Softball
KONAWAENA 15 – PAHOA 4
The Wildcats made a successful trip across the isle, breaking their 0-4 start and defeating Pahoa High 15-4 on Thursday in Hilo.
Konawaena will make another leeward trip Saturday morning to play against Kea‘au High.
The Daggers fell to 1-4. They will have a week off before returning to action against Hilo High on April 8.
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KEALAKEHE 6 – WAIAKEA 3
The top-two softball teams in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) — Kealakehe and No. 7 Waiakea — squared off Friday afternoon in Kona, with the Waveriders winning 6-3. Kealakehe remained in the driver’s seat for the game’s entirety, tying the Warriors in hits (five to five) and producing fewer errors (three to four).
The ‘Riders also stayed unbeaten on the season at 6-0-0, while Waiakea (6-1-0) — the state-ranked squad — suffered its first loss of 2024.
After a Warriors’ error put Kealakehe up 1-0 in the bottom of the first, the ‘Riders chipped in four more runs two innings later — as third baseman Freeda Tosie doubled which drove in a run, followed by second baseman Kayleigh Nakamura blasting a two-run homer to dead center field.
Emalia Emmsley led the ‘Riders in the circle, getting the nod for the game’s winning pitcher. She threw for all seven innings, striking out five. Meghan Spencer pitched for Waiakea.
Nakamura led the blue and white with two hits apiece, followed by Emmsley, Tosie and right fielder Saige Telles hitting one.
Waiakea’s offense was produced by right fielder Kaelyn Sewake, second baseman Keani Kaneshiro, center fielder Maddie Kodani, first baseman Tehani Chinen, and Spencer who both had one hit apiece.
Being the only unbeaten team left on the island, Kealakehe has been on a roll — scoring 78 runs through six games. The ‘Riders will look to add to their magical season in their next matchup against Ka‘u, slated for 1 p.m. Wednesday at home.
The Warriors will look to bounce back quickly against KS-Hawai‘i — scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at home in Hilo.
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KS-HAWAI‘I 18 – HONOKA‘A 3
An 11-run surge in the bottom fourth inning propelled the Kamehameha Schools – Hawai‘i softball team to a run-rule victory over Honoka‘a High on Saturday in Puna.
The game looked close at first, as the Warriors and Dragons entered the second inning tied 3-3. It was three up, three down for Honoka‘a in the top second as Emily Hora struck them all out. With two outs on the board in the bottom frame, Rebekah Sipinga drove in two runs — tripling on a hard grounder to left field.
From then on, KSH stayed in the driver’s seat.
Kaohinani Christensen led the Warriors at the plate, going three-for-three with three RBIs and three runs — also stealing three bases. Kailee Wagner also went three-for-three to score two runs and drive in three. Hora and Rhian Ogawa each went two-for-three.
Danica Valera and Ka‘imi Johnson led Honoka‘a — each going one-for-two and each hitting doubles.
The Warriors are riding a four-win streak at 4-2. Their next matchup will be a tough one, facing Division I’s Waiakea High on Friday afternoon in Hilo.
The loss to KSH extended the Dragons’ losing streak to three games, and dropped their record to 2-4. Honoka‘a will be back at it on Monday in a Division II road test against Kohala High (1-4).
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KONAWAENA 11 – KEA‘AU 0
Konawaena High shut out Kea‘au High, moving to 2-4. Next up, the Wildcats will return to the east side to play Hilo High (4-1) on Saturday.
Now 1-3, the Cougars’ next outing will be Saturday at Honoka‘a.
Baseball
KONAWAENA 3 – PAHOA 2
Thanks to second baseman Tate Garana’s clutch RBI in the bottom of the ninth to send in a run, Konawaena baseball was able to escape Pahoa 3-2 in extra innings Thursday in Hilo.
