There was no shortage of offense in Kealakekua Tuesday, as Konawaena (5-3-1) outlasted Hawaii Preparatory Academy 16-14 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation softball game at Gabby Inaba Field.
Konawaena has nearly wrapped up second place in Division II and home-field advantage for the best-of-three BIIF semifinals April 19.
If Konawaena doesn’t secure home field for the playoffs Saturday against Ka‘u, the slugfest could go down as the final home game for five graduating Wildcats. The veteran members of the team were celebrated in the traditional tear-filled ceremony to conclude the contest.
“The girls may have been a little more nervous because of senior day, but they did well,” said head coach Shellie Grace. “Now, we are hoping for another home game in the playoffs.”
The last time Konawaena won the BIIF softball championship, the seniors were freshmen, leaving Dorian Anu Binney and the other Wildcat seniors aiming at championship bookends for their high school careers.
“My freshman year, we won and that was an amazing experience,” Binney said. “It’s our senior year now, so we are hoping to go out with a bang.”
Appropriately, the seniors carried the majority of the load for the Wildcats against HPA.
Binney delivered on the mound, striking out 10 and allowing only two earned runs in a complete game. Her performance made up for 12 Wildcat errors.
“It was back and forth and so nerve racking,” Grace said. “It was an unpredictable one, but the pitching really calmed us down. (Binney) coming through for us on the mound is something she has done in the past and why she is one of our senior captains.”
Senior Syleesia Jose recorded a team-high three runs, and knocked in two RBIs on 1 of 2 hitting. Jose also walked twice.
Kawena Lim-Samura took the complete game loss for HPA (0-6), allowing 10 earned runs, 13 hits and striking out five.
Despite the loss, Ka Makani sophomore slugger Taimane Kamaka had a stellar day at the plate, going 5 of 6 with two RBIs.
HPA gained an early 2-0 advantage behind RBI singles from Lim-Samura and Kamaka, but the lead did not last long.
The Wildcats cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the first inning after Kaila Kaupe Deleon slapped a double to the left field wall, bringing in Jose. Then, consecutive hits from Binney, Lavinia Vete and Jayssa Grace to lead off the bottom of the second inning, gave the Wildcats a 3-2 edge with no outs.
After the flurry of hits, the Wildcats feasted on Ka Makani errors. Konawaena added three more runs off of HPA errors with just a single hit, and entered the third with a commanding 6-2 lead.
Despite the tough defensive inning, HPA remained determined at the plate. Kamaka led off the third inning with her second hit of the game, and came home on a double from Courtney Barro-Kilmede.
HPA continued to pound away, eventually drawing within one run, and the Wildcats found themselves in a jam with no outs and the bases loaded. Tehani Grasso nailed a base-clearing shot, bringing in three runs and giving HPA an 8-6 lead. Grasso made her way home on a single from Kamaka, stretching HPA’s lead to three runs entering the home half of the third inning.
The back-and-forth contest continued in the bottom of the third, with the Wildcats adding four runs, retaking the lead on a score from Deleon on a wild pitch.
As the game wore on, the Wildcats bats remained hot, and Binney cooled off the Ka Makani offense until late in the sixth. After recording her ninth strikeout of the contest, Ka Makani made the most of two beamed batters and a fielding error, racking up five runs in the stanza. The rally was highlighted by a long two-RBI double to center field from Malia Byram.
With two runners in scoring position, Binney recovered, getting the Wildcats out of the inning with a narrow 16-14 lead with her tenth strikeout.
Konawaena did not add any insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, and the game rested firmly in the hands of Binney. The senior delivered, stymieing HPA’s final comeback attempt.
“All I did was focus on the catcher’s glove and calming myself down,” Binney said. “It was really exciting and I just had to focus on my pitching. At a point it got a little crazy but I was able to focus and get out of it. “
HPA gets another chance for its first win of the season against Kamehameha Thursday, while Konawaena wraps up its season Saturday at Ka‘u.
HPA 207 005 0 — 14 10 6
Konawaena 154 240 X — 16 13 12