Kekai Wong Yuen and Makena Wagner fueled an offensive uprising at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in Honolulu as Kamehameha-Hawaii’s softball team added another feather to its cap.
Kekai Wong Yuen and Makena Wagner fueled an offensive uprising at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in Honolulu as Kamehameha-Hawaii’s softball team added another feather to its cap.
The Warriors already owned a fourth consecutive BIIF title and a first unbeaten league season, and they put a bow on their season Friday with a 14-5 victory against Waimea in the HHSAA third-place, matching the program’s best state finish.
Nine different Warriors had hits – Wong Yuen delivered three, including a home run – and Mykala Tokunaga pitched a three-hitter. Wagner hit a two-run home run in the fourth, and Wong Yuen’s three-run blast powered Kamehameha (16-1) as it scored eight runs in the sixth. Jessica Cameros finished the uprising with a three-run double.
The first five batters in the Warriors’ lineup combined to go 10 of 18.
Kamehameha previously finished third in 2006 and ‘07.
Most of the players who had their hand prints on the rout are eligible to return next season: Freshman first baseman Taylor Sullivan (3 for 4, two RBIs) and sophomore Kiarra Lincoln (2 for 4, three runs scored) each doubled twice. Wong Yuen (3 for 3), a junior catcher, scored four runs, while Wagner, a junior shortstop, drove in four.
All four would be prime candidates to challenge for BIIF Player of the Year next season, except the front-runner will be Tokunaga, a three-time winner who struck out six in a game that ended after six innings because of time constraints. The junior walked three.
Dea Tafiti had an RBI for KIF champion Menehunes (12-4), who were runner-up last season and third in 2013.
Kamehameha-Hawaii 202 028 – 14 14 1
Waimea 002 120 – 5 3 3
Molokai 13, Konawaena 3: Bethany Batangan posted two hits and two runs scored in her final high school appearance, but the Wildcats dropped the seventh-place game at McKinley High in Honolulu.
For the second time in three games at states, sloppy fielding was costly for Konawaena (7-9). The BIIF’s No. 3 team committed five errors as Batangan was touched for 10 runs – only four earned – in five innings. The senior allowed 13 hits and a walk with a strikeout.
Kysha Kawano didn’t allow an earned run in six innings for the Farmers (9-5).
Konawaena 102 000 – 3 5 5
Molokai 113 053 – 13 16 4
Volleyball
Ka’u reached states by virtue of it BIIF regular-season title, while Hawaii Prep got there by beating the Trojans in the league’s Division II title game. The teams will meet for the third time in the HHSAA fifth-place match at noon Saturday at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.
Ka Makani (10-7) advanced with a 20-25, 25-17, 15-11 victory against Pearl City at Moanalua High in which Tucker Higgins smashed nine kills on .450 hitting. Ghar Pautz added seven kills and Colin Yates put down five.
The Trojans’ Kai Enriques wasn’t nearly as busy as he was in the quarterfinals when he posted 41 kills on 100 swings, but he was efficient (14 kills, .500) during a 25-17, 25-10 triumph against Castle at Farrington High. Brian Gascon contributed six kills and 11 assists, and Damon Hertz finished with five kills.