HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Pac-Five players celebrated after defeating Sacred Hearts in the Division II championship game yesterday.
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Ghazali gives Pac-Five a title
By Brendan Sagara
Special to Star-Bulletin
When Pac-Five took to the field tonight, the Wolfpack had two things on their side: experience and Jessica Ghazali.
With a number of transplants from University High's 2004 Division II state championship team, the Wolfpack knew they had some battle-tested athletes who had endured the pressures of the state tournament and won the big game.
One of those players making the jump from the Junior 'Bows to Pac-Five was ace right-hander Ghazali, who matched her one-hit victory in the 2004 title contest to lead the Wolfpack to a 6-0 win over Sacred Hearts and the Data House/HHSAA Softball State Championships Division II tournament title last night.
As she had all season long, Ghazali carried the load for the Wolfpack, allowing just a single infield base hit in the bottom of the fifth, posting the complete-game shutout, striking out six and walking three.
"I take my hat off to that girl," said Pac-Five head coach Randy Oyama. "She's a senior and she was the winner when we won it two years ago, and she did it again tonight. This is big for her. She had a lot of injury problems last year and endured through our early-season struggles. She hung in there and brought us here."
A day after scoring all of their runs in the bottom of the seventh in their 2-1 semifinal win over Aiea, the Wolfpack wasted no time in putting a dent in the scoreboard at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Stacie Sueda led off the top of the first for Pac-Five by reaching on an infield error and was sacrificed down to second by Courtney Gibo. Reesene Choy followed with a hard-hit grounder that was misplayed, giving the Wolfpack runners at the corners.
After Choy stole second base, Cara Hasegawa rolled a soft grounder toward the right side of the infield. The ball was bobbled, and then thrown away into foul territory, giving Pac-Five a 2-0 advantage.
After right-hander Joslyn Eugenio recorded the next out on a grounder to second, an RBI single by Leann Lariosa, a triple by Keline Yoshimura and another run-scoring hit by Clark gave Ghazali more runs than she needed.
Ghazali sailed through the first three frames, facing just three batters over the minimum. The Wolfpack defense came up with a pair of highlight-reel plays in the fourth to extend their senior ace's no-hit bid into the fifth.
Eugenio led off Sacred Hearts' inning with a looping line drive along the left-field line. But Pac-Five's Brennan Clark made a spectacular diving grab to record the first out of the frame. Chelsea Kamai followed with a drag bunt attempt that was thwarted on a fine play by catcher Cara Hasegawa, who pounced onto the roller and threw a strike to first base.
After Laura Abellanida reached on an infield error, Ghazali retired Sydney Vegas on a grounder to short.
Ghazali would lose her no-hitter with two outs in the bottom of the fifth on a soft tapper off the bat of Samantha Saito that squirted into the space between the pitcher and first baseman Courtney Gibo.
Pac-Five's defensive effort during its three state-tournament games was outstanding, considering their fielding struggles during the early part of the season.
"It was not like this all year," Oyama said.
"We averaged five errors a game in the first half of the season. We've worked on it a lot and the girls turned it around as we only averaged an error a game the rest of the year."
The Wolfpack also enjoyed the comfort of playing a familiar foe, meeting the Lancers for the third time this season. Pac-Five won both regular-season matchups as well.
"I'm sure beating them twice during the year may have given us a little bit of comfort," Oyama said. "But we watched them play in this tournament and they were impressive. They were hitting and playing good defense, they were a different team from the one we played before."
Oyama, the former UH first baseman, was impressed.
"I guess they were just focused today," said Oyama. "The pitcher we faced yesterday gave us some trouble, so we worked out at the school today and worked on that, and tonight we hit the ball well."
For Ghazali, winning a championship the second time around was perhaps more gratifying.
"This is better," said Ghazali of her second state title. "There was more pressure because we're seniors now, so we knew we really had to do it, and we did."
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
Pac-5 (10-7) |
500 |
100 |
0 |
-- |
6 |
8 |
1
|
S.H. (7-11) |
000 |
000 |
0 |
-- |
0 |
1 |
5 |
Jessica Ghazali and Cara Hasegawa. Joslyn Eugenio, Laura Abellanida (7) and Chelsea Kamai. W--Ghazali. L--Eugenio.
Leading hitters--P5: Hasegawa 2-4, 2b; Leann Lariosa 2-3, RBI, run; Keline Yoshimura 1-3, 3b, RBI.
HHSAA Division I
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
Seeds: 1. Kamehameha. 2. Kailua. 3. Baldwin. 4. Hilo.
yesterday
15: Campbell 1, St. Francis 1
16: Baldwin 0, Kamehameha 0
17: Kapolei 2, Moanalua 1
18: Pearl City 2, Mililani 1
HHSAA Division II
At Central Oahu Regional Park and Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
Seeds: 1. Pac-Five. 2. Kalaheo. 3. Kauai. 4. Kamehameha-Maui.
yesterday
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
17: Kamehameha-Hawaii 5, Aiea 0
18: Pac-Five 6, Sacred Hearts 0