By BILL O’REAR
By BILL O’REAR
Tribune-Herald sports editor
Senior Momilani Cariaga fired a two-hit shutout to spark Keaau to an impressive 6-0 win over Hilo on Friday afternoon.
The Big Island Interscholastic Federation softball game between Division I title contenders was played at the Walter Victor Complex.
Cariaga, a slender 5-foot-6 right-hander, handcuffed the dangerous Vikings (10-3) through seven innings — including flirting with a no-hitter until the fifth inning when Aliesa Kaneshiro singled to left field for Hilo’s first base hit. She then gave up a single to Viking pitcher Ashlyn Kaneshiro, Aliesa’s older sister, in the sixth inning before polishing off the gem with a scoreless seventh for the Cougars (10-3).
“Momilani pitched a really good game,” Keaau coach Boy Wong said. “Earlier in the year, we didn’t use her too much because she was rehabbing a knee injury. But she’s come on strong and today, it was her first complete game.”
The athletic Cariaga wasn’t overpowering, but she kept her pitches low and moved them around to frustrate the Hilo batters. Then when the Vikings did hit the ball, they usually hit it right at a gloved Cougar. The Keaau defense played flawless all afternoon, without an error while the young Vikings struggled at times and made six errors.
“I just wanted to do my best and rely on my defense,” a smiling Cariaga said. “They did a great job and I knew they had my back.
“This win feels good and I’m just glad I had all the support of my coaches and the team, and our fans. It’s a big win for us.”
Cariaga earned the win, striking out one, walking three and tossing two wild pitches. But each time she got into a mini-jam, she refocused and came up with a big out — including in the bottom of the sixth when hot-hitting Fantacie Keahilihau-Kuamoo stepped into the batter’s box with two Vikings on base.
However, Cariaga got Keahilihau-Kuamoo to pop out to second baseman Jacy Pagala and then recorded a groundout with Raven Hall at bat to extinguish the threat. Keahilihau-Kuamoo, a junior shortstop, finished the day 0 for 3 but had the defensive gem of the game by racing into foul territory near the left-field line and making a backhanded stab of a foul pop up.
Ashlyn Kaneshiro, a gutsy senior, took the loss but deserved a better fate. The six errors and a critical missed tag in the second inning helped open the door for the Cougars to score runs.
Keaau scored three runs in the second inning, using four hits and an error to give the focused Cariaga all the runs she would need. Mahina Homalon’s two-run double was the key hit in the inning.
The Cougars then added solo runs in the third, sixth and seventh to close scoring.
Keaau outhit Hilo 10-2. Cougar leadoff hitter Sabrina Nakaima went 3 for 5 and reached base two other times on fielder’s choices. Teammate Cassie Ramos-Fujimoto had three hits in four at-bats against the Vikings’ ace. Nakaima led with three runs batted in while Ramos-Fujimoto and Pagala each added an RBI.
Wong said the Cougars’ loss to Waiakea last week lit a fire under his team.
“After that loss, the girls refocused and really worked hard in practice,” he said. “Today, all the hard work paid off. We just came out and hit the ball like we can and the defense played outstanding.
“I told them despite the Waiakea loss, we could still come out No. 1 during the regular season if we can win the rest of our games. Today we came out and played really good, and hopefully we can do that the rest of the way.”
Keaau 031 100 1 — 6 10 0
Hilo 000 000 0 — 0 2 6
• Waiakea 11, Kamehameha 1: At Keaau, Ariana Mareko and Skyler Agrigado each clubbed two-run homers to lead the public-school Warriors (9-2) to a six-inning TKO win over the private-school Warriors (4-9).
“Both home runs went way, way over the fence in left center field,” Kamehameha assistant Keri Kameoka said.
Mareko hit her homer in the first inning and later added a run-scoring single. Agrigado went 1 for 3 with her long ball, her sixth of the season, in the second inning when Waiakea extended its lead to 6-0 to move into first place in the Division I East standings.
Waiakea senior Chelsea Camello pitched five innings, allowing only singles to Janell Cameros (3rd inning) and Kiani Wong (4th). She earned the win, striking out five and not issuing a walk in a solid performance. Ishael Shaw-DeMello came on to pitch a scoreless sixth.
Samantha Simmons went the distance for the hosts and took the loss. She struck out two, walked six and beaned two batters.
Waiakea 331 031 — 11 9 4
Kamehameha 000 100 — 1 2 5
Kohala 15, Hawaii Prep 5: Junior Tiani Luga highlighted a six-run third inning with a two-run single, and senior Chyler Imai pitched a complete game as the Cowgirls remained atop the BIIF Division II standings with their victory over Ka Makani at Kamehameha Park.
Luga finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs, and junior outfielder Sheana Cazimero went 3-for-5. Freshmen Denae Rivera and Tomiko Coito added two hits apiece for Kohala (7-3), which moved a full game ahead of second-place Honokaa (6-4).
Imai allowed 10 hits but walked just one batter, striking out three in a game that ended after six innings because of the league’s 10-run mercy rule.
Sophomore Kawena Lim-Samura, who pitched 5 1/3 innings, took the loss for HPA (3-8). She allowed 12 hits and six walks, striking out three batters.
Sophomore Tiana Bertelmann-Tabac went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
Hawaii Prep 300 101 — 5 10 3
Kohala 206 223 — 15 12 1
Kealakehe 10, Konawaena 2: Junior Ashley Isisaki struck out 10 batters in a complete-game five-hitter as the visiting Waveriders improved to 7-4.
Isisaki, who walked five batters, also went 2-for-3 with a double.
Kealakehe senior Summer McEntee was 2-for-2 with a double.
Junior Alexis Fujikawa, who also went the distance in the circle, took the loss for the Wildcats (3-7). She gave up eight hits and four walks, striking out two.
At the plate, Jayssa Asuncion-Grace and Bethany Batangan both went 2-for-2.
Kealakehe 004 015 0 — 10 8 1
Konawaena 010 000 1 — 2 5 4
• Ka’u at Pahoa: The game between the Trojans and Daggers was postponed due to unplayable field conditions and will be made up at 3 p.m. Monday at Pahoa.