Waialua squeezes past Kaiser for White title
POSTED: Sunday, May 03, 2009
In a championship duel marred by eight errors, all Marissa Keao and Kayla Alcoran needed was a break.
The aces for Waialua and Kaiser pitched well enough, but it was Keao and her teammates who saved the day. The Bulldogs came through with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning—off a bunt on a fielder's choice—for a 5-4 win over Kaiser to capture the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference championship.
“;It's amazing,”; Keao said of her school's first softball championship.
The teams battled to a 4-all tie on March 12, and the score last night was the same entering the bottom of the seventh. A throwing error by Kaiser third baseman Amy Austin allowed Gabby Maxwell to reach base with one out. Pinch hitter Rebecca Barone followed with a bunt single—it sailed over Alcoran's head—to put runners at the corners for Waialua.
Courtney Kilday then put down a squeeze bunt that was fielded cleanly by catcher Chelsy Okuma, who took a look at Maxwell off third base before throwing a bullet to first. Kilday was out on the play, but first baseman Chelsey Lima didn't square out to get a good throwing angle. Her throw home was too late to prevent Maxwell from scoring the winning run.
“;When she threw (to first), I just ran. Winning a championship was going through my mind,”; Maxwell said. “;I didn't know I was going to run that fast.”;
At CORP
Kaiser (12-1-1) | 202 | 000 | 0 | — | 4 | 6 | 4 |
Waialua (11-1-1) | 310 | 000 | 1 | — | 5 | 10 | 4 |
Kayla Alcoran and Chelsy Okuma. Marissa Keao and Alyssiah Hernandez. W—Keao. L—Alcoran.
Leading hitters—Kais: Amy Austin 2-4, run; Jessie Hathaway 2-4, 3 RBIs, 2 2bs. Waia: Gabby Maxwell 2-4, RBI, run; Ciara Balidoy 2-3.