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Prep Beat

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Saturday, February 3, 2001

By Ronen Zilberman, Star-Bulletin
Iolani's Ianeta Lei winds up against Baldwin at Rainbow
Wahine softball Stadium yesterday.

Baldwin, Kamehameha
advance to state
softball final

---

Tim Crouse
Special to the Star-Bulletin

Hits or no hits, Baldwin expects to find a way to win.

The Bears squeezed out a dramatic eight-inning win, 1-0, against two-time defending champion Iolani yesterday -- without the benefit of a hit -- to reach the title game of Chevron State Softball Championships.

"I had the feeling we were going to win the whole time, no matter what," Baldwin shortstop Kaleo Eldredge said. "We knew we were going to pull through one of these innings. We knew we could do it."

By Ronen Zilberman, Star-Bulletin
Shannon Tabion pitched Baldwin into
tonight's state girls' softball final.

Winning a game despite not getting a hit didn't surprise Bears coach Ryan Souza, either.

"In state tournament play, that's the kind of win you're going to get, because you're facing great pitching and defense," he said.

Third-seeded Baldwin (14-0) meets unseeded Kamehameha (15-3) today at Rainbow Wahine Stadium for the state crown.

Kamehameha slipped past top-seeded Mililani, 2-1, to reach the final.

Neither team may get a hit today in a championship game that features two overpowering pitchers -- Baldwin's Shannon Tabion and Kamehameha's Leo Sing Chow.

Tabion allowed two hits and struck out 16 Raiders, and Sing Chow gave up just one single while fanning seven Trojans.

But the best pitching performance of the day belonged to Ianeta Lei of Iolani (14-3).

Lei threw 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball while striking out 10, but lost the game in the bottom of the eighth on a hit batsman and a wild pitch.

"I thought she pitched her best game of the season," Iolani coach Chris Shimabukuro said. "I thought she had Baldwin off-balance. To throw a no-hitter and lose is hard to take."

Lei hit Kuuipo Kaauwai on the leg with the first pitch of the eighth to give Baldwin its fourth base runner of the game.

Bears coach Ryan Souza decided immediately to sacrifice two outs to move Kaauwai to third.

"The strategy was get her to third base and hope for a passed ball or an error," Souza said. "When you play a team like Iolani they don't give you many opportunities so you have to just push and scrap to see what you can get."

After Kyla Siangco and Alena Matsui did their parts with sacrifice bunts, Lei walked leadoff hitter Kaleo Eldredge, setting up a possible force play.

With a 1-1 count on Zoie Sevilla, Lei uncorked a wild pitch allowing Kaauwai to score the winning run.

"All I was thinking about (at third base) was that the team needed my help," Kaauwai said. "I just kept thinking, 'I gotta get in, I gotta get in.' And we did it."

With a runner on second and two outs for Iolani in the top of the eighth, Tabion faced Lei, one of the Raiders' best hitters.

Tabion's approach was clear: "Just don't give her anything clean."

Lei fouled off a couple pitches before flying out to right field to end the threat.

Iolani beat Baldwin and Tabion, 1-0, in the semifinals last year.

"I think (Tabion) is more dominant this year," Shimabukuro said. "We were lucky to score one run off her and this year she was tougher and we didn't get any."

Iolani	000 000 00 -- 0 2 3
Baldwin	000 000 01 -- 1 0 2

Two outs when winning run scored
Ianeta Lei and Tricia Sakamoto. Shannon Tabion and Ashlyn Russell. W--Tabion. L--Lei.
Leading hitters--Iol: Taryn Nagate, single; Noelle Izumi, single. Bald: Kuuipo Kaauwai, run.

Kamehameha 2, Mililani 1: The Ruth sisters -- Chelsey and Talia -- had a hand in both runs and Leo Sing Chow threw a one-hitter to lead the Warriors past the Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Trojans (13-1).

With two outs in the second, Chelsey Ruth singled into center field to drive in Ashley Ruff from second base.

After Johnna Rowland retired the first two batters in the third, Talia Ruth battled Rowland to a full count before taking a walk.

Brandi Peiler followed by ripping a triple to right center to score Ruth and give Sing Chow more than enough runs to work with.

