HONOLULU — The Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) baseball and softball playoffs began Tuesday on Oahu, and four Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) clubs represented the isle in their matchups.
Due to adverse weather conditions throughout the week, HHSAA made the decision to cancel all consolation playoff games in both tournaments.
BASEBALL: Waiakea 1, ‘Iolani 0
Waiakea High’s baseball team defeated ‘Iolani School 1-0 to punchits ticket to the HHSAA quarterfinals on Tuesday afternoon at Les Murakami Stadium.
It was all thanks to the go-ahead run scored by Ivor Brooks in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Red Raiders’ second baseman errored a fly ball hit by Kaleb Wada.
Brooks and first-baseman Clemson Julian each went one-for-two to lead the Warriors at the plate.
Loren Iwata got the start on the mound for Waiakea and went all seven innings to post the shutout — surrendering three hits and five walks while striking out seven batters.
Iwata also dealt the Red Raiders a three-up, three-down top seventh — fanning the first batter before the second flew out to Jesse Inouye in right field, then punching out the three-spot to seal the win for WHS.
Now 13-4, Waiakea will next face No. 2 seed Maui High at 1 p.m. today at Les Murakami Stadium.
SOFTBALL: Kohala 10, Kalaheo 4
Scoring runs consistently throughout the afternoon, Kohala softball was able to get past Kauai school Kalaheo by a score of 10-4 at McKinley High School.
The Cowgirls scored at least one run against the Mustangs in five of their six at-bats. Across Kohala’s seven collective hits, left fielder Mahea Pang led the squad with two of them — while teammates Kailani Valenzuela, Sydney Marquez, Kalia Marquez, Faith Alejandro-Cazimero and Savannah Kupukaa notched one hit each.
Kalia Marquez pitched the entire game for the Cowgirls — striking out four and allowing six hits.
On Kalaheo’s side, catcher Makayla DiFolco led with two hits. Her teammates — left fielder Madison Uehara, pitcher Ivi Young, right fielder Karisma Langnessand first baseman Kayla Simeona — earned one base hit each.
Young additionally pitched for the Mustangs, striking out six and allowing 10 runs.
With Kalaheo’s season now over, Kohala will now move on to the quarterfinals against first-seeded Kapaa, which is slated for 7 p.m. tonight at McKinley.
Stay tuned to the paper this week for updates on how the Cowgirls finish the tournament over on Oahu.
Leilehua 14, Waiakea 1
Waiakea softball’s season ended to the hands of Leilehua at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, as the Warriors fell 14-1 in five quick innings.
The Mules logged 15 hits to Waiakea’s one. Leilehua shortstop Trinity Cabana-Rodrigues led with a game-high four hits and three runs. Rodrigues’ teammates — catcher Shazlynn Ancheta, third baseman Jessica Liu and center fielder Ciara Fortuno — tallied two hits apiece. Breann Leong, first baseman Teti Suivaaia, designated hitter Maya Siufanua, right fielder Arria Vierra and infielder Merelynn Ursua added one each for Leilehua. The Mules’ strongest inning was in the fifth, where they scored eight runs. The team was also walked eight separate times.
Leong also pitched in the circle for Lelehua — throwing for three innings and allowing one run on one hit. Cabana-Rodiques closed the game for the Mules in the final two innings with no earned runs.
The Warriors, on the other hand, could not produce any offense — as center fielder Madisen Kodani notched Waiakea’s only hit with a single in the second. Meghan Spencer pitched for the blue and white, but earned the loss after allowing all of Leilehua’s runs.
With the cancellation of the consolation bracket, the Warriors’ season has unfortunately come to an end. They finished 2024 with a second-place finish in BIIF Division I and a 10-5 overall record. Waiakea’s longest winning streak of the season was six games.
The Mules will advance to the quarterfinals to take on No. 2 seed Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Molokai 17, Kona 6
Thanks to No. 5 Molokai’s 12 base hits, the Farmers were able to make quick work of Konawaena at McKinley High School — winning 17-6 in five innings.
Molokai’s Christine Hanapi led with a game-high three hits. Natalia Pastrana was the game’s winning pitcher with four strikouts and five hits allowed.
Leading the Wildcats’ bats was infielder Jerzie Lopez, who notched two hits. Leilani Lebrun-Ward and Jamaica Moses both pitched in the circle for Kona.
The Wildcats’ season ended with a 4-9 overall record. The Farmers will next play No. 4 Aiea at 12 p.m. today in the quarterfinals at McKinley.
