In a slugfest with seemingly no end, it was defense that won Kalani its first softball championship.

Kristi Belshe belted a two-run homer in the third inning and socked a double in the sixth to plate the go-ahead run as Kalani rallied for a 12-10 win over Waialua in the final of the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference playoffs.

“;It feels wonderful. We gave our school a first,”; second-year coach Melissa Marquez said.

An exuberant crowd at Patsy Mink Central Oahu Regional Park saw a back-and-forth battle that involved 24 hits and 10 errors. Only two errors were committed by Kalani (13-1). Eight gaffs by Waialua made the difference; four of Kalani's runs were unearned.

“;Karina (Balidoy) throws a lot of strikes, so we depend on our defense,”; Waialua coach Jay Keao said of his starting pitcher. “;Kalani put the ball in play at the right times.”;

Sophomore Rayme Awaya was clutch for Kalani, pitching the final 5 2/3 innings in relief for the win. Everything was effective—her drops, curves, screwballs and risers—once she settled down.

“;It took a while to get comfortable, but it got easier,”; she said.

Belshe, a junior catcher, knew her team wouldn't panic despite a 6-2 deficit after two innings.

“;The team as a whole wanted it so bad. We fight to the end, and that's how much we worked for it,”; she said. “;We left our mark, but we want more.”;

Down 10-9 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Falcons scored three times to take the lead for the first time. Hikaru Kumagai's single to left brought home Chelsea Yamamoto to tie it at 10-all, and after Awaya singled, Belshe doubled to bring Awaya in for an 11-10 lead.

With two outs, Kristiann Endow singled in Belshe for a two-run advantage.

Waialua's top of the seventh began with a bunt by leading hitter Althia Dicion, but the ball bounced off her leg as she ran up the basepath and she was ruled out.

“;That was a bad start on that out-of-the-box bunt,”; Keao said.

Alyssiah Hernandez socked her fourth hit of the game after that, but Awaya retired the final two hitters to end the 2-hour, 30-minute battle.

It was quite a turnaround for Waialua, which lost to Kalani 12-2 early in the season. Both teams have qualified for the state tournament.

Keao took the loss in stride.

“;A loss is good. We can take it and turn it around,”; he said. “;It wasn't a runaway game. We fought to the end. It's back to the drawing board on Monday.”;

Coming from behind made it a tough, but rewarding night for Kalani.

“;Everyone was really sweating,”; Awaya said. “;Oh, my God. But our coach made us focus.”;