Kapolei repeats as
OIA Red softball
champion

In a rematch of last year's Oahu Interscholastic Association softball championship, the Kapolei Hurricanes made it two straight titles with a 9-1 victory over the Mililani Trojans last night at Central Oahu Regional Park.

After finishing off Pearl City 11-3 yesterday morning in a game that was delayed Friday due to rain, the Hurricanes (12-4) were right back at it last night, but a disputed call in the top of the first inning set the tone for the entire game.

With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the first, Hurricanes centerfielder Kaili Smith ripped a ground ball that appeared to bounce off the leg of baserunner Jasmin Yoro and into right field. Yoro assumed she was hit and headed for the dugout, but she was waved back onto the basepaths as the other runners continued running. After the play was over, the umpires conferred and Smith was awarded a two-run double, with Yoro left at third base. Both of them would score on a two-run double by Tajia Acierto as Kapolei took a quick 5-0 lead.

According to OIA softball commissioner Glenn Ahsam, "If any one of the infielders could have made a play on the ball, then the runner would be out, but in that case, the runner went behind both infielders, so once the ball went past both players before hitting the runner, it's still a live ball even though she was hit."

Trojans head coach Mike Okimoto disagreed with the call.

"I was arguing that the ball hitting the runner kept my second baseman from making a play on it," he said. "It doesn't make sense why we're penalizing the fielders when the runner hit the ball. The umpire ruled it dead, but they still let the two runners score and that just put us in a hole."

The Hurricanes added to that lead with a run in the third inning on an RBI single by Champagne Paris and two more in the fourth on RBI singles by Austi Paris and Acierto.

Samantha Boloson got the Trojans on the board with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, but Austi Paris got it back for Kapolei in the top of the sixth, blasting a monstrous solo home run deep over the fence in left-center, her 10th of the season, to put the final touch on Kapolei's second straight OIA title.

"I expected us to be competitive even with the loss of seven starters from last year," Kapolei head coach Tony Saffery said. "I told Tajia at the beginning of the season that this whole team was going to be on her shoulders and she's responded. That girl just has game, there's no other way to put it."

Acierto baffled the Trojans all night, holding them to just one run on three hits, doing all of it after pitching in Kapolei's semifinal win.

"I'm not tired, just excited," she said. "We had some losses early, but we were able to learn from our mistakes and we had confidence in ourselves that we could win this."

Third-place game
Kailua 1, Pearl City 0
Courtney Kessell, Ashley Hopfe (7) and Erin Guererro. Corrie Nishikida, Marina Gusman-Brown (4) and Noelle Hirahara.
WP--Courtney Kessell. LP--Corrie Nishikida.
Leading hitters--Kail: Sheyenne Hussey 2-4.

Semifinal
Kapolei 11, Pearl City 3
WP--Tajia Acierto. LP--Corrie Nishikida.
Leading hitters--Kapo: Tricia Wakashima 1-5, 3b, 3 RBIs; Austi Paris 2-3, RBI; Kaili Smith 2-4, RBI. PC: Marina Gusman-Brown 2b; Nishikida 2-3.

Consolation final
Kaimuki 5, Moanalua 1
WP--Genesis Fruean. LP--Kanoyce Love.
Leading hitters--Kaim: Fruean 2b; Moan: Traci Yoshikawa 2-3.

consolation semifinals
Winners qualify for state tournament
Moanalua 3, Castle 0
WP--Sarah Robinson. LP--Mical Panee.
Leading hitters--Moan: Traci Yoshikawa 3-3, HR; Sarah Robinson 3-3, 2b, 3b.

Kaimuki 2, Kahuku 0
WP--Genesis Fruean. LP--Kamaile Hughes.
Leading hitters--Kaim: Fruean 2-3, 2-run HR; Kah: Tina Soliai 2-4, Hughes 1-2.