The Daggers had seven hits, while Kona collected six. Both teams went through two pitchers and struck out 12 each. Koa Nakagawa was the game’s winning pitcher, going six innings and allowing no runs with nine strikeouts to close the game. Tripp Kahsen was Pahoa’s top performer on the mound, throwing 107 pitches across nearly eight innings of action — striking out 12.
The Daggers got on the board first after third baseman Brayden Conda-Tolle singled, which brought in two runs at the top of the first inning. The Wildcats were able to respond by the sixth inning, as AJ Blanco stole home to even the score at 2-2. The game went on until the ninth, when Garana’s heroics ended the hard-fought afternoon.
Tavis Fediuk led Kona with two hits, while Tobias Naihe, Jaeden Meyer, Garana and Blanco all had one apiece. Pahoa’s Max Potter and Jayden Orita led the team with two hits each, while teammates Donivan Lynch, Brayden Conda-Tolle and Jayden Sumiki all had one.
The Wildcats (3-2-0) have won three straight after dropping their first two games of the season. They’ll look to keep the streak going against their next opponent — Kea‘au at 1 p.m. today at the Cougars’ home field. The Daggers (2-3-0) have lost two in a row, and will try to get back in the win column against Hawaii Prep Academy at 3 p.m. April 6 at Kea‘au’s home field.
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HILO 11 – HPA 0
Rory Crabbe, Jaydon Geraci and Nathaniel Freeman combined for a no-hitter as Hilo High blanked Hawaii Prep 11-0 in a five-inning TKO on Saturday in Hilo.
The Vikings remained undefeated and advanced to a 6-0 record.
Kainalu Crivello led Hilo at the plate, going two-for-two with a RBI. Legend Lancaster doubled to drive in two runs in his one at-bat.
Ka Makani slumped to 1-4. HPA’s next outing will be Tuesday at Konawaena.
The Vikings will return to action on Saturday, April 6 in their sixth straight home game, also facing Konawaena.
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WAIAKEA 4 – KEALAKEHE 3
Waiakea High’s baseball team escaped Kealakehe 4-3 on Friday afternoon in Kailua-Kona, improving to 5-1 in 2024 after dropping its first game of the year on Wednesday against Hilo. The Waveriders dropped to 2-6.
The Warriors’ next matchup will be against BIIF Division II powerhouse KS-Hawai‘i, who is unbeaten thus far during the season. The game will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Waiakea’s home field in Hilo.
Kealakehe has lost five straight, and will try to right the ship against Ka‘u High at 3 p.m. on Wednesday in Kailua-Kona.
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KS-HAWAI‘I 9 – HONOKA‘A 1
At this point, the real question is; who can stop the Warriors?
The KS-Hawai‘i baseball team rolled to 8-0 after a 9-1 rout of Honoka‘a High on Saturday in Puna, closing out BIIF DII play undefeated and officially securing the No. 1 BIIF DII tourney seed.
The Dragons, however, did not walk away without any highlights — as Heolu Bertelmann-Makanani tripled on a line drive to center field. Then, Kamahao Kanekoa batted him in before grounding out for HHIS’ lone run. Issac DeRego led Honoka‘a at the plate, going two-for-three.
Braden Gomes went three-for-four to lead KSH at the plate. Shiloh Santos earned the win on the mound, surrendering no runs on four hits in three innings.
The Warriors will truly be put to the test in their final two regular season outings — Friday at Waiakea for WHS’ senior night, and at home against Hilo the following week.
Honoka‘a fell to 1-5, but will look to add a win on Monday at Kohala High (1-4).
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KONAWAENA 10 – KEA‘AU 0
The Wildcats notched their fourth straight win, dominating Kea‘au High 10-0 in a six-inning TKO.
Jaeden Meyers went two-for-three at the plate to lead Konawaena with two RBIs, and Kawika Fukunaga pitched a no-hitter with a whopping 11 strikeouts.
The Wildcats will look to make it five wins on Tuesday as they face HPA.
The Cougars remained winless at 0-4, and will look to change that at their Saturday, April 6 matchup against Honoka‘a.