Jordyn Waracka fired a no-hitter in the opener, and Chelsea Camello tossed a five-hitter in the second game as the Hilo All-Stars finished 2-0 in the first round of the RBI Girls Softball West Regional on Friday in Anaheim, Calif.
Jordyn Waracka fired a no-hitter in the opener, and Chelsea Camello tossed a five-hitter in the second game as the Hilo All-Stars finished 2-0 in the first round of the RBI Girls Softball West Regional on Friday in Anaheim, Calif.
Hilo blanked Phoenix 9-0 in Game 1 behind Waracka and then topped host Anaheim 10-5 behind Camello.
The three-team regional for players ages 19 and under continues today with two more games. The top two teams advance to Sunday’s championship game. The tournament champion earns a berth in the 2012 RBI World Series, slated for July 31-Aug. 12 in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
Waracka, who will be a senior this year at Sacred Hearts on Oahu, dominated Phoenix in Friday’s 9-0 victory. The sister of former University of Hawaii at Hilo standout Amber Waracka, the hard-throwing right-hander struck out 10 and didn’t walk a batter in the 4 1⁄2-inning contest to get the win.
Shortstop Ciana Matsuoka, a former Kealakehe star, went 3-for-3, including a double and a run batted in, to spark Hilo’s nine-hit attack. Bethany Batangan, who will be a sophomore at Konawaena this year, had two hits, including a double, while Skyler Agrigado, a former Waiakea standout, went 2-for-2 with a double, a solo home run and three RBIs.
Teammate Gayla Ha-Cabebe, a catcher from Kamehameha-Hawaii, added a single and an RBI for the winners.
Cameron Cassinelli went the distance in the time-limited game for Anaheim and took the loss.
Camello, a former Waiakea High star, scattered five hits and struck out three to earn the win over Anaheim. The hosts used three pitchers while the Big Islanders banged out eight hits and plated the 10 runs.
Matsuoka (double), Camello, who played left field when not pitching, and Ha-Cabebe each had two hits to lead Hilo. Camello also drove in two runs, and Ha-Cabebe added an RBI.
Hilo (2-0) plays Phoenix at noon Hawaii Standard Time today and Anaheim at 2 p.m. The title game is scheduled at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Phoenix 000 00 — 0 0 0
Hilo 132 3x — 9 9 3
Hilo 304 030 — 10 8 3
Anaheim 040 100 — 5 5 1
Hilo baseball opens with two wins
The Hilo all-stars fought past Seattle 4-3 and beat Arizona 7-2 in the first round of the RBI Junior Boys (ages 13-15) West Regional baseball tournament on Friday in Anaheim, Calif.
The five-team tournament continues today with Hilo (2-0) battling Anaheim at 8:30 a.m. HST and Venice at 2:30 p.m. The top two teams, based on tourney record, advance to the championship game Sunday. The champion earns a berth in the RBI Junior World Series, set for July 31-Aug. 12, in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Against Seattle on Friday, shortstop Chase Komatsu had a triple and an RBI, and he anchored a strong Hilo defense in the win.
No one paired hits for either team. The Big Islanders finished with four hits, and Seattle had three — two off Hilo starter Jordan Tagawa and one off Komatsu, who finished the game in relief. Tagawa went six innings and picked up the win. He gave up two hits and two runs while striking out one and walking one. Komatsu pitched the seventh, allowing a hit and a run to go along with a strikeout and a walk.
Seattle used two pitchers and made three errors in the contest.
Against Arizona, Caleb Freitas-Fields and Skye Suzuki each had two hits to lead Hilo. Suzuki also had an RBI as the Big Islanders took advantage of nine Arizona walks and four beaned batters to score the seven runs.
DJ Sekiya started for Hilo and hurled 21⁄3 innings. He gave up three hits, a run, and a walk with a strikeout. Reliever Bryce Felipe pitched the final 4 2⁄3 innings and earned the win. He allowed three hits and a run while striking out four and not walking a batter.
No one paired hits for Arizona, which had six hits in the game.
Hilo 002 001 1 — 4 4 4
Seattle 100 001 1 — 3 2 3
Arizona 010 001 0 — 2 6 1
Hilo 110 401 x — 7 4 3
