It took two big innings for Gold Coast to move to 2-0 at the Senior League Softball World Series on Tuesday.
Behind seven-run stanzas in the fourth and fifth innings, the Big Island squad bested Canada 14-2 with a TKO win.
Gold Coast — representing the West in the 16-and-under tourney thanks to its regional win last week in Montana — racked up 10 hits in the contest and took advantage of four costly errors by Canada.
Natasha Molina, Nanea Kaluau, and Leiloa-Valerie Bustamante each collected multiple hits for the West champions. Molina went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Gold Coast in hits, while Pilila’i Kaai notched a pair of RBI.
Tehani Epenesa got the win in the circle. She went all five innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out three and walking zero.
While the final score might not indicate it, the Gold Coast squad had to overcome some early adversity to pick up the victory. Canada put up the first two runs of the game in the third inning to break the scoreless tie, but it didn’t last long.
A double by Bustamante started the rally in the fourth, and Gold Coast managed to score six runs before Canada could record an out. Surprisingly, Bustamante’s double would be the only extra-base hit in the contest for Gold Coast.
It was more of the same in the fifth, with another seven run inning putting the game in TKO territory, ending it after a scoreless half-inning by Canada.
Gold Coast will get more international competition against Europe-Africa (0-1) on Wednesday morning at 4 a.m. HST. The team wraps up pool play on Thursday against the Southeast squad, with the quarterfinals and semifinals to follow. The weeklong series will culminate with the championship game on ESPN at 8 a.m. on Sunday.