KEAAU — Kamehameha senior Mykala Tokunaga would make a pretty good closer if she wasn’t such a superb starting pitcher.
The right-handed ace displayed her closing skills in a 13-6 victory in Game 1 of BIIF Division II softball semifinal series on Thursday.
Tokunaga pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win as the Warriors (16-0) marched closer to their fifth straight league title.
Kamehameha (17-0) goes go for the sweep and a spot in the final at 11 a.m. Saturday at home.
Sophomore right-hander Taylor Sullivan started and departed in the third with two out, the bases loaded, and the Warriors ahead 6-4.
Wildcat No. 9 hitter Kaimana Manzano poked a ball to left and two runs scored on an error. Tokunaga then got a flyout and put up goose eggs the rest of the way.
Tokunaga allowed one hit, walked none, and struck out five, showing that power pitching is a trump card, especially in the playoffs.
In 2 2/3 innings, Sullivan gave up six runs (three unearned) on three hits and four walks, and whiffed one.
Sullivan was given the start to gain playoff experience, and the Warriors already have an HHSAA state tournament berth with the regular-season title.
Kamehameha also has the safety net of an explosive offense and tagged Tiani Lastimosa for eight runs on eight hits and four walks in four innings.
The Wildcats (7-10) just couldn’t generate any offense when the hard-throwing Tokunaga came in, flashing her versatile bag of pitches.
Lastimosa was the only Konawaena hitter to pair hits, in stark contrast to the home team’s balanced lineup.
The top three hitters or the car division — leadoff batter Elexis “Lexus” Emmsley (2 for 3), Jessica Cameros (3 for 3, five RBIs) and Kiarra Lincoln (2 for 3, RBI) — all had productive days.
Makena Wagner, the No. 5 hitter, went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and No. 9 batter Kuulei Ili was 2 for 4.
Tokunaga was 2 for 3 with a solo homer in the fifth while Cameros cranked a three-run triple later in the inning.
Kamehameha’s five-run explosion in the fifth inning came against reliever Andi Uemura, who’s normally a second baseman like Sullivan.
The Warriors were also without catcher Kekai Wong Yuen, who has been under the weather.
In the fourth, Kamehameha took a 4-3 lead when Ili smoked a triple to right field and scored on a wild pitch.
After that, Tokunaga got into a groove and silenced Kona’s bats, just like how coach Gary Ahu had planned all along.
“We wanted to give Taylor experience. She’ll be our starter next year,” he said. “We knew we had Mykala in the back if anything went wrong, and we have good bats.”
Konawaena 303 000 0 — 6 4 1
Kamehameha 241 150 x — 13 14 2
