KEALAKEKUA — Kamehameha-Hawaii slugged its way past Konawaena in the rubber match of the BIIF Division II Championship Series on Monday at Gabby Inaba field to claim its sixth straight league title.
The Warriors went deep three times in their 14-6 victory, including two home runs by four-year starter Kiarra Lincoln, which came in her first two plate appearances to set the stage early on.
“When I get into the box I just try to calm myself, and my dad always tells me to hit the ball hard, so that was what I was thinking,” Lincoln said of her leadoff home run in the first inning. “(In my second plate appearance) I didn’t want to over-think it because a lot of times when someone hits a home run they try to over-swing in their next at-bat. I had the same mindset as the first at-bat.”
Lincoln’s two home runs helped her team gain a 5-1 edge by the end of the second inning. She finished 2-for-4 at the plate despite hitting the ball hard in nearly every at-bat. She had three RBIs and two runs scored.
“Kiarra has been a leader throughout the entire season,” said Kamehameha head coach Akea Kiyuna. “Being that first batter, she really trusts her teammates so she doesn’t have a lot of pressure on her hitting first.”
Up 7-1, heading into the fifth inning, Taylor Sullivan gave Kamehameha the insurance runs it needed when she took a high and outside pitch the opposite way for three-run blast that sailed over the right field fence with ease.
“Taylor controlled herself and went with the pitch, which is hard for her to do,” Kiyuna said. “Her hard work to not over-swing paid off today.”
It was the only hit for Sullivan of the day but it came when the Warriors needed it the most.
Konawaena, which was seeking its first BIIF championship since 2011, attempted to come back late in the game by taking advantage of control issues inside the circle by the Warriors’ ace Brooke Baptiste. The Wildcats scored five runs over the last three innings, mostly due to eight walks and two hit batters the Kamehameha pitcher had in the game.
However, Baptiste was able to get out of most jams, minus a three-run fifth inning, with little damage. In that fifth inning, a seeing-eye single to left and a batter getting hit by a pitch set up lefty Kaimana Manzano for a 3-run home run to right.
Baptiste walked the next batter but then forced a pop out to get out of the inning.
When the Kamehameha pitcher brought her “A” game, she consistently forced Konawaena to hit the ball on the ground and she was backed up by solid defense behind her. She was also aided by the big offensive innings early on. The Warriors scored in six of the seven innings, pushing multiple runs across the plate in five innings.
“Seeing the bats working on offense and seeing her defense back her up on plays, I think that helped Brooke compose herself when she walks or hits a batter,” Kiyuna said. “This was a battle and Konawaena fought all the way to the end. We had some room to wiggle but we had to make the plays.”
Baptiste picked up the complete game victory, allowing six runs, four earned, off only four hits.
Konawaena’s Shaylann Marie Grace started the game in the circle and took the loss. She threw the first two innings, allowing five runs, three earned, off three hits, while striking out one.
Grace exited the game to make way for Andi Uemura in the top of the third inning, but reentered with two outs in the sixth, forcing a groundout with Kamehameha runners on first and third. In her final 1 1/3 innings, she allowed one earned run off two hits.
Uemura threw 3 2/3 innings in relief, allowing eight runs, six earned, off 10 hits and two walks. The Wildcats committed five costly errors behind their pair of pitchers.
Offensively for the Wildcats, Teizha Kaluna joined Manzano with a home run, going deep in her first at-bat in the second inning. She was also hit by a pitch twice.
The Warriors committed three errors on defense, all of which came late in the game.
“This was definitely a hard fought game but at the end of the day the people who execute are the ones who will be successful and that is what happened this weekend,” said Konawaena athletic director and interim coach Kellye Krug. “It is part of athletics. Some days you win and some days you lose.”
Both teams will now prepare for the state tournament which will be held May 3-6 in Oahu.
Kam 232 033 1 — 14 15 5
Kona 010 130 1 — 6 4 3