[ HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ]

Chargers tighten up
enough to beat Trojans
in OIA West game

The Pearl City softball team used a well-structured game plan, timely hitting and an excellent pitching performance by Marina Gusman to avenge their lone loss of the regular season, defeating Mililani 3-0 to move into the driver's seat in the OIA Red West Division race.

Entering last night's game, the Chargers looked to correct the mistakes they made in their early-season loss at home against the Trojans, when they let an early lead slip away due to four errors and a lack of offensive execution.

The result was an 8-5 loss.

"We really prepared our defense for this game," said Pearl City coach Keoke Behic. "We knew Mililani would bunt and slap and hit-and-run, and run the bases. So we pitched Marina because she throws a little harder, and she pitched one hell of a game."

Using a steady infield defense that converted on 11 chances flawlessly, Gusman allowed only five baserunners, three of which reached due to her own lapses, on a walk, a hit by pitch and her own fielding error.

Gusman completed the shutout, allowing only two infield singles and striking out eight while walking just one. Gusman has 58 strikeouts and only 12 walks this season.

"I just wanted to come out and throw strikes," Gusman said. "I knew that if they put the ball in play, that our defense was going to make plays. It was just me and (catcher) Krystal (Plunkett) out there, and all I tried to do was pitch to her.

"With those other baserunners, I was frustrated, because I knew all I had to do was let the defense work."

Early in the contest, Gusman and Plunkett did most of the work, as the junior right-hander recorded six of the first nine outs of the game on strikeouts.

With Mililani ace Dana Lee matching Gusman's efforts through three frames, Pearl City made good on its first scoring opportunity, when Corrie Nishikida laced a single to right-center to give Pearl City the 1-0 lead in the fourth inning.

Gusman opened the inning by drawing her second consecutive walk, and promptly stole second to set up Nishikida's heroics.

"I knew I had to execute," Nishikida said. "We work on hitting with runners in scoring position a lot in practice, so I just wanted to hit it well."

Pearl City scored again in the top of the fifth, when a grounder off the bat of Lauren Fujisaki found its way through the Trojan second baseman's legs and rolled all the way to the right-field fence. The error scored Kanani Numata, who led off the inning with an infield single, and allowed Fujisaki to move to second.

Center fielder Moki Opunui followed with a sacrifice bunt to advance Fujisaki to third and Tori Ikehara followed with a sac fly to right field to give Gusman all the runs she would need. Mililani's Lee scattered three hits and allowed one earned run.

"We weren't looking for the fence tonight," Nishikida said. "She (Lee) wasn't giving us a lot of good pitches to hit, so like coach said, we just wanted to put the ball in play."

With just a game against Nanakuli remaining, Pearl City, at 10-1, controls its own fate in the divisional race. Mililani (8-2) has games against defending state champ Kapolei and Waianae left to play.