By BILL O’REAR
By BILL O’REAR
Tribune-Herald sports editor
Senior Ashlyn Kaneshiro hurled a three-hit shutout and Hilo’s fired-up defense made two early runs stand up as the East No. 3-seeded Vikings stunned East No. 1 Waiakea 2-0 in a Division I softball tournament semifinal on Tuesday.
The Big Island Interscholastic Federation game was played at the Warriors’ field. In the other D-I semifinal, East No. 3 Keaau eliminated West No. 1 Kealakehe 10-3 on the Waveriders’ field.
Keaau (12-4) will host Hilo (12-4) at 3 p.m. Thursday in the BIIF championship game on the Cougars’ field. The winner claims the league title and an automatic berth in the state D-I tournament on Oahu. The BIIF runner-up will then host the Oahu Interscholastic Association sixth-place finisher on Saturday in a play-in game for the final state tournament berth.
Kaneshiro, a gutsy senior right-hander who had lost twice to Waiakea earlier this season including 12-1 last Saturday, turned in the best pitching performance of her high school career — and at the most important moment, either win or else your prep career’s over.
From her first pitch until her last in a nail-biting pitchers’ duel with Waiakea ace Chelsea Camello, Kaneshiro was in a comfortable zone, mixing fastballs and a highly effective changeup to keep the dangerous Warriors (13-3) off-balance. Then, when Waiakea hit the ball, it usually went right at a Hilo infielder or outfielder who could make the play and as the game wore on, the Warriors seemed to be playing not to lose while the more relaxed Vikings focused on one play at a time.
“Our defense played extremely well today,” Hilo coach Leo Sing Chow said. “But it all started with Ashlyn and how she pitched. I’m proud of her. She really focused and anytime she felt the pressure, she’d step back and then go back to throwing strikes. She never lost focus all day.”
Sing Chow said Saturday’s loss to Waiakea took the pressure off the Vikings and clearly planted it on the shoulders of the Warriors, the five-time defending league champions.
“Today, we won as a team and played with heart,” said Sing Chow, a former University of Hawaii at Hilo standout. “We asked everyone to leave everything they’ve got on the field and if you do, you’d be a winner no matter the final result. We asked them to try to play to their potential and dive for balls on defense — and today, they surprised themselves because they came up with some plays that we haven’t been making.”
One of the Viking web gems came in the bottom of the first inning. Brandi Maximo and Kawehi Granito-Wallace had back-to-back singles to put Warriors at first and second base with slugger Skyler Agrigado at the plate. Agrigado then ripped a hard-hit grounder toward the gap between shortstop and third base, looking like a sure base hit. But Hilo shortstop Fantacie Keahilihau-Kuamoo played dirty, diving to her right and snagging the ball, then tossing to third baseman Seini Nau to force out Maximo.
Kaneshiro got senior Anela Granito-Wallace to pop out to extinguish the Warrior scoring threat.
In the top of the second, the Vikings plated their first run. Keahilihau-Kuamoo reached on an infield single and raced to second on Raven Hall’s sacrifice bunt. Keahilihau-Kuamoo, one of the top athletes in the BIIF, then stole third before Caitlyn Price walked. Nau then bunted and Keahilihau-Kuamoo sprinted home on a high throw to first base on the play to give Hilo a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the third, the Vikings struck again, adding their final run with small ball that challenged the Warriors’ defense for a second straight inning.
After Hilo leadoff hitter Shyanne Higa-Gonsalves grounded out, Ashlyn Kaneshiro singled to center and motored to second base on Aliesa Kaneshiro’s sacrifice bunt. Keahilihau-Kuamoo then crushed a ground ball to the right side that a Waiakea infielder couldn’t snag, and Ashlyn Kaneshiro scored to make it 2-0.
Kaneshiro gave up a single to Agrigado in the third but didn’t allow a hit the rest of the game.
In the bottom of the fourth with a runner on board, Higa-Gonsalves made a diving stop of a hard-hit Camello grounder and threw out the hustling Warrior to end another potential Waiakea threat.
The Warriors then went 1-2-3 in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. In the final inning with one out, Ishael Shaw-DeMello walked and Camello stepped to the plate, hoping to keep the rally alive. But when Camello ripped a line drive to the right side, Price, the Viking first baseman, caught the bullet and stepped on first to complete a game-ending double play.
The Vikings quickly celebrated the huge win while the hardluck Warriors on this particular day walked off the field with tears in their eyes and battling the strong emotions that their fine season was over.
“We made the mistakes, they didn’t,” Waiakea coach Bo Saiki said in summing up the loss.
But it was a close game that could have gone either way with Kaneshiro and Camello pitching their hearts out.
Kaneshiro got the win, striking out five and walking one. Camello allowed four hits — including three infield hits. She took the loss while striking out three and walking three.
For Hilo, Ashlyn Kaneshiro had two hits and Keahilihau-Kuamoo and Higa-Gonsalves each added an infield single. Higa-Gonsalves, a quick-footed sophomore, was 1 for 3 with a walk and scored a run. Ashlyn Kaneshiro scored the other run.
For Waiakea, Agrigado, Maximo and Kawehi Granito-Wallace each had singles.
Ashlyn Kaneshiro called the win “a team effort.”
“We played with a lot of intensity,” she said. “Everybody had a different attitude today and we believed we could win. Our goal is to reach the states.”
The soft-spoken Viking also said she came into the game focused.
“I just wanted to stay relaxed and throw strikes,” she said. “Everytime I felt pressure, I would step back, take a deep breath and talk to myself. I’d remind myself to throw strikes and stay positive.”
In adding more change-ups to her pitch count, Ashlyn credited her younger sister, junior catcher Aliesa Kaneshiro.
“She was calling the pitches and I just went along with it,” the senior said. “Overall, our defense played really good. It was a team effort. I’m glad we won and have a chance to play for a state berth.”
The state D-I tournament will be played May 2-5 on Oahu.
At Waiakea field
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