Honokaa’s softball team was a day late and a dollar short again Saturday, coming up on the wrong end of another slugfest.
Honokaa’s softball team was a day late and a dollar short again Saturday, coming up on the wrong end of another slugfest.
But these were not the same old Dragons, first-year coach Virgil Augustin said.
Skylar Thomas hit a home run as Waiakea jumped to a big lead and held on as freshman Haylee Sweat struck out 10 in relief, but Augustin was encouraged to see Honokaa fight back against the defending BIIF Division I champion, losing 13-11 in a BIIF softball game at the Warriors’ field.
The highlight for the Dragons (1-6) was Taylor Tabucbuc’s grand slam, which fueled a six-run rally in the sixth to make it a game again.
The turning point, Augustin hopes, for Honokaa came Friday at practice, when Keesha Matsuoka and Sarah Sedillo spoke to the team.
“The girls picked themselves up at practice,” Augustin said, “and today it showed. They never do give up, and today was a good example. They just have to stay together.
“It looks like we’re going in the right direction.”
A season-long bugaboo for Honokaa has been pitching. The Dragons have surrendered 79 run during a six-game losing streak.
“That’s another thing we worked on Friday at practice,” Augustin said. “The first step is to get the ball over.”
In improving to 6-0, Waiakea led 13-5 after four innings. Thomas, the reigning BIIF Player of the Year, hit a two-run home run in the first and an RBI double in the fourth, and Jolene Hirata swatted a two-run triple in the second.
Each drove in three runs, while Brandee Chinen collected three hits and scored three times.
The Dragons scored at least seven runs for the fifth time this season, and they were nothing if not patient Saturday. Aulii Meyer tripled to bring in two runs, Natasha Molina was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and Honokaa took advantage of 15 walks.
“We’ve been missing a lot of opportunities, but today was one of our better games,” Augustin said. “We just need to be more consistent.”
Honokaa hasn’t reached the state tournament since 2012 – Kamehameha, Kohala and Konawaena have represented BIIF Division II the past four seasons – but don’t write off the Dragons yet.
With Division I teams in the rear-view mirror on their schedule, they are due for a scheduling break.
“Now we just have to put it together,” said Augustin, whose daughter Kaitlin formerly played for the Dragons.
Sweat allowed only on hit and worked around control issues to get the win.
Matsuoka worked three innings in defeat.
Konawaena 22, Ka’u 4
Teiza Kaluna hit a three-run home run in Pahala and finished with five RBIs as the Wildcats ran their record to 5-0.
Erin Kaimuloa Bates was the beneficiary of all the run support. In a four-inning complete game, she allowed only one earned run and two hits, with three walks and five strikeouts. At the plate, Bates collected two hits and scored four runs.
Konawaena finished with nine hits and took advantage of nine errors. Tianny Tagavilla hit an RBI double for the Wildcats.
Lei Chun Galban Kin was the losing pitcher for the Trojans (2-3). Chauna Velez highlighted a four-run inning for Ka’u with a double.
Kealakehe 19, Pahoa 1
Kitara Cantiberos struck out nine in a four-inning complete game, and Brei McLeod and Kesha Mori finished with two hits apiece for the visiting Waveriders, who evened their record at 2-2.
Kriya Benn finished with two hits for the Daggers (0-6), and Kamalani Noll was the losing pitcher.
Hilo 15, Hawaii Prep 0
Chalisse Kela struck out seven in a four-inning complete game, Gaylynn Ha homered and Moana Pinner went 2 for 3 with three RBIs as the Vikings won in Waimea to improve to 4-2, dropping Ka Makani to 1-5.
Baseball
Hilo 10, Hawaii Prep 0
Noah Kalaola-Richardson pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings and Joey Jarneski hit a home run to power the Vikings to victory in Waimea.
Chase Costa-Ishii reached base in all five of his plate appearances, accounting for three of the Vikings’ 15 hits and walking twice, and Logan Respicio 2 was 2 with a run-scoring double and three RBIs.
Kalaola-Richardson struck out three and walked three, scattering five hits – two apiece to Michael Hughes and Finn Richmond – and Nainoa Kane-Yates retired all four batters he faced.
Jarneski hit a solo blast in the third to put Hilo (4-1) ahead 3-0, and he added an RBI single in the seventh to make the score 8-0.
Sheldon Aribal was the losing pitcher for Ka Makani (3-5). In 3 1/3 innings, he yielded five runs on seven hits and a walk. One of Hughes’s hits was a triple.
Keaau 12, Kohala 1
Bryant Respicio-Mercado pitched a six-inning complete game and all three of Anson Kauwe’s hits fueled rallies in Kapaau as the Cougars won their second game in a row.
Respicio-Mercado allowed Maui Hook’s run-scoring single in the second as the Cowboys (0-6) took a brief lead, but the freshman was otherwise stingy, giving up only five hits and a walk with five strikeouts.
Anthony Carlos hit an RBI double for Keaau (3-3) to highlight a five-run sixth.
Hook had two hits for Kohala, which was hurt by eight errors. Dreg’n Roque-Lewis allowed 12 runs in 5 1/3 innings, but only one was earned.
Kealakehe 17, Pahoa 2
Isaac Kaku pitched three innings to get the win and Bryton Lewi hit an RBI double for the Waveriders, who won a five-inning TKO on the Daggers field to improve t0 2-3.
Justin Castro was the losing pitcher for the Daggers (0-5.)
Honokaa at Waiakea
The game was postponed because of thunder and lightning and was rescheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday.