Cool when it counts

KAPAAU — Honokaa coach Wesley Fujimoto can’t figure it out.

Time and time again, he sees the Dragons play their worst softball after being squarely in control of games. On the other side of the coin, they play their best with their backs against the wall.

“I guess they like the pressure,” Fujimoto said after Honokaa beat Kohala 12-8 in eight innings in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation contest Friday at Kamehameha Park.

Honokaa scored four runs in the top of the eighth, with Kaitlin Agustin’s RBI single plating Kayla Kalauli with the go-ahead run. On the same plate, Kayla Requelman scored on an error, and Precious Palea-Enos later added an RBI single.

Palea-Enos finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

“To get two people in like that after a tie game, it felt good,” Agustin said.

Honokaa (0-1 in the BIIF, 3-1 overall) led 7-6 going into the bottom of the seventh, but Kohala (0-1, 1-3) sent the contest to extra innings when Kiana Alejandro-Cazimero scored from third base on a wild pitch from Agustin, a junior who started and went 6 1/3 innings.

With runners on second and third and one out, Kalauli relieved Agustin, and the sophomore got Ashlyn Van Zandt on a foul-out to the catcher and Tiani Luga on a groundout to short to end the threat.

An inning earlier, Agustin wiggled out of similar jam, loading the bases with nobody out. But she got Tomiko Coito on a line drive to shortstop, Briana Harrison on a pop-out to short and Kyrah Sol on a flyout to center.

“We had our chances,’’ Cowgirls coach Terrence Alcoran said of his team, which also committed eight errors.

Agustin gave up eight runs — seven earned — on seven hits. She walked eight and struck out five.

Kalauli followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk to earn the win.

Honokaa gave Agustin plenty of run support early, with the Dragons taking advantage of two errors in the fourth inning to score four runs and take a 7-3 lead.

Allie Shiraki highlighted the inning with a two-run single, and Requelman added a run-scoring single.

However, Kohala tied the contest with a four-run fifth, with Kiana Alejandro-Cazimero capping the rally with a two-out, two-run single.

“They didn’t give up,’’ Alcoran said.

Alejandro-Cazimero finished 2-for-4, Van Zandt had an RBI double, and Ryah Manning contributed a run-scoring single.

Van Zandt, a sophomore, took the loss. In 7 1/3 innings she gave up 12 runs — eight earned — on 10 hits, striking out six and walking nine.

Honokaa 003 400 1 4 — 12 10 1

Kohala 201 040 1 0 — 8 9 8

c Kamehameha 7, Waiakea 6: At Keaau, Kekai Wong Yuen had three hits and Mykala Tokunaga provided the pitching to lift the private-school Warriors (1-0 BIIF, 3-1 overall) over the visitors.

Tokunaga and Jaylen Shiroma each added two hits for the hosts. Brandee Maximo led Waiakea (0-0, 1-2) with three hits, and Taylor Nishimura had two.

Tokunaga picked up the win. Alexis Anzai took the loss.

c Hilo 18, Pahoa 3: Shalyn Guthier went 2-for-3, and Jordyn Breitbarth hit an RBI double for Hilo (1-0 in BIIF, 5-0 overall).

Aliese Kaneshiro pitched three innings for the win at Hilo.

Pahoa fell to 0-1 in BIIF play, 0-4 overall.

Pahoa 000 03 — 3 1 3

Hilo 663 3x — 18 4 4

c Konawaena 17, Hawaii Prep 13: Bethany Batangan went 3-for-5 with a double at the plate and picked up the win in the circle for the Wildcats, who scored 13 unanswered runs after falling behind 8-2.

Batangan pitched into the sixth inning before Shyla Victor came on in relief and finished up for Konawaena (1-0 in the BIIF, 3-1 overall). The pitchers combined to walk 12 batters.

Kawena Lim-Samura, who went the distance for Ka Makani (0-1, 0-5), took the loss. She allowed eight hits, striking out five batters and walking 13.

Camille Kiyota (2-for-4) blasted a three-run homer in the second inning for HPA, which also took advantage of five walks and an error in the frame.

Alexa Meyer went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Konawaena 116 124 2 — 17 6 2

Hawaii Prep 080 003 2 — 13 8 6