KAILUA-KONA — Collecting its second mercy-rule win of the season, Kealakehe softball trounced Konawaena 11-1 in five innings in Wednesday’s crosstown matchup.
Waverider shortstop Rihanna Joaquin was the star of the afternoon, driving in four runs with three hits — including an inside-the-park home run in the second inning. Kealakehe posted 11 hits to Kona’s three.
Following five runs through the first two innings, Kealakehe scored the final six in the last two, including a five-run outburst in the fourth inning alone.
Waveriders pitcher Emalia Emmsley joined Joaquin with three hits. She was also the game’s winning pitcher — going five innings while allowing three hits and no earned runs with nine strikeouts.
Katherine Keizer also notched two hits for Kealakehe. Teammates Freeda Tosie, Kayleigh Nakamura, Kaitlyn Nakamura and Saige Telles also recorded a hit each.
On Kona’s side, Kailey Ann-Apigo led with two hits. Aleisha Estranero had the other hit for the Wildcats. Leilani Lebrun-Ward was the lone pitcher in the circle for Kona.
Officially halfway through the 2024 regular season, the Waveriders are 4-0-0, outscoring opponents 59-2. Their back half of the schedule begins against Honoka‘a at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Dragons’ home field.
Konawaena (0-3-0) is still in search of its first win, and will also play Honoka‘a next — slated for 11 a.m. Saturday at Honoka‘a High School.
HILO 27, KEA‘AU 17
The Vikings softball team prevailed in a high-scoring affair, breaking away from the Cougars late in the game to remain undefeated and win their BIIF Division I opener.
After lasting nearly three hours, the game was called after six innings.
Unearned runs piled up as both teams struggled on defense, committing numerous fielding errors and walking batters around the diamond.
Hilo entered the bottom of the fifth inning trailing 14-13, but got the bats going to take a commanding lead. Mackenzie Valentin led off, reaching on an error as an infielder dropped the fly ball she hit — then, two-spot Zaydee Amar singled on a bunt. Amar and courtesy runner Quincy Uglum stole second and third, respectively, during the next at-bat — which ended with Jeyla Bettis getting hit by a pitch to load the bases.
The four-spot went down swinging, then a passed ball allowed Uglum to score and tie the game. Dashley Arurang hit a line drive to left field that was errored, allowing hit to reach second and both runners to score — giving Hilo a 16-14 lead. Arurang reached third on a passed ball, then was batted in as Malia Simram singled on an infield grounder.
Working a 2-2 count, sophomore Madison Waiki homered over the left fence to boost Hilo’s lead to 19-14. Soon after, Kawehi Augustin’s grounder was errored in the infield, allowing her to each second as Lei Soller scored.
Back at the top of the lineup, Augustin hit a triple with a RBI on a line drive to right field. Two straight flyouts ended the inning and the Vikings’ eight-point rampage.
Kea‘au nearly mounted a comeback, plating three runs in the top of the sixth inning.
The Vikings rose to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in BIIF DI. Their next test may be their toughest so far this season — a cross-town road test at Waiakea High (4-0) next Wednesday (March 27).
The Cougars skidded to 1-2 in their second straight loss, and first in DI play. Kea‘au will have more than a week off until its next outing — March 30 at Konawaena High (0-3) in a non-division matchup.
KOHALA 13, KA‘U 10
Kohala softball earned its second win of the season Tuesday afternoon by beating the Ka‘u Trojans in a high-scoring affair, 13-10. The Cowgirls got back on track after losing three straight.
Now at 2-3-0, Kohala will aim to reach .500 on the season with its next match against Waiakea — slated for 11 a.m. Friday in Kapaau.
Ka‘u (0-4-0) is still looking for win No. 1, and will next take the diamond against Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Kea‘au.
Baseball
KONA 12, KEALAKHE 8
In the second game of the crosstown doubleheader, Konawaena baseball maintained consistent offense — scoring at least one run in each inning — en route to its 12-8 victory over Kealakehe at the Waveriders’ home field.
However, the Waveriders bested the Wildcats in hits 7-4. But Kealakehe’s 12 walks and eight errors were pivotal in Kona’s win. The Wildcats took better care of the ball, having just three errors and only forcing three total walks.
Catcher Malika Akamu led the winning team with two hits — one of them being Kona’s only double. Shortstop Hayden Nishida and first baseman Jaeden Meyer also added singles for the Wildcats.
Koa Nakagawa was the game’s winning pitcher, throwing 3.3 innings and allowing just two hits on one earned run. Amafala Marquard and Meyer also spent time on the mound for the Wildcats. Zesden Tolentino, Freddy Alokoa and Rome Joaquin shared the mound for Kealakehe.
Mareho Kellen and Tolentino were the ‘Riders’ top hitters, each grabbing two base hits. Teammates Elijah Sunderman, K. Daniel and Alokoa also posted hits.
The blue and white scored a game-high six runs in fifth inning, but it was still not enough to mount a comeback.
Fresh off its first win of the season, the Wildcats (1-2) will look to ride the momentum against Honoka‘a at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Dragons’ diamond.
Kealakehe (1-3) will return to the diamond at 1 p.m. Saturday on the opposite end of the island against Hilo at the Vikings’ field.
Note: Any readers who can identify Kealakehe’s ‘K. Daniel’ please email clangs@westhawaiitoday.com or cwhitt@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
KA‘U 15, KOHALA 10
In the second matchup of the doubleheader between the two schools, Ka‘u baseball bested Kohala 15-10 on Tuesday in extra innings — earning its third win of 2024.
The Trojans (3-1-0) will look to keep their momentum going in their next game against KS-Hawai‘i at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Warriors’ campus in Kea‘au.
The Cowboys remain winless, and will try again against the Waiakea Warriors at 1 p.m. Friday at home.
HILO 10, KEA‘AU 0
Hilo High’s baseball team shut out Kea‘au High on Wednesday afternoon, moving to 4-0 and winning its first BIIF Division I matchup of the season.
The Vikings will continue DI play in their next two matchups — starting with a home game against Kealakehe High (2-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Francis Wong Stadium.
The Cougars fell to 0-3, and will next face Konawaena High (1-2) at 1 p.m. on March 30 in Kealakekua.