She walked Tia Ujano and Yaeko Tagami, Hilo’s Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, and one out later Chailey Cabalis reached on an error. Then Kamakea-Wong got an infield flyout and was on the verge of skipping away from trouble.
But Shalyn Guthier reached on an infield fielding error and two runs scored, and a third Viking scored on a fielder’s choice.
In the sixth, Guthier walked with the bases loaded to force in a run, set up by an error, and Gaylynn Ha had an RBI single that scored another unearned run. The inning ended when center fielder Karly Lopez threw out a Viking at home, a defensive gem for the Cougars.
Kamakea-Wong’s best pitch is her riseball, and she just didn’t have command of her dropball to get low calls in a strike zone that was consistent, just not open to anything upstairs.
In contrast, Cabarloc adjusted and spotted her pitches better, living on the corners and downstairs, a strategy that had Hilo coach Keri Kameoka-Vincent all smiles as well.
“Zoe was clutch. She always comes through every time we put her on the mound,” Kameoka-Vincent said. “She did a good job hitting her spots, low inside, low outside and kept the ball away from the middle of the plate.
“The girls can finally see the potential that they have and that potential that we saw in them. We have to continue to ride that high.”
In the bottom of the first, Rylann Hacoba singled and Kanoe Maka dropped a bunt single. Kamakea-Wong hit a fly ball to center that was dropped for an unearned run, and one batter later Erleen Oguma clubbed an RBI double to left.
The Cougars couldn’t score again but threatened often, leaving eight runners on base. But Cabarloc retired the side in the sixth and seventh, getting a nice running catch by Ha for the second-to-last out.
No one paired hits for Hilo, the three-time defending BIIF champion.
Hacoba batted 2 for 3 and Maka went 2 for 4 for Keaau.
Cabarloc allowed two unearned runs on five hits and three walks, and struck out two. She doesn’t throw hard, but she paints the corners with strikes, showing an ability to adjust to an umpire’s strike zone.
She stranded two on in the first, third and fourth innings. Keaau had a good shot to dent her, but Cabarloc got a flyout and two groundouts, respectively, not once throwing a mistake down the middle.
“I wanted to throw low strikes, and I mostly threw fastballs and drops,” she said. “I usually throw high, but I had to adjust (to a low strike zone). Every game I get nervous, and the first inning was rough. But my catcher (Caitlin Price) and my teammates had my back.”
Meanwhile, Kamakea-Wong was breezing along, inching toward a shutout, but then a combination of walks and errors, three each in the last two innings, proved too harmful and led to five unearned runs.
It was a painful loss, but Keaau coach Peter Ngirngotel pointed out a valuable lesson was learned.
“Give Hilo credit. They made the right plays at the end,” he said. “It all came down to that last inning. We did a good job until that last inning. Sometimes, it happens. We told the girls that it’s one loss and we have to learn from it and move on.”
Hilo’s young ace held the same serious demeanor for all seven innings, even when the Cougars tagged her for two unearned runs in the first inning. If Cabarloc was nervous, she hid it well.
Only until everyone cleared the field did Cabarloc finally let out a sense of satisfaction.
“It feels really good,” she said. “I usually don’t smile this much.”
Hilo 000 002 3 — 5 5 4
Keaau 200 000 0 — 2 5 4