Monday, January 14, 2002
[ PREP SOFTBALL ]
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The Mililani softball team hasn't won three consecutive Oahu Interscholastic Association softball championships by letting complacency creep into their routine. Trojans turning it up
before OIA tourneyBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comAnd with the league playoffs opening tomorrow, Mililani coach Mike Okimoto is making sure the Trojans are ready to defend their crown by turning up the heat in practice.
"We have to step it up for us to win it a fourth time," Mililani coach Mike Okimoto said. "Hopefully they understand why we're notching it up and getting a little more intense."
Mililani (10-0) earned a first-round bye by winning the OIA West. Campbell, which finished second at 8-2, also has a bye.
Castle is the top seed in the OIA East with a 10-0 mark, while Kaimuki finished second at 9-1.
In tomorrow's first round games, Roosevelt (6-4) plays at Waianae (7-3), Pearl City (6-3-1) travels to Kailua (8-2), Kalani (4-6) meets Leilehua (7-3) at Kaala District Park and Moanalua (7-3) hosts Waipahu (6-3-1). All games start at 3:30 p.m.
First-round winners advance to Wednesday's quarterfinals to meet the top seeds.
The quarterfinal winners not only move on to Thursday's semis, but also secure one of the OIA's five berths in the Chevron State Softball Championship.
The losers must win their consolation bracket games on Thursday and Friday's fifth-place game to qualify for the state tournament.
The OIA championship game is set for Saturday at Hawaii Pacific University's windward campus in Kaneohe. The third-place game will start at 11 a.m. with the title game to follow.
Mililani has won four of the last five OIA titles and the last three in a row. Castle was the only team to break the Trojans' string, winning the championship in 1998.
But rather than reflect on past exploits, Okimoto is working to keep his players focused on the present.
"I just tell the girls we have to win Wednesday to get into states, then hopefully we can win Thursday and get into the championship game and maybe win it," he said. "But we're not even mentioning that we've won it three times."
The Trojans led the OIA West in runs scored (85), while allowing just nine runs in 10 OIA West games. The pitching duo of senior Johnna Rowland and junior Miki Asamura combined for five shutouts this season.
"So much in high school sports is momentum," Okimoto said. "You have to keep the momentum on your side. It's just trying to find a way to win, and you have to be tough mentally."
Either Waipahu or Moanalua should provide Mililani with a test in the quarterfinals. The Marauders average seven runs per game, while Moanalua allowed more than two runs just once in OIA East play.
Castle went undefeated in the OIA East by outscoring their opponents 88-6 in the regular season and awaits the winner of the Roosevelt-Waianae matchup.
Waianae must end a three-game losing streak to advance and will face a Jekyll-and-Hyde Roosevelt team. The Rough Riders scored in double-digits twice and were shut out twice during the regular season. They allowed more than 10 runs on two occasions, but also recorded three shutouts.
Kaimuki finished second in the division with an offense that has posted at least 11 runs in five of its last seven games. The Bulldogs will play either Kalani or Leilehua in the quarterfinals.
Kalani is the only team in the playoffs with a losing record, but the Falcons are also one of the hottest teams in the league, winning four of their last five games. Leilehua finished third in the OIA West, thanks to stingy defense.
Campbell scored 83 runs this season and is riding a four-game win streak into the postseason. The Sabers play Kailua or Pearl City on Wednesday.
Kailua, which preceded Mililani as the league's softball dynasty with 12 championships, shut out their opponents in all eight of its wins.
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