[ HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ]
Manumas steal win
from Pearl City
The Hurricanes of Kapolei know all about going the extra mile.
That's why going the extra 60 feet is no problem at all when victory is at stake. Anita Manuma raced home on a wild pitch to score the deciding run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Kapolei outlasted Pearl City 5-4 yesterday afternoon.
The win kept the Hurricanes (7-1) tied for first place in the Oahu Interscholastic Association West Division. Pearl City (6-2) lost despite rallying twice -- once to take the lead and again in the sixth frame to tie the game.
"This win is pivotal, but the next two games are also pivotal," Kapolei head coach Tony Saffrey said. Kapolei hosts Leilehua tomorrow and travels to Waianae on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Pearl City hosts Waianae tomorrow and travels to Waipahu on Wednesday.
Manuma, just a sophomore, switched from left field to catcher for the showdown with the Chargers. She played a flawless game behind the plate, and in the bottom of the seventh her patience and speed came in quite handy. With two outs, she drew a walk from relief pitcher Marina Guzman. A pair of wild pitches allowed Manuma to advance to third. The second wild pitch came on ball four to Austi Paris.
With runners at the corners and power-hitting Valana Manuma at the plate, Guzman was in a bind. Her fastball got past her catcher and to the backstop, and Anita Manuma scored easily from third. "I just told myself I gotta score, just pump myself up," said Manuma, who is the youngest of three sisters (Valana and Malamaisaua) on the team.
Malamaisaua, a junior, went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles. The senior, Valana, was 2-for-3 with a double.
Guzman, who started at third base before taking the mound in the sixth, went 3-for-4 to lead Pearl City at the plate. Corrie Nishikida and Krystal Plunkett each went 2-for-4. Plunkett also doubled and drove in two runs.
It was a gritty performance by Kapolei ace Tajia Acierto. The sophomore hurler was pelted twice by hard-hit balls, but remained in the game. She came through particularly in the top of the seventh, when Pearl City rallied with two runs to tie the game at 4. She had just taken a second hard shot off the leg, and Saffrey called time.
"She was favoring her leg. She got hit on the one that she lands on," he said. "She was saying, 'I can go, I can go.' This is a youngster I trusted last year as a freshman."
The right-hander asserted that the bruises on her leg didn't bother her. "I just had to focus on me and my catcher. Coach said there's two outs and just concentrate on the batter. I was more worried that I'd pitch a bad pitch."
Acierto, who went 10 innings to beat Pearl City in last year's OIA playoffs, showed the same resilience. She retired Shanna Vierra on a fly ball to center, retiring the side.
Kapolei opened the scoring in the second inning when Jasmin Sanchez singled to right, scoring Malamaisaua Manuma from second. Manuma reached base on a double to center.
Pearl City responded with a two-run third frame. Krystal Plunkett doubled to center, scoring Nishikida, the Chargers' starting pitcher. Moments later, Guzman grounded a single to left, scoring Plunkett for Pearl City's only lead of the game.
In the fourth, with Valana Manuma at third, Malamaisaua Manuma sent a towering fly to right. The ball got lost in the Ewa sun and dropped safely, tying the game at 2.
Kapolei chased Nishikida in the sixth with two runs. Acierto's single to left scored Valana Manuma. Moments later, Malamaisaua Manuma scored on a fielder's choice to first by Sanchez, giving the 'Canes a 4-2 lead.
Pearl City showed its mettle in the top of the seventh. Nishikida slapped a pitch to right field and beat the throw to first with a head-first slide. Plunkett launched a deep fly to center for an RBI double, scoring Nishikida. After Guzman's single to center put runners at the corners, Kanani Numata singled off Acierto's leg, bringing Plunkett home with the tying run.
That set the stage for Kapolei's game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh.