One out from elimination, Hawaii decided its time on the mainland wasn’t finished yet.
One out from elimination, Hawaii decided its time on the mainland wasn’t finished yet.
Skylar Thomas hit a go-ahead two-run single with two outs in the top of the seventh Sunday, and Hawaii beat Los Angeles 15-14 in Compton, Calif., to win the RBI West Regional for the fourth consecutive year.
Representing Hilo’s Nobu Yamauchi, Hawaii makes its seventh appearance at the RBI Softball World Series, which is next month in North Texas. Hawaii last won the championship in 2009.
Hawaii scored six runs in the first inning, but it found itself trailing 12-9 in the sixth after making a handful of errors.
“They just keep chipping away,” coach Tracy Miyashiro said. “I told them, ‘I can talk to you guys and try to make you feel better, but I’m not.’
“I left it in their hands. They had to figure out how to get to the World Series.”
Hawaii won the under-19 regional last year with a experienced pitchers Aliesa Kaneshiro and Mykala Tokunaga – both reigning BIIF Players of the Year.
The two pitchers Miyashiro used Sunday had a combined one year of BIIF experience. Waiakea freshman Phoebe Furuli pitched 3 2/3 innings and Kohala sophomore Symphony Kauanoe worked the final 3 1/3.
Hawaii finished 3-1 at the tournament, avenging a 16-3 loss to Los Angeles.
“We knew going in that this was going to be tough with our young pitchers,” Miyashiro said. “We worked with them on what they could get away with. We just needed them to change their speeds and keep hitters off-balance.”
In the seventh, Waiakea’s Brandee Chinen doubled, and recent Konawaena graduate Bethany Batangan reached on a bunt and stole second before Thomas, a Waiakea junior, singled through the right side.
“It was a nail-biter, it was everything for me,” Miyashiro said. “I’m very proud of them.”