"Talia has been our girl at the plate," Kamehameha coach Ty Sing Chow. "She's our team leader in hitting. And Chelsey turned it on tonight."

The sisters combined to go 4-for-6, with an RBI and a run scored.

Mililani mounted a comeback in the sixth after the Warriors committed a pair of errors to put runners at first and second.

The runners advanced on a groundout, and Miki Asamura scored the Trojans' lone run on an outfielder throwing error. With the tying run at third, Sing Chow got cleanup hitter Adrienne Kasaoka on a comebacker to the mound.

Miki Asamura relieved Rowland in the third inning and allowed just two hits the rest of the way.

The Warriors return to the title game for the first time since winning the championship in 1998.

Kamehameha	011 000 0 -- 2 6 4
Mililani	000 001 0 -- 1 1 1

Leo Sing Chow and Tricia Arneson. Johnna Rowland, Miki Asamura (3) and Anuhea Diamond. W--Sing Chow. L--Rowland.
Leading hitters--Kam: Chelsey Ruth 2-3, RBI; Brandi Peiler 2-4, 3b, RBI; Talia Ruth 2-3, run.

Consolation games

Hilo	012 01 -- 4 6 4
Kailua	301 02 -- 6 4 0

Natasha Kahana, Cassie Kahana (4) and C. Kahana, Sherrise Hiyoto. Shelly Featheran, Keala Menza (3), Danielle Young (5) and Kainoa Hughes, Karynne Tsuruda. W--Young. L--C. Kahana.
Leading hitters--Hil: Josanda Napeahi 2-3, 2 2b, 2 RBIs. Kail: Featheran RBI.

Kaimuki	000 001 -- 1 0 3
Pearl City	003 02x -- 5 4 5

Chrissy Moefu and Tahra Hussey. Loihi McKeague and Ashley Pagatpatan. W--McKeague. L--Moefu.
Leading hitters--PC: McKeague 2-3, 2 2b, 3 RBIs. Cheryl Villarmia 2-3.

Waiakea	000 00 -- 0 6 2
Leilehua	000 01 -- 1 5 2

Myra Amisone and Jenna Yanagi. Alexis San Nicolas and Charlotte Garcia. W--San Nicolas. L--Amisone.
Leading hitter--Wai: Chelsea Rice 2-3.

Basketball

St. Louis 57, Iolani 55: The Crusaders were one overtime basket better than the previously undefeated Raiders. Frank Harris of St. Louis led all scorers with 20.

Kamehameha 69, Damien 39: Ten Warriors scored a basket and Sean Uyehara and Aaron Nainoa Spencer led the Warriors with 12 apiece.

Punahou 53, Maryknoll 43: Richard Kim and Jason Ching each scored nine points to lead the Buffanblu.

Leilehua 59, Aiea 43: Eric Marshall of Leilehua hit 9-of-11 free throws en route to 17 points and a win.

Pearl City 80, Nanakuli 54: The Chargers blew the game open in the second and third periods, outscoring the Golden Hawks, 48-25. Four players scored in double figures for Pearl City, led by Radley Balde and Ty Jarrett with 15.

KAIMUKI 41, ROOSEVELT 37: At Roosevelt, Jesse Wong's third 3-pointer of the game broke a 37-37 tie with 1 1/2 minutes left. Kila Kamakawiwo'ole led Kaimuki with 10 points.

Farrington 53, McKinley 45: Sanford McKee connected on 4 of 5 three pointers to lead Farrington past McKinley.

Curtis Leong topped the Tigers with 15 points.

Errant golf ball injures one An Iolani player was injured while sitting in the dugout during yesterday's Baldwin-Iolani semifinal at Rainbow Wahine Stadium, when a golf ball flew into the dugout and struck her in the face. Starting center fielder Amy Taniguchi was taken to the emergency room after she was hit. Honolulu Police Department detective Rodney Noguchi, one of two police officers at the stadium for crowd control, said an assault case will be filed but that the police have no suspects. "All we have is the report that the girl got hit in the face," Noguchi said. There was no clear indication of the exact direction the golf balls came from, or how they got there. "It's unfortunate this incident put a damper on an otherwise fantastic game," said Keith Amemiya, executive director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. Noguchi said there will be an additional officer stationed outside the stadium. By Tim Crouse, Special to the Star-Bulletin